The “Schaffer-paper,” as I like to call it, is not the best way to formulate an essay. As Wiley describes it, “When we teach this ...process... we are telling the students that each writing task... is essentially the same.”
To teach the Schaffer method is to emphasize structure rather than content. It releases the student from having to think creatively and also critically on his or her own, and erases all personality from an essay. The Schaffer method is a skeleton of an essay (a pre-determined outline) of a topic sentence, then concrete detail #1, the two commentaries, concrete detail #2, another two commentaries, then a concluding sentence. Those who believe fully in the, “Schaffer-paper,” as I like to call it, believe that every paragraph of every essay should be structured in this same pattern. There are benefits to this process, but in my opinion, they are outweighed by the disadvantages faced when teaching this method to students. If at all, it should be used as a last resort if organization for an essay is difficult to find.
No comments:
Post a Comment