PB3A

PB3A

            The scholarly article I chose is the Conversational Model by Bazerman. The article details a different method of teaching writing to students. This model is in opposition of the traditional writing model that treated students as part of a historic tradition. The conversational model instead focuses on the individual voice of each writer, focusing on how they can contribute to any form of writing through conversing with readings. These “conversations” take form through encouraged engagements with texts. These engagements have students paraphrase, summarize, and respond to writings. Through this process students learn the nuances of writing and how to apply it in their own work. This model is executed by the teacher whose assignments center on the student drawing from themselves instead of regurgitating what is being read. These assignments include periodic writing projects supplemented by small prepatory assignments. According to Bazerman, the conversational model creates writers that will be able to contribute to any field that they enter; conversational model education provides tools for creating new writing instead of information of past writings.

Genre for Older Readers: Pamphlets

Older readers would want to understand the idea quickly, possibly to teach it to younger people such as students. Having a pamphlet would also provide a means for images, which could make understanding the piece clearer. The pamphlet would be tri-folded, creating six columns for writing and images. This pamphlet would have text boxes that use large text to make seeing the letters easier for the elderly. The focus would be on providing a brief understanding of what the article covered, honing in on the important parts. The cover would be a title and intro, similar to an abstract, which would attract the reader into opening the pamphlet. The other columns would cover each individual aspect of the conversation model in detail. The pamphlet would incorporate images that could provide examples of texts, diagrams that could showcase the education process, and mock prep assignments. These writings and images could combine to make a visually appealing method to learn what Bazerman was detailing in the article.

Genre for Younger Readers: Poster

            Turning Bazerman’s conversational model into a poster could work for younger audiences because it provides a one shot way of conveying the information as simply as possible. Since young children can vary in reading ability, with Bazerman’s text likely above their growing reading abilities, a visual cue can offer kids another way to know what they author means. The poster could have a book and person having a chat with the words “conversational model” on top. Below the conversation could be three separate headers “accurate understanding of prior comments”, “reacting to reading” and the other parts of the conversational model. Each header would be paired with an image depicting the idea. The use of images is similar to the scientific model posters placed in middle schools, with a picture that shows each step instead of text detailing it. I believe focusing on images appeals to a younger genre because cartoons can be drawn to entertain and educate them about how to approach their writing. Although the poster is limited into how deep it can go, kids do not need a detailed analysis of the model. The poster would provide a means of understanding the model without losing their attention or grasp of the main ideas.