Threshold Concepts: How Can Attributes Affect Their Style of Writing

When we imagine how we’re going to respond towards a prompt or towards an essay question, we often imagine how are we going to fit in to what the teacher expects to respond towards us. Which often not only reflects the student learning ability, but also the way in how teacher’s instruct. For years, we’ve been crafted into believing that one style writing of writing may apply towards every piece of writing whether it be “Five Paragraph” or “500 Words Minimum” Essays. Often the parallel between the student and teacher goes like this:

1. Teachers Assigns Student Paper to Write
2. Student Reads Requirements and Make Sure to Include What Teacher Asks
3. Teacher Reads Paper And Grades Making Sure They Include Everything They Wanted
4. Students Receive Grade And Passes Assignment
5. Repeat

However that prohibits the student from learning, as they are commonly taking from those and implementing similar things they read towards their work. While that might not sound bad, the essence of “creativity” is removed from the work and now, the term “original” cannot be used to describe the work.

Identity of Writing

In “Writer’s Histories, Processes, and Identities Varies”, Yancey makes a distinction that the style of writing changes over time and that each particular piece a person creates will be unique on its own. Through change and experience, we are able to become better writers and better express ourselves in our voices.

Andrea A. Lunsford describes writing as a way of experience, that we may be able to write prior into what we read. Reading is fundamental towards our everyday experience and so what we read is often a reflection of what we write. Someone who often studies rap in music or study the rhythm and flow with how the piece is created often generate their voice through that. Similarly in Villanueva’s piece, writers are able to create their own ideologies and implement their own characteristics in writing establishing their role and being a message in what the writer wants to convey.

It’s important to be able to establish your own voice in writing as this is how we are able to establish connections between the reader and writers. Without this, we wouldn’t be able to establish a writing curriculum and fall short in what is required for our students.