Warner J. Why They Can't Write: Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay and Other Necessities

Johns Hopkins University Press, 2018. — 256 p. — ISBN: 978-1421427102.There seems to be widespread agreement that - when it comes to the writing skills of college students - we are in the midst of a crisis. In "Why They Can't Write", John Warner, who taught writing at the college level for two decades, argues that the problem isn't caused by a lack of rigor, or smartphones, or some generational character defect. Instead, he asserts, we're teaching writing wrong.
Warner blames this on decades of educational reform rooted in standardization, assessments, and accountability. We have done no more, Warner argues, than conditioned students to perform writing-related simulations, which pass temporary muster but do little to help students develop their writing abilities. This style of teaching has made students passive and disengaged. Worse yet, it hasn't prepared them for writing in the college classroom. Rather than making choices and thinking critically, as writers must, undergraduates simply follow the rules - such as the five-paragraph essay - designed to help them pass these high-stakes assessments.
In "Why They Can't Write", Warner has crafted both a diagnosis for what ails us and a blueprint for fixing a broken system. Combining current knowledge of what works in teaching and learning with the most enduring philosophies of classical education, this book challenges readers to develop the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and habits of mind of strong writers.Our Writing “Crisis”Killing the Five-Paragraph Essay
Johnny Could Never Write
The Writer’s Practice
The Five- Paragraph EssayThe Other Necessities
The Problem of Atmosphere
The Problem of Surveillance
The Problem of Assessment and Standardization
The Problem of Education Fads
The Problem of Technology Hype
The Problem of Folklore
The Problem of PrecarityA new Framework
Why School?
Increasing Rigor
Making Writing Meaningful by Making Meaningful Writing
Writing Experiences
Increasing ChallengesUnanswered Questions
What about Academics?
What about Grammar?
What about Grades?
What about the Children?
What about the Teachers?In ConclusionNotes