Reactions to McCormick

The Culture of Reading and the Teaching of English

Kathleen McCormick's philosophy is that the three major divisions of reading and composition theory do not and should not exist separately from one another. Instead, she suggests that we view cognitivism, expressivisim, and socio-culturalism in a "dialectical relationship." Of all the IRW and Remedial Course models we have studied so far this semester, McCormick's model appeals to me the most. We teach diverse students, so why would we limit our pedagogical approaches to one theory?

I believe that we should consider all three theories as pieces that work together to build a stronger, more inclusive pedagogy for teaching reading and writing. From the present perspective, I realize it is all too easy to look back at the development of compostion and reading theory as logically leading to this point in history, from cognitivism, to expressivism, to socio-culturalism, to a mix of all.

I also enjoy McCormick's focus on reading. I believe that the best scholarly (and real-world) writing occurs after active reading, critical thinking, and discussion.