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@Brenda We absolutely do. Gee's idea of a Dominant Discourse is one that more highly valued than others and offers those who speak it more access to power and social capital. My follow up questions: is it possible to topple a dominant discourse without a different dominant discourse ultimately replacing it? If we as writing teachers attempt to initiate students into the dominant discourse, are we giving them a tool for success or are we marginalizing their other discourses in a problematic way?

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@Alex G I did an activity where the students reached a consensus of writing a paragraph in the style of a famous celebrity's speech. Hopefully nobody has a claim on this celebrity so it is easier the first time and from there you can transition to other methods of reaching consensus. -Alex N

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@Maria, thanks for answering my question! You're definitely right in that it would be difficult to cover socio-epistemic rhetoric in a FYW class. Are there any ways that we can embody that philosophy in the activities and lessons we choose? -Katharine R.

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so is it not worth it to even attempt to explain concepts like socio-epistemic rhetoric  to students? @Maria

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In response to Katherine R's question, I struggle with how to apply this at the introductory level as well.  I don't really believe that we can get rid of hierarchy entirely, particularly at this level.  I don't like the term "hierarchy,"  but we are working within a certain framework so that's sort of what it is.  We have come to a consensus about what constitutes good writing and literature at some level at least over the centuries.  It's a created thing and in the university we submit at a certain level to preconceived notions.

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Ooops hang on lol

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Gee's definition of literacy impacts identity creation largely in how we imagine we enact identity. He argues that individuals are nothing more than a collection of discourses. There is no true self underneath discourse or relations. Our meanings and selves come from the relations between discourses that we embody. -Emily

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As far as collaborative learning, I've conducted group thesis statement activities which is pretty much like a mesh of peer review and workshopping put together. -Katharine R

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@Natalie I don't know that there is a way to not have a hierarchy because many ways of writing reflect the reality of the world where rightly or wrongly there is a hierarchy of desire. -Alex N

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What other types of collaborative learning activities are widely used in the classroom? How successful are they once implemented?

-Ariel Garcia

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I do use collaborative learning activities and I think with "content" sometimes I tend to expect consensus (like, what is the rhetorical situation?) , but not with weightier topics .... - Natalie

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@ Brenda, I completely believe that discourse communities are devalued and preferred over others. I think Berlin and Trimbur have a lot to say about this too!

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One of the things Trimbur argues for is the “desire of humans to live and work together with differences” (456). I like this idea, and it sounds like something we should certainly all work toward. However, I feel a bit overwhelmed by how to foster this respect in the classroom, and where to draw lines. What kinds of differences are okay? Aren’t some differences not okay? Specifically, I wonder about “difference” that is inherently harmful to others in the class. How do I know when I’m facilitating conversation and consensus, and when I’m just talking over voices different from my own? -Emily

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How can we apply socio-epistemic rhetoric to the first-year writing or high school level classroom? -Katharine R.

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@Katharine, socio-epistemic rhetoric is so embedded (even in more harsh terms) in the first-year writing. A lot of terms you can't decipher for students because of time constraints and class cap.

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Brenda: We definitely do!! I think Gee's point about dominant discourses answers this question. Some discourses (and therefore some discourse communities) give us access to social goods like money and status. I keep thinking about how the tech industry is a privileged discourse community - and how tech literacy, in general, is a position of privilege!

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@Anonymous (collaborative learning activities) I use peer-review/workshops with my kids, but I had never thought about consensus. Although, now I may try it out.

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Yeah, do any teachers use collaborative learning activities currently? Do they ask for consensus or no?

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In response to Katherine R's question:

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Lindsey ^

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@Brenda - I think we do, and I wonder if we do this implicitly and that impacts students - Natalie

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What kinds of in-class activities can encourage collaborative learning without forcing students to reach a consensus? I'd love some ideas for teaching first-year writing! -- Alex G

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Question: in terms of D/discourse communities (first/second), I wonder if we devalue some Discourse communities, or prefer some over others?

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How does Gee's definition of literacy impact identity creation and performance?

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How can we highlight the differences of writing without there inevitably being a hierarchy in those differences? How do we "even the playing field," so to speak? - Natalie

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How can we create meaningful consensus as described Trimbur in a disinterested classroom. Alternatively, what about in an ESL classroom when there's little communication of students with different language backgrounds. -Alex N.

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Please post your questions about Theories of Relations (Week 5). Make sure to answer at least a couple of questions. Thanks! Don't forget to share and upload any useful content.