Origami

I admire what other people can do with just a piece of paper. They envision and create. They see posibilities where some of us are blinded by tradition. I don't consider myself a creative person, yet at times I can be. It is those times when I am reflected, when I search for answers to the non-responsiveness of my students, when I see that something isn't working. How can I take what I am learning from Geller et. al. and create a culture of learning in my writing classroom? What would it look like? How do I help my students to become a community of learners instead of individuals writing papers to complete a course, get a grade, and move on? I'm a little slow: I've experienced 3 classes in successive semesters where a community is being built by reading and discussing ideas and am just now realizing that that is what Geller et. al. is describing. I'm putting too much emphasis on the product and not enough on intellectual stimulation of students and must emphasize becoming knowledgeable instead of the performance of being. Will this work in a first year composition class or am I out in left field?