DTIC ADA347233: Getting to the Point: Storying the United States Military Academy's and Its Preparatory School's English Program.

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by  Defense Technical Information Center

GETTING TO THE POINT: STORYING THE UNITED STATES MILITARY
ACADEMY'S AND ITS PREPARATORY SCHOOL'S ENGLISH PROGRAM
by
Janice Edgerson Hudley
Dissertation Committee:
Professor Ruth Vinz, Sponsor
Professor David Schaafsma
Approved by the Committee on the Degree of Doctor of Education
Date
ro
Submitted in partial fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Education in
Teachers College, Columbia University
1998
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© Copyright Janice Edgerson Hudley 1998
All Rights Reserved
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Acknowledgements
I have first to thank God for walking with me along this journey and for
sustaining me during my periods of despair. Thanks, too, to my parents, Joel and
Martha Edgerson, who—though they long ago left this earth—have remained most
attentive confidantes.
My earthly supporters have been numerous: Colonel Peter Stromberg, chair
of the USMA English department, who provided the first push; Debra Sepp, Diane
Hewitt, Frances Hoag, Marion Graham, and Nicole Napolitano—the department's
savvy and very professional administrative staff who helped me at every turn;
Professor Anita Gandolfo and Dr. Judith Loomer from the USMA Dean's staff who
listened to my weeping, wailing, and teeth-gnashing many times along the way; the
instructors who volunteered to be my guinea pigs; the instructors and cadets who
responded to my questionnaires; the EN101 planning group; the staffs of the Office of
Institutional Research, the Office of the Commandant, the U.S. Military Academy
Preparatory School, the USMA Library, the USMA Archives. The U.S. Army, for
paying the bills. Thanks, too, to all of my Teachers College classmates, most notably
Mikki Shaw, who read several iterations of my draft and kept me moving along in my
work with constant words of encouragement. Special thanks to my sponsor,
Professor Ruth Vinz; to Professor David Schaafsma, whose careful comments meant
so much to me at every phase of my work; to Professors Stephen Thornton and
Cynthia Onore, my defense examiners. Thanks, especially, to Trudy Pojman, who
volunteered to proofread my final draft and seemed genuinely happy when I took her
up on her offer.
111
I am grateful to all of our wonderful friends, and to everyone in my and my
husband's families who acted as cheerleaders through it all. To my best friend since
third grade, Pam Hudson White, who kept saying, "You can do it, Jan." To my new
best friend since 1994, Patty Clay, who kept the prayer lines open for me. To my
sister Patricia Edgerson-Smith, for her diversionary tactics. To my sons, Reuben
Amasa Davis and Joel Wayne Hudley—one a former cadet, one a current cadet—who
offered their two cents' worth of insight along the way.
And to my husband, Michael, who put up with all the sleepless nights, all the
tears and the tantrums, and never lost faith in or stopped loving me.
IV
Table of Contents
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . ffi
TABLE OF CONTENTS .. .
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rivTiini»TTrvTTON -i
OVERVIEW: I
P/on. Z.ZZZZZZ/
Form 2
Scope 5
Tone: 4
Contents of the Dissertation: 4
Chapter l 4
Chapter 2 4
Chapter 3 5
Chapter 4 5
Chapter 5 5
Appendix A: The USMA Composition Instructor Supplemental Text 6
Other Appendices 7
I: WHAT THE THEORISTS WERE SAYING WHEN WE WERE SOLDIERING
METHOD 9
Study Timeline \Q
Explanation of the Timeline 72
"FUTURES" REVISITED 18
H: THE UNITED STATES MHTTARY ACADEMY'S ENGLISH PROGRAM: A
BRD2F HISTORY AND SUMMARY OF RECENT CHANGES.. 25
WEST POINT'S EARLIEST YEARS 25
THE MILITARY ACADEMY'S DEVELOPMENT PERIOD 26
The "Father of West Point" Takes Charge. 29
Finally, A Separate Department of English 30
The Academy Begins Its Electives Program 33
TODAY'S ENGLISH PROGRAM 35
The Core Courses 57
EN101—Freshman Composition 37
EN102—Literature 39
PY201—Introduction to Philosophy 42
EN302—Advanced Composition 46
EN302 and Reflective Teaching 48
LOOKING AHEAD 48
HI: UNITED STATES MILITARY ACADEMY PREPARATORY SCHOOL: A
BRIEF HISTORY AND SUMMARY OF RECENT CHANGES 49
USMAPS HISTORY 49
THE GAO REPORT 52
THE ACE REPORT 53
MOVEMENT TO CHANGE 55
THE TASK GROUP'S ROLE 58
THE FACULTY'S RESPONSE 61
POSITIVE THINKING ISN'T ALWAYS ENOUGH 66
IV: ON CHANGING THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM AT THE UNITED
STATES MILITARY ACADEMY PREPARATORY SCHOOL: THE
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WHOLE LANGUAGE APPROACH 70
DAILY WRITING LAB 73
DROPPED SAT TEXT 76
INSTRUCTOR POINTS 77
THE STUDY OF LITERATURE LIMITED TO POETRY 78
ALTERNATE A DAY/B DAY SCHEDULE 80
INTERUNEARS, PARAPHRASES, SUMMARIES 81
EVERY STUDENT TAKES THE STUDENT SUCCESS COURSE 83
THE PRENTICE HALL READER AND DEVELOPING READING SKILLS 90
V: TRANSFORMING SOLDIERS INTO WRITING TEACHERS: THE
INCOMING INSTRUCTORS 93
CLASSROOM VISITS 95
STARTINGOUT 100
NEW INSTRUCTORS IN THE CLASSROOM 101
IN THEIR OWN WORDS 104
Captain Smith: 105
Captain Jones: 107
MY THOUGHTS ON THE MATTER 108
THE NEW INSTRUCTOR SURVEY 109
THE TOOLBOX Ill
VI: LOOKING BACKWARD; LOOKING FORWARD „113
AFTERWORD 117
WORKS CITED . 119
THE USMA COMPOSITION INSTRUCTOR SUPPLEMENTAL TEXT:
THINGS TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE EVER SETTING FOOT IN THE
PREFACE TO THE SUPPLEMENT 126
VI
I - A FOUNDATION FOR TEACHING COMPOSITION 130
A. Preface /j/
B. The US Military Academy Preparatory School Bibliography 131
1. Process writing and writing to learn 132
2. Active teaching: "empathy and support" 134
3. Writers teach writing 135
4. Transitioning from literature to composition 136
5. Good writing lives 137
6. Cooperative learning 138
7. Writing beyond the composition classroom 138
8. No easy answers to teaching composition 139
C. Teaching Strategies 140
1. Articulate a theory of writing 141
2. PJan to be effective 142
3. See the big picture 143
4. Reflect on course objectives 144
5. Write with your classes 145
6. Become a model writer 147
7. Share your students' pain 148
D. Evaluation (and Grading) Strategies 149
1. Make the standards clear 150
2. Give helpful responses 151
3. Ask for feedback to feedback 152
4. Set conference agendas 153
5. Don't seek an 'ideal text' 154
6. Embrace individuahty 155
E. Multiculturalism 755
1. One false assumption 157
2. A "Monday morning" response 158
3. The (un)real response 158
4. Be careful of labeling 159
5. "Absent" cadets 160
6. Exorcise Prejudice 160
n - TRANSFORMING SOLDIERS INTO WRITING TEACHERS: WISDOMFROM YOUR
PREDECESSORS 162
Preface
I62
A. Surveying the Departing Soldier-Teachers. 164
1. Instructor Preparation 165
2. EN101 ZZZZZZZZZZ 167
3. EN302 ZZZZZZZZZZZZ.16S
4. Department Attitude 169
B. Where Do We GoFromHere? 77/
1. Instructor Preparation 171
2. The Future of EN101— ZZZZZZZZZZZZZ 171
3. Meeting the Challenges of EN302 173
4. Department Attitude 173
vn
HI- A WORKSHOP IN FRESHMAN COMPOSITION AT USMA 175
A Preface 175
B. What Should We Do in EN101? 176
1. Writing Across the Curriculum? No 176
2. A Reader that Never/Always Changes 177
3. A Nightmare Course 179
4. A Course to Meet Our Needs 181
5. Using curriculum research 182
6. A skeletal course outline forENlOl— 183
Sequence 1—Classification/Evaluation 183
Sequence 2-Editorial (Compare/Contrast; Synthesis) 185
Sequence 3—Research 188
Sequencer Arguing for change 190
IV -- ADDITIONAL READING LIST
APPENDIX B-SAMPLE END-OF YEAR ENGLISH EXAMS FOR FOURTH-
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APPENDIX C—USMAPS INSTRUCTOR QUESTIONNAIRE 201
APPENDIX D—USMA DEPARTING INSTRUCTOR SURVEY RESPONSE...207
OPEN RESPONSES— 218
APPENDIX E—NEW INSTRUCTOR SURVEY RESPONSES. 222
APPENDIX F—SURVEY CONSENT FORM 230
APPENDIX G—STUDENT QUESTIONNAIRE 231
APPENDIX H—DEPARTING USMA INSTRUCTOR QUESTIONNAIRE.. .-235
APPENDIX I—INCOMING USMA INSTRUCTOR SURVEY. „239
APPENDIX J-CHANGES TO THE ENGLISH CURRICULUM AT THE US
MHJTARY ACADEMY PREPARATORY SCHOOL: THEIR EFFECTS ON
Vlll
List of Figures
Figure 1-1: Study Timeline 10-11
Figure 2-1-Relative Grade Weights, 1896 27
Figure 2-2-The "EducatedPersons" Curriculum. 36-37
Figure 3-1-Measurable Skills List 59-61
Figure 4-1: Instructor Class Schedule, Prep School 80
Figure 5-1—EN101 Instructors 94
Figure 5-2—Visit Protocol 95
Figure 1-1: SAT Change, entry to retest 244
Figure 1-2: Standard error of dif/t tests 245
IX