Teaching Creative Nonfiction: Influences, Pedagogy, and Attitudes of Teachers of Adults.

摘要

Little participant-based research has been done in the field of creative nonfiction pedagogy for adults. "Teaching Creative Nonfiction" addresses this lack of scholarship by starting to paint the landscape of the influences, pedagogy and attitudes of instructors of adults in undergraduate, graduate and community-based classes. This study used thirteen written interviews, three verbal interviews and subsequent documents provided by interviewees to gain insight into how creative nonfiction instructors approach curriculum and classroom planning, the influences upon their pedagogy and their attitudes towards writing and teaching. The major findings include: the strong influence of mentors and heuristic learning upon instructor's pedagogy; the alignment of instructor's own experiences as a student and their attitudes and approaches as an instructor; that teachers of undergraduates adapt their pedagogy to their younger "emerging adult" populations; the alignment of the pedagogical approach of "the workshop method" and the learning needs of traditional adult students. Further this study identifies what participants' think makes the teaching and identity of creative nonfiction unique, but even more so reflects what is common to teaching writing to adults across creative genres. These findings have implications regarding the education and preparation of creative nonfiction instructors. Much can be learned from adult learning theorists, such as Stephen Brookfield and his work in dialogic learning, Malcolm Knowles Theory of Andragogy, Daniel Levinson's Stage Theory and Jack Mezirow's Transformational Learning Theory, to inform further research in creative nonfiction pedagogy and support instructors through communities of practice.