Yup, definitely a different fields things. Every "novel approach" that I've seen come along in my field is directly counter to the goal of composition courses--orientation to academic writing at the college level. All the "novel approaches" that go on about subject positions, and negotiating identity, and students' non-academic discourse communities . . . just no. The purpose of the course is academic writing basic training. No one asks math professors to do things that are new!! and interesting!! In my field, and in my courses, to put it bluntly, boring is best.
I don't mean going all pomo on the students. Still, just as in the sub-field of teaching second language writing there must be some approaches that are more innovative. For example, in the field of language teaching the "mainstream" model (in the sense of most common) is still "student writes composition/teacher corrects grammar of composition." Approaches which focus on the process rather than the product are, in my experience, hugely more likely to bring about improvements. Yet this approach is largely unknown "in the mainstream." Of course some teachers are pretty hopeless no matter what approach they use.
I would suggest that it's more likely that an active researcher (whether Ph.D., MA, or active practitioner) will try something innovative vs. the "Freds" who teach based of "perceived standard practice."
