Learningto.pdf
Learning to Praise
Donald A. Daiker
In A Moveable Feast, Ernest Hemingway recounts his first meeting with F. Scott Fitzgerald. One night while Hemingway is sitting with friends at the Dingo Bar in Paris, Fitzgerald unexpectedly walks in, introduces him- self, and proceeds to talk nonstop about Hemingway's writing, especial- ly "how great it was." Hemingway reports that he was embarrassed by Fitzgerald's lavish compliments-not because he felt flattered by them, but because he and his fellow expatriates "still went under the system, then, that praise to the face was open disgrace" (150).
The distrust of praise among American writers abroad seems to have rubbed off on composition teachers at home. In a 1985 study at Texas A&:MUniversity, Sam Dragga analyzed forty freshman essays that had been graded and marked by four randomly chosen and traditionally trained teaching assistants. They wrote a total of 864 comments on the essays, but only 51 of them were comments of praise. This means that 94% of the comments focused on what students had done poorly or incor- rectly, only 6% on what had been done well. The same pattern apparent- ly prevails in high school as well. A study of responses by thirty-six sec- ondary English teachers revealed that although 40% of their end-of-paper comments were positive, the percentage of positive marginal comments was a meager .007% (Harris).
The conclusion that college composition teachers find error more attractive than excellence is consistent with a pilot study of my own con- ducted in 1982 at Miami University (Daiker). I asked twenty-four col- leagues to grade and comment on "Easy Street," a student essay chosen because it combines strength with weakness in both content and style. I asked my colleagues to mark the essay as if it had been submitted in their freshman composition course. They made a total of 378 separate mark- ings or comments on the student essay: 338, or 89.4%, of them cited error or found fault; only 40, or 10.6%, of them were comments of praise. What may make the predominance of correction over commendation even more significant is that during the previous month, a departmental mem- orandum reported scholarly consensus on two matters of grading: (1) an instructor should not mark every writing error, because students cannot psychologically cope with a deluge of deficiencies; and (2) an instructor should use praise and positive reinforcement as a major teaching strategy.
15 4
D A IK E R
LE A R N IN G
TO P R A IS E
15 5
. Sc ho la rs ~i p no tw ith st an di ng , co m po si tio n te ac he rs ha ve tra di tio na lly
~t hh ~l d ~r aI Se fr om pa pe rs th ey ha ve co ns id er ed le ss th an pe rf ec t. A ca se
m po m t IS th e ~e ll. -k no w n "E va lu at in g a Th em e, " pu bl is he d in th e
Ne ws ,le tte r of th e M Ic hI ga n Co un cil
of Te ac he rs of En gl ish
(S te ve ns ). Th e is su e
co ns is ts of tw en ty -f iv e re sp ~n se s- tw en ty -o ne
by co lle ge te ac he rs ,f ou rb y
s~ nd a. ry
te ac he rs -:- to a sl ~g l~ co m po si tio n, an d th e is su e' s po pu la rit y
~a m ed It .t~ r:o ug hs lX t~ n ~n nt in gs . A cc or di ng to m y fig ur es ,t he pr op er -
ti~ n o~ cn ti~ sm
to p~ al ~e IS ro ug hl y th e sa m e as in th e Te xa sA & M an d
M ia m l.s tu di es ;t he M ic hi ga n te ac he rs id en tif ie d ni ne er ro rs or pr ob le m s fo r
ev er y m st an ce of pr ai se w or th y w rit in g. Ju st as im po rta nt , fif te en of th e
tw en ty -f iv e te ~c he rs fo un d no th in g in th e pa pe r de se rv in g of pr ai se . In
th ~ of th os e m st an ce s, co lle ge pr of es so rs su ff ic ie nt ly sk ill ed to fe rr et ou t
th irt y fla w s ap ie ce in a br ie fe ss ay co ul d no t-o r w ou ld no t-i de nt ify
a si n-
gl e so ur ce of st re ng th .T he ir w ho lly ne ga tiv e co m m en ts re m in de d m e of a
~r ad e- a~ pe al pr oc ed ur e in w hi ch Iw as as ke d to ev al ua te ei gh t co m po si -
~o ns ~n tte n fo r a co lle ag ue 's fr es hm an En gl is h cl as s. Ir ea d th e co m po si -
~o ns In or ~e r, pa pe r on e th ro ug h pa pe r ei gh t, an d Ir ea d th em w ith in cr ea s-
m g de s~ aI r- no t be ca us e of w ha t th e st ud en t ha d w rit te n, bu t be ca us e in
re sp on dm g to a se m es te r's w or th of w rit in g, m y co lle ag ue ha d of fe re d no t
a si ng le w or d of pr ai se . N ot an id ea , no t an ex am pl e, no t a se nt en ce or
cJ ~u se or ph ra se or pu nc tu at io n m ar k- no th in g,
ap pa re nt ly ,m er ite d a co m -
pl im en t, I~ ~a n to w on de r w hy th e st ud en t w as ap pe al in g on ly a gr ad e,
an d Ih ad V IS io ns of B ar tIe by th e sc riv en er at w or k in a de ad -le tte r of fic e.
Fr an ci s C hr is te ns en
ob se rv ed a qu ar te r ce nt ur y ag o th at th er e ar e
tw o sh ar pl y co nt ra st in g po in ts of vi ew
to w ar d th e te ac hi ng of En gl is h
(C hr is te ns en 19 62 ).T he fir st he ca lls th e "s ch oo l" tra di tio n th e se co nd th e
"s ch ol ar ly " tra di tio n. Th e sc ho ol tra di tio n, no ur is he d by 'a vi ew
of la n-
~a ge
th at re ga rd s al l ch an ge as de ca y an d de ge ne ra tio n, en co ur ag es
m st ~c ~o rs to re sp on d to st ud en t w rit in g pr im ar ily
by id en tif yi ng
an d
pe na hz m g er ro r. B ec au se of th e sc ho ol tra di tio n, it ha s lo ng be en co m -
m on to sp ea k of "c or re ct in g" th em es . Th er e is no cl ea re r em bo di m en t of
th e ne ga tiv e an d na rr ow ly co nf or m is t va lu es of th e sc ho ol tra di tio n th an
th e po ~u la r co rr ~c tio n ch ar t. Th e 19 85 "H ar br ac e C ol le ge H an db oo k
C or re ct io n C ha r~ , to ta ke a re ce nt ex am pl e of th e sp ec ie s, pr ov id es se v-
en ty -o ne co rr ec tio n sy m bo ls fo r in st ru ct or s to us e an d st ud en ts to in te r-
pr :t. .W hy ar e co rr ec tio n sy m bo ls ne ed ed ? W hy w rit e "d " ra th er th an
.d ic tio n, " or "f ra g" ra th er th an "T hi s is no t a co m pl et e se nt en ce be ca us e
It la ck s a ve rb "? Pr es um ab ly be ca us e in st ru ct or s fin d so m an y er ro rs to
m ar k th at no t en ou gh tim e re m ai ns fo rt he m to us e w ho le w or ds or co m -
pl et e ~e nt en c~ s th em se lv es . Si gn ifi ca nt ly , w ha t th e co rr ec tio n ch ar ts
ne ve r m cl ud e IS a sy m bo l fo r ap pr ov al or pr ai se .
To be co m e te ac he rs of En gl is h in a "p os iti ve , jo yo us , cr ea tiv e, an d
re sp on si bl e se ns e, " C hr is te ns en ur ge s us to re pl ac e th e in er t, ru le -e nc um -
be re d sc ho ol tra di tio n w ith m or e en lig ht en ed sc ho la rly vi ew s. Fo rs ev er -
al de ca de s no w ,c om po si tio n sc ho la rs ha ve re po rte d th e va lu e of pr ai s~ in
im pr ov in g st ud en t w rit in g. Pa ul B .D ie de ric h, se ni or .r es ea rc h a~ sO C la te
fo r th e Ed uc at io na l Te st in g Se rv ic e, co nc lu de d fr om
hI S re se ar ch m ev al -
ua tio n th at "n ot ic in g an d pr ai si ng
w ha te ve r a st ud en t do es
w el l
im pr ov es w rit in g m or e th an an y ki nd or am ou nt of co rr ec tio n of w h~ th e
do es ba dl y, an d th at it is es pe ci al ly im po rta nt fo r th e le ss ab le w nt er s
w ho ne ed al lt he en co ur ag em en t th ey ca n ge t" (" M ea su rin g" 20 ).
Si nc e w rit in g is an ac t of co nf id en ce , as M in a Sh a~ g. hn es sy re m i~ ds
us (8 5) , it is no t su rp ris in g th at th e sc ho la rly
tra di tio n em ph as iz es
re sp on di ng
w ith
en co ur ag em en t. K en M ac ro rie
re co m m en ds
th at w e
"e nc ou ra ge an d en co ur ag e, bu t ne ve r fa ls el y" (6 88 )., ~. D .H irs ch , ~h o
be lie ve s th at w rit te n co m m en ts m ay tu rn ou t to be
th e m os t ef fe ct iv e
te ac hi ng de vi ce of al l" (1 59 ), ~g re es th at "t h~ ?e st re su lts ar e li~ ;ly to be
pr od uc ed
by en co ur ag em en t' (1 61 ). Fo r W Ill Ia m F. Jr m ~c he r, th e ps y-
ch ol og y of po si tiv e re in fo rc em en t ...
sh ou ld be th e m aj or re so ur ce fo r
ev er y w rit in g te ac he r" (1 50 ). A ll of th es e in di vi du al s w ou ld su pp or t
D ie de ric h' s st at em en t th at "T he ar to ft he te ac he r- at
its be st -is
th e re in -
fo rc em en t of go od th in gs " (" Pr ai se " 58 ).
". .
Pr ai se m ay be es pe ci al ly im po rta nt fo rs tu de nt s w ho ha v: ~o w n lit -
tle en co ur ag em en t an d, in pa rt fo rt ha t re as on ,s uf fe r fr o~ w nt in g ap pr e-
he ns io n. W rit in g ap pr eh en si on
is a m ea su re of an xi et y es ta bh sh ed
th ro ug h th e re se ar ch of Jo hn D al y an d M ic ha el M ill er .A cc or di ng to t~ es e
re se ar ch er s, th e hi gh ly ap pr eh en si ve
w rit er is on e fo r w ho m an xi et y
ab ou t w rit in g ou tw ei gh s th e pr oj ec tio n of ga in fr om w rit in g. B ec au se th :y
fe ar w rit in g an d its co ns eq ue nc es , "h ig h ap pr eh en si ve s" se ek to av oi d
w rit in g si tu at io ns : th ey ar e re lu ct an t ~o ta ke .c ou r~ ~ in w rit ~g , an d t~ ey
ch oo se ac ad em ic m aj or s an d oc cu pa tio ns W ith m in im al w nt in g re qU Ir e-
m en ts . W he n th ey do w rit e, th ey us e la ng ua ge th at is si gn ifi ca nt ly le ss
in te ns e th an pe op le w ith lo w w rit in g ap pr eh en si on ; th at is ,t he y ar e m or e
re lu ct an t to ta ke a st an d or to co m m it th em se lv es to a po si tio n. Th ey try
to pl ay it sa fe no t on ly by em br ac in g ne ut ra lit y, bu t by sa yi ng le ss :i n
re sp on se to th e sa m e as si gn m en t, hi gh ap pr eh en si ve s w rit e fe w er w or ds
an d m ak e fe w er st at em en ts th an lo w ap pr eh en si ve s (D al y an d M ill er
"A pp re he ns io n" ; D al y "E ff ec ts "; D al y an d Sh am o; H ol la nd ). !~ e pr ob le m
fo rh ig hl y ap pr eh en si ve w rit er s is ci rc ul ar .B ec au se th ey an tIC l~ ~t en eg a-
tiv e co ns eq ue nc es , th ey av oi d w rit in g. Y et th e av oi da nc e of w nt in g- th e
la ck of pr ac tic e- le ad s to fu rth er ne ga tiv e co ns eq ue nc es : w rit in g of po or
qu al ity th at re ce iv es lo w gr ad es an d un fa vo ra bl e co m m en ts .
15 6
D A IK E R
O ne 's at tit ud e to w ar d th e ac t of w rit in g,
D al y co nc lu de s,
cl ea r]
af fe ct s no t on ly ho w on e w rit es an d ho w of te n on e w rit es , bu t ev en h y
~t he rs
ev al ua te
th at w rit in g (D al y "E ff ec ts ") . W ha t m ay
be eq ~;V
Im po rta .n t-s in ~e
w ?t in g is a po w er fu l an d pe rh ap s ev en un iq ue
~~ ~
o~ Ie am in g (E m ~g )- Is th at by sy st em at ic al ly
av oi di ng
w rit in g si tu at io ns
hi gh
ap pr eh en sl V es
cl os ~ ?f f op po rtu ni tie s fo r le ar ni ng
an d di sc ov er y.
' B .u tt he ca us e of w nt in g ap pr eh en si on
m ay su gg es t its cu re -o r
at le as t Its tre a~ m en t. A m a~ r ca us ~ of w rit in g ap pr eh en si on
is pa st fa ilu re
or a ~r ce pt io n
?f ~a .st fa tlu re ; hi gh ap pr eh en si ve s pe rc ei ve
th ei r w rit in g
ex pe ne nc es
as sl gm fic an tly
le ss su cc es sf ul th an lo w ap pr eh en si ve s
D al y
sa ys
!h at th e "h ig hl y ap pr eh en si ve
w rit er
ex pe ct s, du e to a hi st ~r y of
av er sI V e. re sp on se s,
ne ga tiv e ev al ua tio ns
fo r w rit in g at te m pt s.
Th is
ex pe ct at io n hk el y be co m es se lf- fu lfi lli ng " (" Ef fe ct s" 57 1) Th
" .
". I
. es e av er si ve
re sp on se s
In C u~ e ne ~a .ti ve co m m en ts on as si gn m en ts
an d lo w gr ad es
on pa pe rs . an d In w nt in g
co ur se s.
Th e co nn ec tio n be tw ee n w rit in g
ap pr eh en si on
an d te ac he r re sp on se
is su pp or te d
by th e re se ar ch
of Th om as
G ee . W or ki ng
w ith
13 9 el ev en th
gr ad er s, G ee fo un d th at st u-
de nt s w ho se co m po si tio ns
re ce iv ed
ei th er cr iti ci sm
al on e or no co m m en -
ta ry at aJ ld ev el op ed
si gn ifi ca nt ly m or e ne ga tiv e at tit ud es
to w ar d w rit in g
~h an st ud en ts w ho se co m po si tio ns
re ce iv ed
on ly pr ai se . M or eo ve r, af te r
Ju st fo ur w ee ~,
.st ud en ts w ho
re ce iv ed
on ly ne ga tiv e co m m en ts or no ne
at al l w er e w nt in g pa pe rs
si gn ifi ca nt ly
sh or te r th an
th os e of st ud en ts
w ho
w er e pr ai se d.
Si nc e po si tiv e re in fo rc em en t, or its la ck , is so cr uc ia l to a st ud en t's
~e ve l ~f w rit in g ap p~ eh e~ si on
(D al y. an d M ill er "S tu di es ") , on e w ay
of ~U C In ~ .a pp re he ns lo n
IS by
al lo w in g st ud en ts
to ex pe rie nc e su cc es s
W I~ ~ w ~l hn g '. Th ey
w ill ex pe rie nc e su cc es s, of co ur se , w he ne ve r th ei r
w nt In g IS pr at se d. Fo r s~ de nt s w ho do no t sh ar e th ei r w rit in g w ith
ot h-
er s- an d
h. lg ~ ap pr eh en sl ve s fe ar ne ga tiv e re sp on se s fr om
th ei r pe er s as
w el l as th ei r I.n st ru ct or s- th e
w rit in g te ac he r is lik el y th ei r on ly po te nt ia l
so ur ce of pr ai se .
B ~t pr ai se , ho w ev er
be ne fic ia l as a re m ed y fo r ap pr eh en si on
an d as
~ m ot iv at or
of st ud en t w rit in g, is m or e ea si ly en jo in ed
th an pu t in to pr ac -
tic e, D ra .g ga ~o te s ~n hi s st ud y, fo r in st an ce , th at th e fo ur te ac hi ng
as st s-
!a nt s tra in ed
I~ I,> ra ls ew or th y gr ad in g al le xp er ie nc ed
"d iff ic ul ty in la be l-
~n g, ~n d ex pl at nt ng
th e de si ra bl e ch ar ac te ris tic s of th ei r st ud en ts ' w rit -
m g.
~e co nc lu de s th at te ac he r tra in in g m us t em ph as iz e ex pl ic it cr ite ria
fo r pr al se w or ~h y gr ad in g. Th e tit le of th is ar tic le im pl ie s th at pr ai se do es
no t flo w re ad ily
fr om
th e m ar ki ng
pe ns of w rit in g te ac he rs ; it m us t be
le ar ne d.
le A R N IN G 1' 0 P R A IS E
15 7
St ill an in st ru ct or 's co ns ci ou s de ci si on
to pr ai se th e w or k of st ud en ts
is a pr om is in g st ar tin g po in t. So m et im es
al l th at 's ne ed ed
is a gi m m ic k.
M y ow n m et ho d is to al lo w m ys el f no th in g. bu t po si tiv e co ~m en ts
du r-
in g an in iti al re ad in g of a st ud en t pa pe r; .1 hf t m y pe n to ~n te
w or ds
of pr ai se
on ly . A no th er
pr ac tic e is to as k, Ju st be fo re m ov in g to an ot he r
es sa y, "H av e 1 to ld M el is sa tw o or th re e th in gs
ab ou t he r pa pe r th at I
lik e? " R .W .R ei si ng 's te ch ni qu e is ev en m or e ef fe ct iv e: he ha s de ve lo pe d
a gr ad in g fo rm
th at re qu ire s hi m to w rit e on e to th re e po si tiv e co m m en ts
be fo re he ev en co ns id er s no tin g a w ea kn es s (4 3) .
B ut so m et im es
w ha t w e ne ed is no t a gi m m ic k bu t un de rs ta nd in g.
W e ne ed to un de rs ta nd
th at w ha t de se rv es pr ai se is ,f or a te ac he r of w rit -
in g, a re la tiv e an d no t an ab so lu te qu es ti~ n. A s ~n
Jo n. so n sa ys ,. ''I ,,? ll
lik e an d pr ai se so m e th in gs in a yo un g ~t er
w hi ch ye t, !f he co ~t In ue In ,
Ic an no t bu t ju st ly ha te hi m fo r th e sa m e' (6 17 ). Fo ll? w I~ g re la ~~ e st an -
da rd s w e ar e in no
se ns e di sh on es t or co nd es ce nd in g
In pr al sm g on e
w rit er fo r w ha t w e m ig ht ig no re or cr iti ci ze in an ot he r- ev en
w ith in th e
sa m e cl as s. D ie de ric h ur ge s us to pr ai se ev er yt hi ng
a st ud en t ha s do ne
th at is "e ve n a lit tle bi t ab ov e hi s us ua l st an da rd " (" M ea su rin g"
20 ).
A fte r al l, w e fo llo w re la tiv e st an da rd s in m os t of th e te ac hi ng
w e do
ou ts id e th e cl as sr oo m . In he lp in g ch ild re n le ar n ho w to ta lk or ho w to co lo r
or ho w to sw im , w e do n' t ho ld th em
up to th e ab so lu te
st an da rd s of
D em os th en es , va n G og h, or M ar k Sp itz ; w e do n' t ev en ex pe ct th em
to m at ch th ei r ol de r fr ie nd s or si bl in gs . In fa ct ,w e pr ai se th em
fo r th e m os t
m od es t ac hi ev em en ts . I st ill re m em be r try in g to he lp m y si x- ye ar -o ld
da ug ht er
Pa m le ar n ho w to hi t a so ftb al l in ou r ba ck ya rd
on W i~ hr ow
A ve nu e. A lth ou gh
I pi tc he d th e ba ll as ge nt ly as I kn ew
ho w , try in g to
m ak e it em in en tly
hi tta bl e, Pa m ju st co ul d no t ge t he r ba t on th e ba ll. W e
tri ed al ls or ts of m in or ad ju st m en ts in he r ba tti ng
st an ce -h an ds
he ld cl os -
er to ge th er , fe et pl ac ed fu rth er ap ar t, he ad tu rn ed
at a m or e a~ te
an gl e- :-
bu t Pa m ke pt m is si ng . D es pi te m y en co ur ag em en t, sh e w as lo si ng he ar t In
th e en te rp ris e. Fi na lly ,o n pe rh ap s th e th irt ie th pi tc h, Pa m di d hi tt he ba ll-
no th in g lik e so lid co nt ac t, bu t st ill a di st in ct ly au di bl e fo ul tip .O fc ou rs e, I
ju m pe d up an d do w n; <? fco ur se , Is ho ut ed , ''W ay to go ,P am m y, '''; an d of
co ur se , sh e sm ile d. Ip ra is ed
he r lo ts m or e w he n sh e m an ag ed
fir st a fo ul
po p, th en a dr ib bl er to th e m ou nd , an d th en a ge nu in e ~r ou nd
ba ll. A s a
hi gh sc ho ol st ud en t, Pa m st ar te d at fir st ba se .f or th e va rs t~
~f tb a~ l te am .
Ev en
w ith
re la tiv e st an da rd s,
a co m m itm en t to po si tiv e re in fo rc e-
m en t, an d pe rh ap s a gi m m ic k or tw o, m os t of us ~o ul d be ne fit f~ m so m e
pr ac tic e in pr ai se . Fo r th at pu rp os e, le t's w or k W Ith an es sa y w nt te n se v-
er al ye ar s ag o by a M ia m i U ni ve rs ity
fr es hm an
in re sp on se
to an op en
as si gn m en t.
15 8
O A tK E R
Ea sy St re et
Th e cr ow d sc re am s an d ch an ts , as a be w ild er ed
co nt es ta nt
ne r-
vo us ly ju m ps
up an d do w n in se ar ch of he lp . Ex ci te dl y, M on ty H al l
co m m en ts on th e w as he r an d dr ye r be hi nd
bo x nu m be r tw o in tra de
fo r th e bi g cu rta in w he re C ar ol M ar ro ll is st an di ng . Th e co nt es ta nt ,
w ith
gl am ou r an d gr ee d in he r ey es ; w ild ly pi ck s th e cu rta in . B ut
w he n ra is ed th er e st an ds a 30 0 po un d co w m un ch in g on a ba il of ha y.
Em ba rr as se d an d sa d, th e w om an
sl ow ly si ts do w n.
Th e ol d A m er ic an
id ea l of ha rd w or k an d ge t ah ea d ha d tra di -
tio na lly
be en on e fo llo w ed
by m an y m en . B ut w ith th e ar riv al of th e
tw en tie th ce nt ur y, th ei r se em s to be a ne w w ay to ge t ah ea d. Th e ne w
A m er ic an
id ea l of so m et hi ng
fo r no th in g. It se em s to ha ve ta ke n th e
pl ac e of ho ne st w or k. In ou r po pu la r te le vi si on
ga m e sh ow s, th e id ea
of be in g ab le to w in pr iz es an d ca sh by ju st an sw er in g a fe w si m pl e
qu es tio ns
se em s to th ril l th e av er ag e A m er ic an . It is so po pu la r an d
fa sc in at in g th at th e m or ni ng
ho ur s ar e co ns um ed
w ith
fiv e to si x
ho ur s of th e pr og ra m s. Th e vi ew er is th ro w n in to a w on de rla nd
w he re
ev er yt hi ng
is fr ee fo r th e ta ki ng . Th e re as on
fo r su ch in te re st in th es e
pr og ra m s is th at th ey
sh ow
lif e as m os t of us re al ly w is h it be to
be -s of t, ea sy , fr ee . O ur so ci et y no w en jo ys
th e si m pl ic iti es
of lif e,
an d ou r te le vi si on
ga m e sh ow s ex em pl ify
th at .
O ne of th e ne w es t of al lA m er ic an
dr ea m s is to w in a st at e lo tte ry .
W ha t ea si er w ay is th er e to be co m e a m ill io na ire
w ith
su ch a sm al l
in ve st m en t?
Th e st at e m ak es it as ea sy as ju st re ad in g a co up le of
nu m be rs of f a ca rd , or sc ra tc hi ng
aw ay a se cr et sp ot . W ho
ha sn 't at
le as t on ce in th ei r lif e, dr ea m ed
of hi tti ng
th e bi g on e, an d liv in g of f
th e fa t th e re st of th ei r lif e; w ith ou t ev er ha vi ng
to w or k ag ai n?
O ur
co un try
cl ub s, lo ca l ju ni or
fo ot ba ll te am s, ev en
ou r ch ur ch es
ha ve
lo tte rie s no w th riv in g on th at dr ea m .
In ou r w ho le vo ca bu la ry
th ei r is no w or d th at ca n co m m an d as
m uc h at te nt io n as th e w or d "f re e. " It su m s up ou r m od er n cu ltu re an d
fe el in gs . A dv er tis er s us e th e w or d as fr eq ue nt ly
as po ss ib le kn ow in g
its st ro ng
ef fe ct on th e pu bl ic . Th e id ea of gi vi ng
so m et hi ng
aw ay
w ith ou t th e co ns um er
ha vi ng
to pa y fo r it ha s m ad e m an y a co m pa -
ny su cc es sf ul .
Th e ol d A m er ic an
id ea l se em s to ha ve m ov ed ov er fo r th e ne w .N o
lo ng er do es a m an ha ve to w or k la te or ge t up ea rly . B y ju st gu es si ng
th e rig ht tu ne in fiv e no te s; he co ul d be or de rin g ca vi ar in th e m or n-
in g ra th er th an to as t.
LE A R N IN G
TO P R A IS E
15 9
W he n "E as y St re et " w as ev al ua te d by
co lle ge
in st ru ct or s,
gr ad es
ra ng ed
fr om
B to F, w ith
C an d C -b y fa r th e m os t co m m on . B ut m y co l-
le ag ue s fo un d m uc h to pr ai se
ev en in an es sa y th ey
ra te d av er ag e or
sl ig ht ly be lo w av er ag e in qu al ity . Th ei r co m m en ts of pr ai se ar e ca te go -
riz ed
be lo w , ac co rd in g to th e fo ur le ve ls N in a Zi v us ed
in he r st ud y of
te ac he r re sp on se : co nc ep tu al , st ru ct ur al , se nt en tia l, an d le xi ca l.
A .C on ce pt ua l le ve l.
1. "Y ou r th es is -th at
th e ne w A m er ic an
id ea l is 'so m et hi ng
fo r
no th in g' -is
st ro ng an d cl ea r."
2. ." Y ou rt he si s is in te re st in g an d cl ea r, an d yo ur us e of pa rti cu la r,
gr ap hi c de ta ils to su pp or t th e th es is gr ea tly ai ds yo ur re ad er 's
un de rs ta nd in g.
Th e co nv er sa tio na l to ne
of yo ur
pa pe r al so
he lp s th e re ad er un de rs ta nd
yo u. "
3. "T he co nt en t of th is pa pe r is in te re st in g & to th e po in t, th e es sa y
is fa irl y w el l un ifi ed , an d yo u sh ow
th e ab ili ty to us e ef fe ct iv e
de ta ils ."
4. ''T he re is m uc h th at is st ro ng he re ;y ou r se ns e of de ta il is go od
an d yo ur id ea s ar e in si gh tfu l."
5. "Y ou ha ve pr ov id ed so m e ex ce lle nt ex am pl es w hi ch ca pt ur e th e
es se nc e of th e 'n ew ' A m er ic an id ea l."
6. "Y ou r id ea s ar e br ill ia nt , an d th e w ay yo u ha ve ar gu ed
yo ur
po in t is co nv in ci ng . K ee p up w ith or ig in al an d th ou gh t-p ro vo k-
in g w ay s of lo ok in g at lif e, ar ou nd
yo u. "
7. "I lik e th e sc op e of yo ur co m m en ta ry , w hi ch m ov es fr om
th e in i-
tia l, in te re st -p ro vo ki ng
ex am pl e, to th e st at em en t of A m er ic an
id ea ls in pa ra gr ap h #2 ,t o th e fu rth er ex am pl e- -o f th e st at e lo t-
te ry -in
pa ra gr ap h #3 ."
8. "Y ou co m e ac ro ss as be in g pe rc ep tiv e an d as co nc er ne d ab ou t
an im po rta nt tre nd in ou r cu ltu re ."
9. .'' Y ou r id ea s he re ar e st ro ng an d cl ea r" (r ef er s to se co nd pa ra -
gr ap h) .
10 . ''Y ou rp ap er ha s fin e un ity an d so m e pr ec is e ill us tra tio ns ."
B .S tru ct ur al le ve l.
1. ''T he pa pe r is w el l-o rg an iz ed
an d w el l-f oc us ed , w ith so m e ni ce
pa ra gr ap h tra ns iti on s."
16 0
D A IK E R
LE A R N IN G
TO P R A IS E
16 1
2. "G oo d d~ ta ils " (r ef er s to ne xt -to -la st se nt en ce of fir st pa ra gr ap h
an d to m id dl e se nt en ce of th ird pa ra gr ap h) .
"A n ef fe ct iv e op en in g pa ra gr ap h- go od
de ta ill "
"W el lp ut , ef fe ct iv e us e of sp ec ifi c de ta il" (r ef er s to la st se nt en ce
of th ird
pa ra gr ap h) .
"A su pe rb . ~h oi ce of to pi c- an d
a go od
na tu ra l or ga ni za tio n
fr om
sp ec ifi c to ge ne ra l-f ro m
pr iv at e to pu bl ic -a nd
fr om
an al ys is to si gn ifi ca nc e. "
"E ff ec ~v e in tro du ct io n- yo ur
de ta ile d de sc rip tio n ge ts th e
re ad er in te re st ed an d dr aw s hi m in to yo ur an al ys is ."
"G oo d st ra te gy fo ry ou r op en in g: yo u ca ug ht m y at te nt io n. "
"G oo d de ta ils he re " (r ef er s to op en in g se nt en ce s of th ird pr gh ).
"I lik e th is " (r ef er s to th e w ho le of fir st pa ra gr ap h) .
"I go t ~ go od fir st im pr es si on
of th is pa pe r. Y ou 'v e st ar te d of f
w el lW ith an an ec do te th at gi ve s th e re ad er a go od vi su al pi ct ur e
an d ge ts he r in to yo ur th es is ."
C .S en te nt ia l le ve l.
A lth ou gh
th es e po si tiv e co m m en ts sh ow
th at "E as y St re et " ha s m uc h
to pr ai se , in st ru ct or s m ar ki ng
th e pa pe r m or e re ad ily
re co gn iz ed
er ro r
th an th ey id en tif ie d st re ng th s, es pe ci al ly on th e se nt en tia l an d le xi ca l le v-
el s. Fo r ex am pl e, m an y in st ru ct or s po in te d ou t th e da ng lin g m od ifi er in
th e ne xt -to -la st se nt en ce
of th e fir st pa ra gr ap h (" B ut w he n ra is ed ") , bu t
no on e
ap pl au de d
th e
ef fe ct iv e
us e
of ap po si tiv e
ad je ct iv es
(" Em ba rr as se d an d sa d" ) as m od ifi er s in th e fo llo w in g se nt en ce . It se em s
cl ea r th at w e ha ve be en be tte r tra in ed
to sp ot co m m a sp lic es an d fr ag -
m en ts an d ot he r sy nt ac tic
sl ip s th an to no tic e w he n st ud en ts ta ke ris ks :
O nl y on e of tw o do ze n ev al ua to rs co m m en de d th e st ud en t fo r "s of t, ea sy ,
fr ee ," a no ta bl e in st an ce
of se rie s va ria tio n w ith
th e co or di na tin g co n-
ju nc tio n el im in at ed . In st ru ct or s ro ut in el y ca lle d at te nt io n to th e m is us ed
se m ic ol on
in "B y ju st gu es si ng
th e rig ht tu ne in fiv e no te s; he co ul d be
or de rin g ca vi ar in th e m or ni ng
ra th er th an
to as t."
Fa r fe w er he ar d th e
in te re st in g se nt en ce rh yt hm s cr ea te d by th e so ph is tic at ed
us e of re pe tit io n.
So pe rh ap s w e ne ed
to go ba ck to sc ho ol ou rs el ve s to le ar n ho w to
re co gn iz e w ha t m er its pr ai se in st ud en t w rit in g. A go od st ar tin g po in t fo r
sy nt ax
ar e th e ch ap te rs on fr ee m od ifi er s in No tes to wa rd a Ne w Rh eto ric
(C hr is te ns en
an d C hr is te ns en ) an d in Th e W rit er 's Op tio ns (D ai ke r, K er ek ,
an d M or en be rg ), an d th e ar tic le s on co or di na tio n by W in st on
W ea th er s
an d R ob er t L. W al ke r. B ut pr ob ab ly ev en m or e us ef ul ar e se ss io ns at co n-
fe re nc es , at de pa rtm en t m ee tin gs , an d at w or ks ho ps
fo r te ac hi ng
as si s-
ta nt s in w hi ch w e he lp ea ch ot he r le ar n w ha t to pr ai se an d ho w to pr ai se .
B ut ,i fw e lis te n to st ud en ts , th e "h ow " m ay no t be al l th at im po rta nt . A t
th e sa m e tim e th at st ud en ts
te ll us th at cr iti ci sm
m us t be sp ec ifi c to
w or k- a
co m m en t lik e "d ic tio n"
or "l og ic " or "a w kw ar d"
is al m os t
al w ay s m is un de rs to od
un le ss
ex pl ai ne d in de ta il- th ey
re ce iv e ev en
va gu e co m pl im en ts lik e "n ic e" an d "g oo d" an d "w el l w rit te n"
w ith
gr at -
itu de
an d th an ks gi vi ng
(H ay es an d D ai ke r) . D on M ur ra y on ce ca su al ly
re m ar ke d
at a W yo m in g C on fe re nc e on
Fr es hm an
an d So ph om or e
En gl is h th at on e of hi s fa vo rit e re sp on se s to st ud en t w rit in g be gi ns w ith
th e fiv e w or ds '1 lik e th e w ay yo u. " H e to ld us w e co ul d co m pl et e th e
se nt en ce in an y w ay w e ch os e: "I lik e th e w ay yo u us e di al og ue
he re " or
"1 lik e th e w ay yo u st ar te d yo ur pa pe r w ith
a st or y"
or "I lik e th e w ay
yo u re pe at ed
th e ke y w or d an im al in th is pa ra gr ap h. "
In hi s pr ef ac e to Jo hn
G ar dn er 's
On Be co mi ng a No ve lis t, R ay m on d
C ar ve r re ca lls hi s ex pe rie nc e as a co lle ge fr es hm an
in G ar dn er 's cr ea tiv e
w rit in g cl as s at C hi co St at e C ol le ge . C ar ve r re m em be rs , ab ov e al l, th at
G ar dn er la vi sh ed m or e at te nt io n an d ca re on hi s w or k th an an y st ud en t ha d
a rig ht to ex pe ct .A lth ou gh
G ar dn er w ou ld cr os s ou t w ha t he fo un d un ac -
ce pt ab le in C ar ve r's
st or ie s an d ad d w or ds an d ev en se nt en ce s of hi s ow n,
3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10 . 1. "G oo d se nt en ce s" (r ef er s to m id dl e se nt en ce s of se co nd pr gh ),
2. "G oo d pa ra lle lis m " (r ef er s to th ird
se nt en ce of th ird
pa ra gr ap h
an d to fir st tw o se nt en ce s of la st pa ra gr ap h) .
3. "V er y ni ce pa ir of se nt en ce s- cl ea r an d co nc is e" (r ef er s to fir st
tw o se nt en ce s of fo ur th pa ra gr ap h) .
4. "E ff ec tiv e cl os in g im ag e. G oo d! "
5. "N ic e st ru ct ur e" (r ef er s to la st se nt en ce of fo ur th pa ra gr ap h) .
D .L ex ic al le ve l.
1. "G oo d- -- i!f fe ct iv e w or d ch oi ce he re " (r ef er s to "c ha nt s, as a
be w ild er ed
co nt es ta nt ") .
"Y ou ha ve a vi go ro us an d fu ll vo ca bu la ry ."
"N ic e tit le ."
"N ic e se rie s- go od
cl im ax " (r ef er s to "s of t, ea sy ,f re e" of se co nd
pa ra gr ap h) .
"N ic e ph ra se " (r ef er s to "w ith gl am ou r an d gr ee d in he r ey es ") .
2. 3. 4. 5.
16 2
D A IK E R
LE A R N IN G
TO P R A IS E
16 3
he w as al w ay s lo ok in g to fin d so m et hi ng
to pr ai se . W he n th er e
w as a se nt en ce , a lin e of di al og ue , or a na rr at iv e pa ss ag e th at he
lik ed , so m et hi ng
th at he th ou gh t "w or ke d"
an d m ov ed
th e st or y
al on g in so m e pl ea sa nt
or un ex pe ct ed
w ay , he 'd w rit e ''N ic e''
in th e m ar gi n
or el se
"G oo d! " A nd
se ei ng
th es e co m m en ts , m y
he ar t w ou ld
lif t. (x vt -x vn )
D ie de ric h, Pa ul B .M ea su rin g Gr ow th in En gl ish .U rb an a: N cr E,
19 74 .
D ra gg a, Sa m . ''P ra is ew or th y
G ra di ng : A Te ac he r's
A lte rn at iv e to Ed iti ng
Er ro r."
Pa pe r pr es en te d at th e C on fe re nc e on C ol le ge C om po si tio n an d C om m un i-
ca tio n, N ew
O rle an s, 19 86 .
Em ig , Ja ne t. "W rit in g as a M od e of Le ar ni ng ." Co lle ge Co mp os iti on an d Co mm un i-
ca tio n 28 (1 97 7) :1 22 -2 8.
G ee , Th om as
C . "S tu de nt s'
R es po ns es
to Te ac he r C om m en ts ."
Re se tlr ch in th e
Te ac hi ng of En gl ish 6 (1 97 2) :2 12 -2 1.
H ar ris , W in ifr ed
H al l. "r ea ch er
R es po ns e to St ud en t W rit in g: A St ud y of th e
R es po ns e Pa tte rn of H ig h Sc ho ol Te ac he rs to D et er m in e th e B as is fo rT ea ch er
Ju dg m en t of St ud en t W rit in g. " Re se ar ch in th e Te ac hi ng of En gl ish
11 (1 97 7) :
17 5- 85 .
H ay es , M ar y F. ,a nd
D on al d A . D ai ke r. "U si ng
Pr ot oc ol A na ly si s in Ev al ua tin g
R es po ns es
to St ud en t W rit in g. " Fr es hm an En gl ish
Ne ws 13 (1 98 4) :1 -4 ,1 0.
H em in gw ay , Er ne st . A M ov ea bl e Fe as t. N ew
Y or k: Sc rib ne rs , 19 64 .
H irs ch , E. D ., Jr . Th e Ph ilo so ph y of Co mp os iti on . C hi ca go : U ni ve rs ity
of C hi ca go
Pr es s, 19 77 .
H ol la nd , M . "T he St at e of th e A rt: Th e Ps yc ho lo gy
of W rit in g. " Pa pe r pr es en te d
at th e In la nd
A re a W rit in g Pr oj ec t's Su m m er W rit in g C on fe re nc e, U ni ve rs ity
of C al ifo rn ia at R iv er si de , 19 80 .
Ir m sc he r, W ill ia m F. Te ac hi ng Ex po sit or y W rit in g. N ew
Y or k: H ol t, R in eh ar t, an d
W in st on , 19 79 .
Jo ns on , B en .' 'T im be r, or D is co ve rie s."
Be n Jo ns on ,v ol . 8. Ed .C .H . H er fo rd Pe rc y
an d E. Si m ps on . O xf or d, En gl an d: C la re nd on , 19 47 .
M ac ro rie , K en . "T o B e R ea d. " En gl ish Jo ur na l5 7 (1 96 8) :6 88 -9 2.
R ei si ng , R .W ." C on tro lli ng
th e B le ed in g. " Co lle ge Co mp os iti on an d Co mm un ica tio n
24 (1 97 3) :4 3- 44 .
Sh au gh ne ss y, M in a. Er ro rs an d Ex pe cta tio ns :A
Gu id ef or th e Te ac he ro fB as ic W rit in g.
N ew
Y or k: O xf or d U p, 19 77 .
St ev en s, A . K ., ed . "E va lu at in g a Th em e. " Ne ws let ter
of th e M ich ig an
Co un cil
of Te ac he rs of En gl ish
5 (1 95 8) :6 .
W al ke r, R ob er t L. "T he C om m on
W rit er : A C as e fo r Pa ra lle l St ru ct ur e. " Co lle ge
Co mp os iti on an d Co mm un ica tio n 21 (1 97 0) :3 73 -7 9.
W ea th er s, W in st on . "T he R he to ric
of th e Se rie s."
Co lle ge Co mp os iti on
an d Co m-
mu ni ca tio n 17 (1 96 6) :2 17 -2 2.
Zi v, N in a. D . "T he Ef fe ct of Te ac he r C om m en ts on th e W rit in g of Fo ur C ol le ge
Fr es hm en ."
Ne w Di re cti on s in Co mp os iti on
Re se ar ch .E d. R ic ha rd
B ea ch an d
Li lli an S. B rid w el l, 36 2- 80 .N ew
Y or k: G ui lfo rd , 19 84 .
It' s a go od
be t th at ge nu in e
pr ai se
ca n lif t th e he ar ts , as w el l as th e
pe ns , of th e w rit er s w ho
si t in ou r ow n cl as sr oo m s,
to o.
W or ks C ite d
C ar ve r, R ay m on d. Pr ef ac e to Jo hn G ar dn er 's On
Be co mi ng aN ov eli st, xv i-x vi i. N ew
Y or k: H ar pe r, 19 83 .
C hr is te ns en , Fr an ci s. "B et w ee n Tw o W or ld s."
Pa pe r de liv er ed
to th e C al ifo rn ia
A ss oc ia tio n of Te ac he rs of En gl is h, Sa n D ie go , 19 62 .R pt . No tes
to wa rd a Ne w
Rh eto ric .E d. B on ni ej ea n C hr is te ns en . N ew
Y or k: H ar pe r an d R ow ,1 96 7, 19 78 .
C hr is te ns en , Fr an ci s. No tes to wa rd aN ew
Rh eto ric :N in e Es sa ys fo r Te ac he rs 2n d ed .
Ed . B on ni ej ea n C hr is te ns en . N ew
Y or k: H ar pe r an d R ow , 19 67 ,1 97 8.
D ai ke r, D on al d A . "T he Te ac he r's
O pt io ns
in R es po nd in g to St ud en t W rit in g. "
Pa pe r pr es en te d
at th e an nu al
C on fe re nc e on
C ol le ge
C om po si tio n
an d
C om m un ic at io n,
W as hi ng to n, D .C ., 19 83 .
D ai ke r, D on al d A ., A nd re w
K er ek , an d M ax M or en be rg . Th e W rit er 's Op tio ns :
Co mb in in g to Co mp os in g, 3r d ed . N ew
Y or k: H ar pe r, 19 86 .
D al y, Jo hn .A . "T he
Ef fe ct s of W rit in g A pp re he ns io n
on M es sa ge
En co di ng ."
lo ur na lis m Qu ar ter ly 54 (1 97 7) :5 66 -7 2.
D al y, Jo hn A ., an d M ic ha el D .M ill er . "A pp re he ns io n
of W rit in g as a Pr ed ic to r of
M es sa ge
In te ns ity ," Th eJ ou rn al of Ps yc ho lo gy 89 (1 97 5) :1 75 -7 7.
D al y, Jo hn
A ., an d M ic ha el
D . M iJ Ie r. ''T he
Em pi ric al
D ev el op m en t
of an
In st ru m en t to M ea su re
W rit in g A pp re he ns io n. "
Re se ar ch in th e Te ac hi ng of
En gl ish 9 (1 97 5) :2 42 -4 9.
D al y, Jo hn A ., an d M ic ha el D .M ill er . "F ur th er St ud ie s on W rit in g A pp re he ns io n:
SA T Sc or es , Su cc es s Ex pe ct at io ns , W ill in gn es s to Ta ke A dv an ce d C ou rs es
an d Se x D iff er en ce s."
Re se ar ch in th e Te ac hi ng of En gl ish 9 (1 97 5) :2 50 -5 6.
D al y, Jo hn A ., an d W ay ne Sh am o.
II A ca de m ic D ec is io ns as a Fu nc tio n of W rit in g
A pp re he ns io n. "
Re se ar ch in th e Te ac hi ng of En gl ish
12 (1 97 8) :1 19 -2 6.
D ie de ric h, Pa ul B ." In Pr ai se of Pr ai se ." NE A Jo ur na l5 2 (1 96 3) :5 8- 59 .
