1.13 Framework for Success in Postsecondary Writing (2011)
Council of Writing Program Administrators
In 2011, three of the major professional organizations in composition and rhetoric, the Council of Writing Program Administrators (WPA), the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), and the National Writing Project (NWP), released this landmark document that was years in the making. The “Framework” (as it soon came to be known in the field) has received a great deal of attention among college writing teachers because it combines a set of demonstrable, cognitive skillsThe thinking and processing abilities and tools contributing to a person’s intelligence. and outcomesIn educational theory and practice, the desired or anticipated result of instruction. in five areas that have traditionally been used as metricsCommonly agreed-on methods of measuring performance or effectiveness of a product. for student performance (rhetorical knowledgeAn understanding of how to recognize and use strategic techniques for communication., critical thinkingThe ability to read or view a text closely and carefully by uncovering its assumptions and reasoning forward to its implications., writing processesA variety of methods and sequences for composing., knowledge of conventionsAwareness of how to use language according to accepted standards of grammar, mechanics, and style., and the ability to compose in multiple environmentsThe variety of print and digital contexts in which a contemporary writing student must learn to compose.) with less measurable, affective dispositionsThe attitudes or “habits of mind” that facilitate learning (examples include creativity, curiosity, engagement, flexibility, metacognition, openness, persistence, and responsibility). the framers call “habits of mind”: curiosityThe desire to know more about the world., opennessThe willingness to consider new ways of being and thinking in the world., engagementA sense of investment and involvement in one’s own learning., creativityThe ability to use novel approaches for generating, investigating, and representing ideas., persistenceThe ability to sustain interest in and attention to short- and long-term projects., responsibilityThe ability to take ownership of one’s actions and understand the consequences of those actions for oneself and others., flexibilityThe ability to adapt to situations, expectations, or demands., and metacognitionThe ability to reflect on one’s own thinking as well as on the individual and cultural processes used to structure knowledge..
Before You Read
Define in your own words each of the following habits of mind: curiosity, openness, engagement, creativity, persistence, responsibility, flexibility, and metacognition. Which of these eight habits do you feel you have developed thus far? Which do you need to develop in order to make the most of your college experience?
What evidence can you point to thus far in your college experience indicating that a different set of skills or habits will be necessary for you to be successful?
Interview several college graduates (preferably from different generations) about what they wish they had known about college before they enrolled.
Selected Reading
Read the Framework at http://wpacouncil.org/files/framework-for-success-postsecondary-writing.pdf.
Source: Council of Writing Program Administrators, National Council of Teachers of English, & National Writing Project. (2011). Framework for success in postsecondary writing. WPAcouncil.org. Retrieved from http://wpacouncil.org/files/framework-for-success-postsecondary-writing.pdf
After You Read
Compare the five sets of cognitive skills and outcomes and the eight affective dispositions (habits of mind) in the Framework with the seven characteristics of “college and career ready” students on page 7 of the previous document from the National Governors’ Association. What discrepancies do you find between the two lists? Are they caused by differences in the two organizations writing the standards or by differences in their audiences?
Which position statement (the WPA’s Framework or the NGA’s Common Core) does a better job establishing a cause-effect relationship between academic standards and success in later life? Defend your response.
If the groundwork has been laid for a theoretically smooth transition from high school to college through these kinds of outcome statements, then why are we still seeing such a high failure rate in college? What else might account for problems college students have completing their degrees?
Now that you have seen fleshed-out definitions of the eight habits of mind, return to the journal or blog entry you wrote in response to “Before You Read” Question 1. Recalculate your strongest and weakest habit, and set specific priorities for how you will strengthen your approach to all eight habits in the next month or by the end of your first year of college.