Grant Matthew Rosson

Beyond Listening and Speaking: The Role of Writing in Fostering Critical Thought in Literature Students

Beyond Listening and Speaking: The Role of Writing in Fostering Critical Thought in Literature Students

Grant Matthew Rosson, Ph.D.

Vilnius University, Lithuania

Abstract

In the realm of literature education, lectures and seminars traditionally emphasize aural comprehension and oral expression. However, the silent work of writing and note-taking is where complex layers of meaning can take shape, providing a foundational strategy for fostering critical thought in students. This presentation proposes a shift in focus to these underappreciated practices, exploring how the externalization of ideas through writing is not merely a supplementary activity but a central aspect of developing critical thought and understanding.

Drawing upon both pedagogical theory and media historians such as Siskin and Warner (2010), alongside the insights offered by Ahrens (2017) on smart note-taking, we will consider the rising prominence of the written and printed word as a tool for structuring critical thought during the Enlightenment. This historical perspective illuminates how the act of externalizing thought has always been integral to the emergence and advancement of critical analysis.

Using Zagzebski’s (2019) theoretical framework on understanding, this presentation will examine how the material aspects of writing and note-taking can serve as cognitive scaffolds. These tools not only facilitate the absorption and dissection of literary works but also allow students to render tacit knowledge explicit, thereby refining their analytical skills and scholarly insights.

By incorporating examples and exercises from classroom experience, this presentation will propose the efficacy of these strategies in enhancing interpretative skills and fostering active student engagement with literary texts. Participants will gain a richer appreciation for the role of externalization in education and will be equipped with actionable methods to cultivate a robust culture of written reflection, necessary for nurturing enlightened, critical thinkers.

Keywords: externalization, pedagogy, Enlightenment, note-taking, understanding

References

Ahrens Sönke. (2017). How to take smart notes: One simple technique to boost writing, learning and thinking. CreateSpace.

Siskin, C., & Warner, W. (2010). This is enlightenment. The University of Chicago Press.

Zagzebski, L. (2019). Toward a theory of understanding. In Varieties of understanding (pp. 123–136). Oxford University Press.

Biodata

Grant Rosson has taught literary studies at Vilnius University since 2019. He earned his Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles, with a dissertation on 18th- and 19th-century American literature and geographic discourse. His research focuses on the relationship between literature and knowledge production in the early and antebellum United States.