Topic: Writing vs. Speech

10-second review: Suggests that students not speak but only write in writing class. A way of understanding the significance of writing in an oral culture.

Title: Review of Physical Eloquence and the Biology of Writing. Robert S. Ochsner. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press, 1990, 223 pages. Reviewed in College Composition and Communication (October 1994), p. 404.

Summary/Quote: “…Ochsner models his teaching practices after the methods of second-language acquisition—for example, using writing as the only method of classroom communication…” p. 404.

Comment. Sounds interesting. Would certainly focus on the act of writing and all it implies. encouraging thought before expressing ideas, etc., but would change normal classroom procedure. I’d certainly try it, after involving the students in accepting the technique, together with their evaluation of its effectiveness—action research. I’m intrigued. What do my readers think? A few details of classroom procedure need to be clarified. RayS.