"I realized that I could avoid a lot of heartache on the part of my students by changing the way I was offering instruction, because students weren’t ready to write essays without taking a position and defending it."
Certainly as a student I can sympathize with your plight. I was one of the students who would wander frequently when given an open-ended writing assignment, much to the exasperation of my teachers (who were positive there was some sort of disconnect between my speaking and writing faculties).
That said, I understand that it may not be entirely practical, but I would rather spend time thinking about how students like myself can be elevated to produce more meaningful work rather than accepting the status quo. For me, the breakthrough came when I read "The Age of the Essay." I'm still by no means a great writer, but the Stanford Application essays I recently produced were my best work yet by an order of magnitude. It's made a substantial improvement in my writing by itself, but more importantly it has provided a kernel of understanding that snowballs with every new essay I have vetted by my friends and mentors. Instead of spinning my wheels, I'm making real strides towards becoming a better writer now -- I've learned how to learn the art of writing.
My recommendation, should you still be interested in experimentation, is to see if you can find a reliable way to reach out to your students and help them grasp your understanding of an essay. If they can see where you are coming from, they'll be able to learn whatever you have to offer unimpeded. They will still need to develop logically and analytically, but I think you might start to see a few more students (successfully) attempting the open assignments if you give them the tools to do so.
Certainly as a student I can sympathize with your plight. I was one of the students who would wander frequently when given an open-ended writing assignment, much to the exasperation of my teachers (who were positive there was some sort of disconnect between my speaking and writing faculties).
That said, I understand that it may not be entirely practical, but I would rather spend time thinking about how students like myself can be elevated to produce more meaningful work rather than accepting the status quo. For me, the breakthrough came when I read "The Age of the Essay." I'm still by no means a great writer, but the Stanford Application essays I recently produced were my best work yet by an order of magnitude. It's made a substantial improvement in my writing by itself, but more importantly it has provided a kernel of understanding that snowballs with every new essay I have vetted by my friends and mentors. Instead of spinning my wheels, I'm making real strides towards becoming a better writer now -- I've learned how to learn the art of writing.
My recommendation, should you still be interested in experimentation, is to see if you can find a reliable way to reach out to your students and help them grasp your understanding of an essay. If they can see where you are coming from, they'll be able to learn whatever you have to offer unimpeded. They will still need to develop logically and analytically, but I think you might start to see a few more students (successfully) attempting the open assignments if you give them the tools to do so.