Boice on the Side

I can see that I will be Boice's typical "contrary student" who just doesn't "get it" this semester; the one who foolishly rages against the undisputed logic that Boice believes he's graciously dolling out to my ignorant and needy kind. But I'm going to be the bigger egomaniac here and try to see the value in the other's tactics--again, I think I'd personally be a lot more agreeable to Boice's ideas if he'd pose them as just that, ideas, or guidelines as opposed to hard-and-fast rules that should always be applied as if we're writing robots who live inside of a vacuum. That being said... I like Boice's idea of pre-planning: note-taking and outlining. His idea of dividing reading notes between synopsis and reflection is actually something I try to do and find helpful. I also like his idea about going into note-taking with a clear idea, a tangible lens to view the information through that will help direct note-taking, and ultimately writing. I found this similar to Rogers/ Dewey's definition of "reflection", which ultimately relies on processing new information through one's existing information as well as that of the greater community. I think it helps to process and understand information when you have something substantial to hold up against and weigh and measure it. These forms of pre-writing do make writing easier and more easily generated in my opinion. However, this is also where I see Boice and Rogers differing in approach. Being pretty busy myself, i love the idea of turning my imagination or reflection on and off like a light-switch, and truth by told, I actually think some of these ideas and exercises can help to that end; however where Rogers is careful to acknowledge the dangers in defining reflection and how it applies to everyone; Boice jumps right in to let his readers know that he really knows what's best for everyone, so just sit back and listen up.