As students are transitioning from high school to college, students learn the way they are writing is outdated. In which students won’t make it far in college if they keep using the method that is known for being used in high school. In the book Bad Ideas About Writing, author’s Bernstein and Lowry address the bad idea known as the five-paragraph essay method.
“Writer” by Hannah Ollinger. Unsplash
Bernstein and Lowry go further into detail on the usage of the five-paragraph and explain as to why it is deemed as a bad idea. Throughout their essay Bernstein and Lowry further explain that the use of the five-paragraph essay method is not to be used as the only means of writing. “For first- year college students, the five-paragraph essay is considered to be a kind of catch-all for the would-be writer, a formula that students are often taught works for any kind of essay, on any topic, upon any occasion. Except when it doesn’t.” (Bernstein and Lowry 1), when writing an essay, a simple five paragraph essay might not always be used to appeal to readers. Because a lot of students were taught the strategy their entire school career, many will disagree and think differently. But as we grow older the simple ways of writing an essay simply will not do
Bernstein and Lowry discuss what Paulo Freire, an internationally well-regarded Brazilian educator and activist does. “According to Freire, the bank- ing model is a form of teaching and learning in which knowledge is understood to be a kind of currency that is literally deposited into students’ heads by an expert.” (Bernstein and Lowry 1). When students are taught the five-paragraph method, that is all they know so there is no way that they can know how to expand from it without being taught otherwise. Students don’t know the different and better techniques of writing because the method that educators teach/ are currently teaching is just for simplicity. “The more students work at storing the deposits entrusted to them, the less they develop the critical consciousness which would result from their intervention in the world as transformers of that world.” (Bernstein and Lowry 2) When students are just crammed with a constant influx of information it can be hard to put it to the use that it is intended for. In order to correctly store important details, it is important to make a connection to their own experiences and what’s going on around us.
A woman typing up her work on her desktop
Bernstein and Lowry explain how knowledge isn’t being transmitted correctly into the essay because of the hindrance of the five-paragraph essay method. When using the five-paragraph method, students aren’t using what they have learned, they are more like writing it down because the knowledge isn’t flowing properly into the essay as it should be. “The five-paragraph essay is widely believed to be useful in terms of making students assimilate, absorb, store, categorize, and organize new knowledge, but it is not useful in terms of getting students to actually use that knowledge creatively or critically for productive problem posing and solving.” (Bernstein and Lowry 2). Bernstein and Lowry believe that when students use the five-paragraph method to do essays, that they aren’t using the information that they learned in a fundamental way that establishes growth within their writing as well as understanding their own writing personalities. Students can’t show growth and expand in their writing if they are stuck within their own creative box whilst using said method.
A better idea than the five-paragraph essay format would be to write more or less than five paragraphs, as long as the student’s ideas are coming out clear and concise. When writing, students can often find themselves lacking information and try to sum up their essays within the five-paragraph method. By writing more paragraphs the students wouldn’t be limiting themselves from great success when writing their essays. Bernstein and Lowry compare the five-paragraph essay format to that of using training wheels; they should only be used as a means to start when riding a bike. The same thing goes for the use of the five-paragraph method. “Without training wheels, it may be tough to get started at the beginning of a ride, but eventually we figure out how to do it. Bumpy rides may pose a challenge, but they make us resilient.” (Bernstein and Lowry 3). A student can also write less than five paragraphs and still bring their points in their essay.
Front view portrait of two students showing failed and passed exam grades
The five-paragraph essay format shouldn’t be used in college, because students should know that they are able to write more or less than that. Students shouldnt limit themselves when writing essays in college. Bernstein and Lowry made key points on the negative effects of using the five-paragraph method and that it will only hinder students in the long run. It was only meant for starting off when writing, not a definitive way of writing. In order to show growth, the students must break free from the recommendation of only five paragraphs and push themselves to form better ideas and to no long limit themselves.
Work Cited
Susan Naomi Bernstein and Elizabeth Lowry “The Five Paragraph Essay Transmits Knowledge” Bad Ideas About Writing, Edited by Cheryl E. Ball and Drew M. Loewe West Virginia Libraries 2017 pp. 214-218