Palmquist, et al. Contrasts: Teaching and Learning about Wriitng in Traditional and Computer Classrooms

Palmquist, Mike, Kate Kiefer, James Hartvigsen, and Barbara Goodlew. "Contrasts: Teaching and Learning about Writing in Traditional and Computer Classrooms." Computers in the Composition Classroom. Eds. Michelle Sidler, Richard Morris, and Elixabeth Overman Smith. Boston: Bedford / St. Martin’s, 2008: 251-270. Print.


The article explores the pedagogical practices of teachers that teach writing classes in both a "traditional" classroom and a computer classroom. The authors set out to discuss the differences between the classes. They look at teaching strategies, class preparation, teacher attitudes toward both types of teaching situations, interactions between all parties involved (student to teacher, student to student), students attitudes toward writing and student writing performance. They claim that there is a continuum of change: teachers take what works in one classroom (particularly the computer classrooms) and integrate it into other settings. Specifically, the teachers in this study took their roles of facilitator in the computer classroom and worked to recreate this in the traditional classroom. The authors propose that the computer classrooms enable the building of skills that typically don't receive attention in the traditional classroom that centers around grammar and mechanics. However, the use of the technology itself is highly dependent on teacher comfort level.

In the beginning of the article, I was surprised that the traditional classroom teachers were still using a teacher centric model. Later, it was stated that the reason was because students in the class were resistant to doing the in class writing and group work. I suppose I was surprised because my experience has been the opposite. I've always had a positive response from students when having them write in the classroom without computers. Then I looked at the original date and thought maybe it had something to do with the date of publication. I wonder if the computer had already influenced the teaching of teachers by the time I took my Teaching College Comp course.

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