Bill, thanks for getting us back on track. I also apologize to Robert for
having insinuated an attack on what I perceived to be an attack on someone
else's message. My message was not directed at the content of Robert's
message, since I DON'T enjoy repartee that is inconsiderate of others'
views.  Judith


At 01:18 PM 11/21/99 -0500, you wrote:
>Well, it seems that we have gotten off track here. I must confess that I do
>enjoy the repartee, but it now threatens to get out of hand. Also, I do
>think that both qualitative and quantitative research have their places.
>And as someone who was trained in quantitative, I naturally feel more
>comfortable with that approach. I also have strong feelings about the
>pernicious influence of postmodernism and its related -isms on the field of
>English, particularly composition. I take anti-empiricism to be one of the
>threads of postmodernism, though I understand that one can come to that
>position without a detour through French philosophy.
>
>(If you want to see what's going on with composition, sign on to NCTE's
>"college talk." Apparently we are now using freshman English to teach
>hapless freshmen how to analyze the power structures that oppress them--as
>though freshman English were not itself a structure oppressing both its
>students and its teachers.)
>
>But let us put aside these differences and return to the original quest of
>rescuing a place for grammar and other aspects of language teaching in the
>curriculum, understanding why grammar is so difficult to teach, and
>figuring out ways to make it more accessible. I think we can all agree that
>the pre-sixties, regardless of one's view of that era, are not going to
>return. We must deal with the present situation of English teaching and try
>to bring some balance to the traditional tripod of language, literature,
>and composition. (I would have said "returned some balance," but I doubt
>that it was ever balanced.)
>
>But I'll have to continue that conversation later. I really do have work to do.
>
>By the way, if you're a member of AFT, the latest issue of American
>Educator has a lot of fascinating material on math teaching--material that
>has considerable relevance to the teaching of grammar.
>
>Bill
>
>
>
>
>
>
>William J. McCleary
>3247 Bronson Hill Road
>Livonia, NY 14487
>716-346-6859
>


Judith Diamondstone  (732) 932-7496  Ext. 352
Graduate School of Education
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey
10 Seminary Place
New Brunswick, NJ 08901-1183