In our open-admissions nonresidential community college, poetry is often the least accessible genre of literature and may well be the least accessible of all the arts. For these students, finding something familiar is essential to their understanding and appreciating poetry. If they recognize the real toads in poetry, then they are more likely to wander willingly through imaginary gardens . No instructional technique has brought my introductory students closer to the genuine in poetry than writing their way into a work, in particular, writing combined with individual and collaborative activities that engage multiple senses and establish learning communities. And no collaborative tool has been more effective than computer conferencing in giving voice to all students in a class.
Students find a frame of reference in their own experience when they pose a question.
The mutability of electronic text and the immediacy of publication with electronic mail and laser printing encourage both spontaneity and reflection. The instructions stated that the letter must establish a context of understanding and also pose a question about an element in need of elaboration or clarification. This paper required citations of at least one published critical source and of at least one of the student writings. I particularly liked the way the speaker described the woman and himself as inanimate objects. For example, when the speaker stated that the woman was a sickle and he was a rake.