Updating Our Assumptions About Writing
Common Assumptions
Some people can write, some can’t.
Writing is chiefly about correct form.
Writing is chiefly about good ideas.
Only English teachers have the skills to teach writing.
Workable Assumptions
Because informational writing is highly conventionalized, it can be taught.
WritingN is a complex, multifaceted product created for a particular audience and purpose.
WritingV is a complex, multifaceted process conducted by an individual writer.
People who create texts for a living can introspect and advise others on product and process.
In the interests of improving student writing we will adopt the workable assumptions because they lead directly to questions about our practice:
- Which conventions do I want to emphasize in this assignment/course?
- Which audience(s) am I most interested in for this assignment/course?
- How can students practice their writing process in this assignment/course?
- What have I learned about writing since grad school and which of my writing habits works best for me?
The answers to these questions can lead to stating some of the specific learning outcomes for an assignment or course. Back to top
Informal Writing Assignments
The principal use of informal writing is to give students the experience of thinking through writing. These “write-to-learn” exercises are process-oriented because they are not evaluated for their form, if they are graded at all. The idea behind WTL activities is that learning requires us to recognize, analyze, synthesize, and ultimately integrate new material—not just listen to it. Informal assignments may be in-class or take-home.
In-class Writing Assignments
Refresh. Write for 2 minutes on X. (Use at the beginning, end, or middle of class when the discussion needs more focus or participation.)
How would you evaluate the evidence used to support article X vs. the evidence to support article Y?
How would you describe the tone of essay X?
What did you learn today about the potential applications of the laws of thermodynamics?
What questions were left unanswered for you in our discussion of the kinds of tissue in the human body?
Book TV. Write one question you would ask if you could interview with the author of today’s reading. You have 2 minutes.
Question of the day I. Answer the following question in complete sentences. You have 3 minutes.
Question of the day II. Working with your group, answer the following question in complete sentences. You have 12 minutes.
Multiple choice. Working with your group, write a multiple choice question based on today’s class discussion. You have 8 minutes. (Can also be done in small group.)
Multiple choice part 2. Answer another group’s multiple choice question. Then critique the question in complete sentences. You have 8 minutes.
Summarize. Using your book/reading, list the main points of the reading assigned for today. You have 5 minutes.
Problem-solving. Answer this problem (from book or handout). Then write a paragraph that explains how you solved it, in complete sentences.
Endnote. What conclusions do you draw from today’s discussion and materials? You have 3 minutes to write about this at the end of your class notes.
Wish you were here. Write a brief letter to an absent classmate explaining what you got out of class today. You expect him to do the same for you someday, so make it good. You have 10 minutes.
Peer review. Read your peer's draft carefully without writing on it. Then read the draft again, filling out the attached questionnaire as you go. Write an endnote that suggests one area that the writer should work on for the next draft and make a specific, useable recommendation to that end.
Suggested activities from the Colorado School of Mines Website at http://www.mines.edu/Academic/lais/wc/wac/effective/writelearn.html
Anticipants. Give students the beginning or the end of a report, paragraph, story, case study, or problem, and then give them fifteen minutes to write what follows or leads up to the statement. This brief exercise, which can be used for in-class work, helps students do the kind of goal-directed predicting and planning common to skilled writers and thinkers.
Class Minutes. Assign a class scribe for the day who will be responsible for summarizing class discussion, lecture, or activities during the first five minutes of the next day's class. Or have two people serve as independent scribes; invite the class to discuss the differences in the minutes they produce.
Question Box. Like a suggestion box, a question box has a slot where people can anonymously insert ideas. In this case, though, students insert a question or two about course material, which is particularly useful just prior to an exam. Instructors look for patterns of recurring questions to guide their midterm and
final review sessions; these patterns let us know what exactly a majority of students do not yet understand.
Concept Metaphors. Ask students to think through a concept by creating a metaphor, building a model, or creating a definition for it. For example, in a dentistry class, students may create a metaphor for "teeth" (teeth
are crystal castles), build a conceptual model f or the structures of caries, and write a definition of "decay." Students may use the metaphor to build a theory about their experience.
How-to Papers. Have two groups of students conduct two different experiments. Then, in writing, have them explain how someone who had never done the experiment would conduct it. Then have the writing group remain silent as the other group tries to follow their step-by-step instructions to carry out the
experiment. (Be careful in chemistry lab!) Switch groups and have the next group follow the other group’s instructions. Then have both groups rewrite their instructions so they are more reader-friendly.
Take-home Writing Assignments
Reading journal. In a notebook reserved for your reading journal, divide each page in half length-wise. Each journal entry will consist of two parts. On the left-hand side of the page record ideas, facts, quotes or other notes that seem important to you as you read the text. On the right-hand side of the journal record your questions, impressions, responses, and feelings as you read.
Microtheme. Answer the following question as thoroughly as possible in one typed page.
What are the risks associated with removing the Milltown dam?
In your own words, explain the concept of the phoneme and its relevance to the study of phonology.
How do readings 1, 2, and 3 support the idea that...?
Argue for or against this statement: "Computer-generated mathematical proofs are less reliable than those written by humans."
Response to feedback. When you hand in your revised paper, attach an extra page containing a paragraph explaining why you did or did not incorporate the feedback you received on your earlier version.
Book blurb. Write a book blurb for each of the following audiences: a scholar in the field; a lay person; a niche demographic or market of your choice. Your blurbs should be typed and single-spaced. Fit all three on one page only.
Lecture summary. Write a one-page summary of today's lecture. You will turn it in at the start of next class. Back to top
Formal Writing Assignments
The following is a list of the most common types of writing assigned to undergraduate students.
- Outline
- Paper proposal
- Precis (1-2 pages)
- Short essay (2-5 pages)
- Book or article review (2-5 pages)
- Lab or Case Report (2-10 pages)
- Research paper (8-30 pages)
- Classroom presentation
When we are creating a syllabus for a course, we typically imagine that to add writing to our course we need to pick from this list of tried and true assignment types. First, the quality of the writing elicited by these assignment types depends more on how the instructor sets them up and why than which types are selected. Second, there are many other assignment types that aren't as traditional but do engage students in formal writing in the discipline. These include:
- Professional letter
- Microtheme
- Problem statement
- Autobiography
- Story problem
- Rewrite
"Traditional" paper assignments vs. Explicit assignments.
Handout 1a-c
Problem-solving assignments
Professional letter (role-playing). 1) You have a letter requesting your appraisal of article X for inclusion in a collection of essays on Y. Write a reply that addresses the editor's questions and concerns. 2) You are Dr. Drug, the writer of a weekly newspaper column on pharmaceuticals. Reply to a questioner who sent you the letter below asking you to settle a dispute between him and his grandmother.
Microtheme. Write a 1/2/3 page essay that responds to the following question/statement.
Schizophrenia is/is not a brain disease.
Bonds are/are not more risky investments than stocks.
Defend this thesis statement: "Linguistic diversity is linked to biological diversity."
How does the presence of the gravediggers in the graveyard scene of Hamlet influence your interpretation of the scene?
Problem statement. Describe and evaluate the problem(s) inherent in topic X/your research area/your chosen topic.
Autobiography. Write a 2 page essay on your previous experiences with math/writing.
Story problem. Write an engaging story problem (or case study) that requires knowledge of course concepts to solve.
Rewrite. 1) You have an abstract/short article that is poorly organized. Using as much as possible the sentences as written, rewrite the piece to improve its logic. 2) You have read a story/historical narrative/analytical report. Rewrite its ending from a different point of view. Back to top
Design Your Own
Whether you try some of the informal or formal assignments listed here, the key to getting a good result from a writing assignment is to integrate it into the course objectives. Here are some additional resources to consider before you revise your course with writing in mind:
http://www.mines.edu/academic/lais/wc/wac/facultyresources.html
http://wsuctproject.wsu.edu/ctr.htm
http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/
Implications for the Classroom
- Improved focus on students' critical thinking and intellectual development.
- Improved communication with students.
- Less lecturing.
- Less plagiarism.
- Grading is easier and more consistent.
Back to top
