About TDEC & Finite Writing methods:

Student: “Here at Cornell every freshman is required to take a version of a class called the First Year Writing Seminar to develop their writing abilities. The seminars offered through the English department are known for being especially rigorous, so I enrolled in one because I was worried that my writing was not up to the collegiate level. Last weekend I had to write my first essay for my seminar, a two page research-based piece. After doing the initial research, the writing itself actually only took about 50 minutes (a product of all of the timed writings at [high school], I'm sure) and I found that I had subconsciously TDECed the entire paper (despite swearing to myself that TDEC wouldn't follow me to college). I didn't think it was my best work, but I had tests to study for so I submitted it and moved on to other things. When I walked into my lecture on Monday, my paper was projected on the screen. The professor proceeded to have the class analyze it as an "example of an exceptional essay," praising mostly my organization and clarity but also touching on the quote weaving (thanks, TDEC!). I realized after rereading the paper that all of the small things that we learned in AP English (creating a good thesis, quote weaving, organization, and yes, even TDECs) had become a subconscious part of my writing process that really made my writing infinitely better as a whole. I had never realized how much your AP English course taught me until I actually began to think about the roots of the methodologies that I use when I write. Anyway, after class the professor called me aside and told me to thank whoever taught me how to write, so that's exactly what I'm doing. Thank you for preparing me so well for this level of writing (even though I didn't even know you had done it). I know that this foundation in writing will open countless doors for me throughout and after college.”

Parent: “I thought that you would be interested to know that he took only one non-film class in his very busy first semester, and that class was College Writing. His teacher was so impressed with his work that, during an end-of-semester interview, she asked him directly where he had learned to write so well.”

Teacher: “Ms. Banton writes and teaches writing in a structure that combines technicality with creativity. Through the analysis of many excellent writers, she discovered the elements of information that make writing good and the organization that makes it clear. She then teaches others how to teach writing well. It is a trustworthy method of teaching writing because she has data to prove that her students improved significantly as she introduced this system of teaching. My own experience using her methods have been extremely successful. I taught writing for years using various popular methods, but I did not feel successful and did not see measurable growth. Over the last 3 years, I have used the TDEC method, and my students’ improvements are obvious, measurable and sustainable. I feel like a successful writing teacher now.”

Former students talking about Process Revisions: “The process revisions were extremely valuable to me. I found that it was the quickest way for me to focus on what my flaws were and improve them promptly. The methodical nature of the whole process [the full Process Revision exercise] was a very helpful and streamlined procedure. It also forced me to be extra thorough, which enriched my writing after a while. By laying out all the parts of an essay into a clean and organized chart, I was able to physically see where my writing was sparse and lacking. When I compare essays from the beginning of the year to essays at the end of the year, the improvement is truly remarkable.” “My paragraphs were [finally] set with appropriate, descriptive topic sentences and clearly followed the DEC chunk. When I was able to master this, I enabled myself to introduce new, creative ideas in a clear manner. My writing overall has greatly improved, and I know it's because of the repeated revision, which I didn't always enjoy but benefitted from immensely, and thank you, Ms. Banton, for making us do it.” “I did not spend the year looking at well-marked essays from previous years of AP English 4 tests; I spent the year looking at rubbish essays of my own, finding out what made them initially rubbish, and identifying how I can circumvent such aspects of my writing under pressure.”