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Sarah King

Dr. Ashby

ENG 405

October 22, 2018

The Role of Audience in Composition

Composition is the process of writing with purpose, specifically to an audience. When

beginning to write, the first process to consider is the role of audience, meaning who is the

intended reader of the piece. The writer’s language and ideas will transform and shift debating on Commented [1]: Should this be "depending" instead?

the audience for which they are producing. This concept is a foundational stage in the process of Commented [2]: When I read "stage" I think of a step
in a longer process. But isn't writing for audience
something that is done throughout the entire process?
writing; however, this concept is also one of the greatest barriers in teaching and learning

composition. Students’ perception of audience mainly concerns the professional reader – the

consequence of a standardized-focused education. The use of narrative and exploratory writing is

limited in classrooms when the standards devote only a few criteria for the genre. Rather, the

benchmarks for student achievement are geared toward the research paper, a systematic approach

to writing and composition. The role of audience in composition influences more than the

writing process; rather, it affects students’ relationship with writing and their connections with

writing application outside the classroom. Commented [3]: Nice connection to issues beyond the
classroom!
Students’ perspective on audience begins when teachers only devote a significant amount

of time to the research paper in that by doing so, they learn that writing is only a professional

activity for the collegiate or academic intellectuals. Research writing is not a terrible practice for

students to learn, as it “engages them in the development of an extended paper (usually an

argument) written in conversations with the voice and research of others” (Howard and Jamieson

233). The research paper itself benefits students by having them incorporate a variety of skills
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important to their development as proficient writers. However, the issue with this justification is

when students engage with research papers, the conversations they write are deprived of their

own voice. When met with a professional audience, students will rework their writing and use
complicated language rather than their own style, referred to as “Engfish.” Cole Burgin explains
in “A Post in Engfish, Somewhat Reformed” the consequences of this shift, explaining “After
Commented [4]: Can you think of ways that a
research project might allow space for student voice?
That is, for teaching research without a focus on the
traditional academic research essay as the genre to be
produced?

being drilled on being a proper writer of Engfish… writers have often been deprived of the

opportunity to develop their voice, resulting in bland writing that has no place outside of a

classroom.” Through the process of writing a research paper, the role of audience directly

impacts students’ relationship with writing as their voices are inevitably lost since they are

writing not for themselves but for the appraisal of the limited audience.

To balance the role of audience while keeping students’ voice, teachers must incorporate

expressivism into their classroom. Expressivism is a pedagogy where students rely on their own Commented [5]: Nice clear transition

voices, their own thoughts and ideas, while writing. Rebecaa Powell explains her experience

when first introduced, saying that “Writing became expression and communication, a people-

filled endeavor, in which I let the acts of writing, workshopping, and revising help me discover

what I had to say and what I meant to say” (111). By incorporating her own voice into her

writing, Powell was able to understand her own inner-dialogue, using herself as the audience for

writing. This concept, of writer-as-audience, can easily be incorporated into the classroom

through writing exercises such as freewriting and journaling. As Kaitlyn Lane states in her blog

“Expressive Pedagogy,” these exercises can be greatly beneficial to students in that “Freewriting

gives students the opportunity to explore new ideas and beliefs which can be incorporated into

their other writing assignments.” Expressivism changes the role of audience in composition, Commented [6]: Good tie-in to your opening focus on
audience!
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where through for themselves students develop an introspective relationship with writing to Commented [7]: Does "through" need to be here?

generate ideas they can use when writing for a general audience.

The question then becomes how to merge these two different areas, the professional and

personal realms, as students must have both experiences to become proficient writers. The

answer lies in another pedagogy altogether: community-engaged, which is “experimental

learning grounded in the understanding of writing as a situated, social act” (Agnew).

Community-Engaged pedagogy incorporates the structure of academic writing where students

interact and collaborate with organizations in their area to create professional projects, writing,

and correspondence. However, it also incorporates the flexibility of expressivism in how students

look to their community to learn more about themselves, using their own voice to support and

assist those around them. Not only students are impacted by community-engaged pedagogy, as Commented [8]: Good synthesis of the two!

Laura Julier, Kathleen Livington, and Eli Goldblatt explain about using the method in their

classrooms, “For all three of us, community-engaged pedagogies have enlivened our teaching

practices and forced us to reflect on our own goals as citizens and humans on the planet” (55).

Community-engaged pedagogy takes the challenges of the regular classroom – time

management, organization, resources – and extends those struggles; yet, the job of teacher is to

assist students in becoming productive members of the larger society. This goal is easily

accomplished when students are proactively engaged in learning about the problems around them

and practicing the skills needed to impact those issues. Furthermore, perhaps the defining factor

that makes community-engaged pedagogy the solution for the role of audience in composition is

that it provides a legitimate, physical audience. Students use the skills they learn in the classroom Commented [9]: Yes! You'll sometimes hear people
talk about an "authentic audience" in this same way.
and directly apply them to their lives, observing how their work affects their community, and

answers the universal question of “How will we use this is our real lives?” By using community-
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engaged pedagogy, teachers provide the real-life connections needed in a 21st century classroom

setting, teaching students how their lives can influence and impact the audience around them.

I, as a future teacher myself, will incorporate research writing, expressivism, and

community-engaged pedagogies into my curriculum so that my students will develop strong

compositional skills that will aid them both inside and outside the classroom. I think

incorporating these methods will strengthen my own teaching as not only will they provide

metacognition for my students, but I too will be forced to go over my thinking and ask why I am Commented [10]: This is something you could
develop--in what ways does community-engaged
pedagogy develop metacongitive skills?
having students complete an assignment. If I find that the assignment is not challenging students

in their perspective of audience then I will need to rework the instruction until they are using

higher-order thinking and critical analysis. When assigning research papers, as the benefits to

them are great, I will try to solve the audience issue by finding topics relevant to their lives will a

realistic reader, such as student journals or newspapers. Also, I will implement the expressive Commented [11]: Did you leave something out here,
or did something get cut? To me, the last half of this
sentence doesn't seem to connect with the first.
pedagogy’s recommendation of journals and freewriting into every class so students will have

daily practice in developing and strengthening their voice. My students can engage and

collaborate with the public library and various social and historical organizations in projects that

will benefit the entire community. Overall, if I can incorporate the structure of research writing,

individuality of expressivism, and real-life connectivity of community-engaged pedagogy, my

students will be involved in strong compositional processes that challenge the role of audience.
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Works Cited Commented [12]: Good work on the works cited!

Good choice of blog posts to help develop you points
about the three pedagogies.
Agnew, Liz. “A Guide to Composition Pedagogies: Community Engagement.” Liz Agnew’s

Blog. 2 Oct. 2018. lizag.news.blog/2018/10/02/a-guide-to-composition-pedagogies-

community-engagement/Accessed 18 Oct. 2018.

Burgin, Cole. “A Post in Engfish, Somewhat Reformed.” Cole’s Hub. 26 Sept. 2018.

https://coleshub.wordpress.com/2018/09/26/a-post-in-engfish-somewhat-reformed/.

Accessed 18 Oct. 2018.

Burnham, Chris, and Rebecca Powell. “Expressive Pedagogy: Practice/Theory,

Theory/Practice.” A Guide to Composition Pedagogies (2nd ed.), edited by Gary Tate, et

al., Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 111-127.

Howard, Rebecca Moore, and Sandra Jamieson. “Researched Writing.” A Guide to Composition

Pedagogies (2nd ed.), edited by Gary Tate, et al., Oxford University Press, 2014, pp. 231-

247.

Lane, Kaitlyn. “Expressive Pedagogy and the Anti-Textbooks.” Words from Kate. 25 Sep. 2018,

https://kmlaneportfolio.wordpress.com/2018/09/25/expressive-pedagogy-and-the-anti-

textbooks/. Accessed 18 Oct. 2018.

Julier, Laura, Kathleen Livingston, and Eli Goldblatt., “Community-Engaged Pedagogies.” A

Guide to Composition Pedagogies (2nd ed.), edited by Gary Tate, et al., Oxford

University Press, 2014, pp. 55-76.