Journal Entry 4

In the Introduction to They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provide templates designed to structure and generate your own writing.
Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the types of writing templates they offer help you successfully enter academic thinking and writing, but also the wider worlds of civic discourse and work. As the authors themselves put it, “these templates can give you an immediate sense of how to engage in the kinds of critical thinking you are required to do at the college level and in the vocational and public spheres beyond.” Although some people believe that critical thinking and writing go deeper than any set of linguistic formulas, Graff and Birkenstein insist that these deeper habits of thought cannot be put into practice unless you have a language for expressing the in clear, organized ways. In sum, hen, their view is that templates are successful in the use of it in critical thinking and writing.

I agree. In my view, the types of templates that the authors recommend can be beneficial in the development of any type of paper that may be required for us to write in college. For instance, research papers. In addition, one can use these approaches that can help them get through situational research even well after they may have graduated from college. Some might object, of course, on the grounds that templates are very straightforward and they have problems recognizing that their originality and creativity all sound similar. Yet I would argue that one should be able to use a template to get a critical thought or viewpoint out, and still be able to use their own personal point of views and thoughts to make it original. Overall, then, I believe using templates is a good way to enhance the writing of college students-an important point to make given that although, most of us have made it to college, we still are unaware of how to adequately and professionally write our own thoughts and viewpoints into our everyday schoolwork.