John,
   I respect your position very much. I think we should embrace a close
look at what happens when students struggle with public discourse and
should look closely at how certain kinds of intervention do or do not
make the transitions easier. This means asking that minimalist
practices be held up to the same kind of scrutiny. Certainly the call
for renewed teaching of grammar comes from a public consensus that
something is needed. If minimalism doesn't work, can we come up with a
new kind of "maximilism"? If we understand language as deeply tied to
meaning, then can our attention to it ever be at odds with the higher
order concerns of reading and writing?   What knowledge of language
helps in real discourse? In opposition to the notion that grammar
should be minimized so that real discourse can happen: how can we
better understand the connection between grammar and meaning,
especially if "meaning" is broadened out to include rhetorical context?
   The more I think about it, the more a four point focus makes sense.
What knowledge about language helps students negotiate Standard English
without denigrating their home language. What knowledge about language
helps them negotiate the more routine conventions of discourse,
including the punctuation system. (We could test whether "complete
thought" and "hearing the pauses" really does get them where they need
to be.) What knowledge about language helps us make texts coherent and
thoughtful and interesting and clear? What knowledge about language
helps us understand the special demands of the academic disciplines? Do
these language changes just rub off on people from exposure, or would
it help to make the changes more explicit?
   Is language just a set of habits? Or should we treat it like a
meaning-making system?


Craig
   Craig and Geoff:
>
> I am certainly in favor of at least a two-pronged attack on the
> issue.  I didn't intend to denigrate the importance of attacking the
> sources that the NCTE studies cite; I only wanted to stress once again
> the importance of, at some point, providing empirical evidence in
> support of our position.
>
> The quotes certainly help me formulate my response to the NCTE
> position more clearly--thanks, Craig.
>
> Keep up the good fight. . . .
> John
>
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