Type Theory in Composition

I am planning to write about type theory in composition. The subject fascinated me when we read about it in Muriel Harris's chapter on engaging reluctant writers, so I decided to learn more. However, I worried that I would not find much on the subject or that it would turn out to be a "dumb" topic. So far, I have been wrong, at least I think so.

After looking through a stack of journal articles and reading half of a book about type theory in composition, I have found that it has shaped the teaching methods universities have used over the years. Approaches to teaching composition have often been directed at one type of personality, making it difficult for a student of a different personality to learn how to write. Consequently, people like Freire or Murray came along to change the approach of teaching.

I have also found that many of the essays we have read in Cross Talk are referenced in the essays I have read on type theory. Bartholomae, Emig, and Murray are just a few of the names that have been dropped. I have also found Freire's ideas in the essays, but not his exact name. These connections to theories that I feel somewhat familiar with are helping me to understand the space that type theory occupies in the larger sphere of composition theory and studies.

As I read the last half of the book on type theory, I am sure my ideas will form more fully and that I will have a lot more to write about on this subject. I will also have a clearer picture of how type theory, made popular by Carl Jung and Isabel Briggs Myers, relates to teaching composition. Now, it is time to get back to tutoring!