Beyond the Text: Towards Understanding the Teaching and Learning of Genres

* Miller's article Genre as Social Action (1984/1994) launched a new field of inquiry, most aptly named rhetorical genre studies (RGS). Her reconceptualization of genre did more than illuminate a heretofore neglected area of composition studies; it cast a new light on all the central issues of writing theory and pedagogy. This commentary focuses on key strands in this rethinking of genre and composition, with the aim of highlighting those elements with implications for teaching and learning. My concern is not to propose a new pedagogy deriving from RGS but rather to point to issues that should form part of the frame or theoretic context within which teachers who have experience within the relevant learning contexts can select or invent appropriate strategies and approaches.