Readings

In ENC 1101 we read an excerpt by Linda Flower called “Negotiating Academic Discourse”. This reading was very helpful and taught many valuable skills. The excerpt is about how each student in an intro class come from different backgrounds and that not every student will have the same learning style. Flower used many rhetorical appeals to get her point accross. Flower’s work was meant for comprhension proffesors but it is important for students to read as well. On page 49 of “Asking First” Flower’s says “These two practices are (1) integrating information from sources with one’s knowledge and (2) interpreting one’s reading/adapting one’s writing for a purpose. From our perspective, these 2 practices stand as critical features of academic discourse that often limit entry and full participation in the academic community.”. Flower said this to help professors understand that each student is different and has different strengths and weasknesses and to not compare them. Each student has a different background so they will have different levels of comprehension and it is very important for professors to understand that. Although this is meant for teachers it helps gives students peace of mind that each person is different and has different academic skills and that it is okay to be different, that doesn’t mean you are more or less capable than someone else. Flower’s text also talks about the importance of engaging readers and how you should be confident in your work. I believe that this is important for everyone to read as it will help you grow in your academic community.