Review of Alfred M. Hitchcock’s THE NEW PRACTICE BOOK IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION [1926]
Hitchcock, Alfred M. THE NEW PRACTICE BOOK IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION. New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1926. [1914]. 447 pp.
Alfred M. Hitchcock’s THE NEW PRACTICE BOOK IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION was designed as a high school English textbook. It is easy to confuse the work of author, and Hartford Public high school teacher, Alfred M. Hitchcock, as that of the famous film director Alfred J. Hitchcock. In fact a number of blog and wiki editors have done. This confusion occurs because of the similarity of the author’s name, it is easy to confuse Aflred M. Hitchcock’s work, with that of the famous director, because Alfred M. Hitchcock teaches through the strong use of descriptive visual imagery, and through twelve illustrations (four in color), to stimulate student writing. As such Hithchcock’s text comes close to being a visual rhetoric, (a text that examines the persuasive power of images).
Hitchcock’s text appears to operate on the philosophy that it is best to encourage students feel comfortable writing, and once they are comfortable writing then to hone in on improving grammar skills. Hitchcock understands the power of capturing his students’ imaginations. His introduction starts by bring up the image of the headless horseman of Scott’s Ivanhoe. His essay questions ask students to debate non-traditional question that require imagination such as whether there is life on mars. He invites students to become art critics giving them the opportunity to express themselves by critique model paintings. He gives his students the opportunity to comment on famous paintings and to critique model student essays that are written at the high school level with common high school errors. Student comments are encouraged through writing assignments and oral debate assignments in the text. The oral assignments in the book are particularly valuable for stimulating student participation. While Hitchcock’s text is remarkably more engaging than other student composition books of this time, one area in which the book that needs improvement is that no answers are provided for the student exercises. While the text captivates its readers’ imaginations, it holds back students who want to learn the material independently without the assistance of the instructor.
Overall, Hitchcock’s THE NEW PRACTICE BOOK IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION is an innovative work especially considering that Hitchcock composed it in the early 1900’s. This text may serve modern teaching applications as a model for composition teachers who seek to engage students through visual and mythical imagery. ---Samuel Gordon Paley
Alfred M. Hitchcock’s THE NEW PRACTICE BOOK IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION was designed as a high school English textbook. It is easy to confuse the work of author, and Hartford Public high school teacher, Alfred M. Hitchcock, as that of the famous film director Alfred J. Hitchcock. In fact a number of blog and wiki editors have done. This confusion occurs because of the similarity of the author’s name, it is easy to confuse Aflred M. Hitchcock’s work, with that of the famous director, because Alfred M. Hitchcock teaches through the strong use of descriptive visual imagery, and through twelve illustrations (four in color), to stimulate student writing. As such Hithchcock’s text comes close to being a visual rhetoric, (a text that examines the persuasive power of images).
Hitchcock’s text appears to operate on the philosophy that it is best to encourage students feel comfortable writing, and once they are comfortable writing then to hone in on improving grammar skills. Hitchcock understands the power of capturing his students’ imaginations. His introduction starts by bring up the image of the headless horseman of Scott’s Ivanhoe. His essay questions ask students to debate non-traditional question that require imagination such as whether there is life on mars. He invites students to become art critics giving them the opportunity to express themselves by critique model paintings. He gives his students the opportunity to comment on famous paintings and to critique model student essays that are written at the high school level with common high school errors. Student comments are encouraged through writing assignments and oral debate assignments in the text. The oral assignments in the book are particularly valuable for stimulating student participation. While Hitchcock’s text is remarkably more engaging than other student composition books of this time, one area in which the book that needs improvement is that no answers are provided for the student exercises. While the text captivates its readers’ imaginations, it holds back students who want to learn the material independently without the assistance of the instructor.
Overall, Hitchcock’s THE NEW PRACTICE BOOK IN ENGLISH COMPOSITION is an innovative work especially considering that Hitchcock composed it in the early 1900’s. This text may serve modern teaching applications as a model for composition teachers who seek to engage students through visual and mythical imagery. ---Samuel Gordon Paley
posted by Samuel Gordon Paley at 10:33 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home