Writing Workshop: Developing, Assigning, and Assessing Writing-to-Learn

Tasks

Rich House, Anne Watt, and

Julia Williams

Workshop Overview Definition: Writing-to-Learn, Writing-to-

Communicate Writing-to-learn tasks and assessment Developing writing-to-learn tasks for your

courses

Writing-to-Learn

What do we mean and how will it help our students?

Two Perspectives on Writing Writing to Learn Writing to Communicate Student writing sample

“Student” Writing Sample“ascertain if some magnetic arrangement might not

be included with the circuit to wor so that it would exactly neutralize the static charge in So many knots of Cable if these devices Could be put in the Cable & their capacity would remain as Constant as the Capacity of the Cable = it would be valuable =

Try two insulated disks of rubber on which is a strip of Zinc & of Copper Connected together =“

“Student” Writing Sample Thomas Edison Greenwich Cable

Telegraph Pocket Notebook, June 10, 1873

Speculations, plans, critiques, rough technical drawings, thinking/visualizing on paper

Writing and Thinking

Discovery ThinkingInvention

Writer-basedAudience: Self

Personal LanguageTeacher as Mentor

Personal KnowledgeForms: Journals, Notes,

Rough Drafts

Critical ThinkingRevision

Reader-basedAudience: DistantFormal Language

Teacher as EvaluatorContextual Knowledge

Forms: Essays, Reports

Discovery and Critical Understanding

A World of Difference Writing to learn: in order to explain the

matter to oneself Writing to communicate: in order to

explain the matter to others Impossible to explain the matter to others

before the student has explained it to herself Course assignments generally focus on

WTC, rather than encouraging WTL

Benefits for Students Improved learning Deeper understanding

leads to improved written communication

Assessment burden reduced

Writing-to-Learn Tasks: Development and Assessment

1/2 Dozen Possibilities

#1: “Journals” (Logbooks?) A place to write regularly Can be assigned topics Or open topic, with specified structure Or open topic and structure, but specified

number/frequency of entries and/or amount of writing

Journal Assessment Collect periodically +/- on individual entries, and letter grades for the

set of entries Or small number of points for each entry I assign credit, offer readerly response in spots,

and make a few teacherly comments at end of the set.

No need to mark grammar mistakes except when interfere with understanding point

Journal Advantages Student sense of ownership “Permanent” record/ documentation Reflection Fewer small pieces of paper floating around

Journal Disadvantages Can be bulky for both you and students to

carry around (consider electronic alternatives?)

Easy to fall behind in grading

#2: Short Response Papers Perhaps due on weekly basis on day of their

or your choice Limit to a page or a few paragraphs Can serve similar function to journals, but

generally writing is more polished and better formulated

Varying degrees of structure vs. openendedness

Assessment: Responding to Response Papers vs. Journals

Expect more developed thoughts Expect more eloquence and polish I do correct grammar and other sentence

level errors Less purely self-oriented: a mixture of

writing-to-learn with writing-to-communicate

#3: In-class Writing In-class written response Possible topics:

• What did you learn in class today?• What questions and concerns do you still have?• Explain one of the concepts we discussed in class

today.• Answer a specific question

Assessment: collect essays, read quickly before next class, respond to students (individual or collective)

#4: Writing Notes Students write notes back and forth to each other Summarize what you understand about the

concept being studied; difficulties and questions (200 words, 2 copies)

Pass your note and respond Assessment: collect copy, assess points based on

student’s degree of response to note

#5: Explain a Problem Good as accompaniment to homework

problems Explain in words what you did to solve a

particular problem from the homework Assessment: can be done with peer groups;

important that the student makes all work explicit, provides justification for doing the work in a particular way

#6: Letter First letter: addressed to partner in class;

problems with concept or topic (200 words) Second letter: response to partner’s letter;

offering solutions, clarifications (500 words)

Assessment: collect and read; award points based on level of analysis and response

Designing Writing-to-Learn Assignments

Goals, Guidelines, Questions

Goals Integrate into important

course work: no busywork or add-ons

Promote active learning, interactive learning

Improve classroom communication, environment

Integrate with problem solving, reading, talking, listening, visualizing, critical thinking

Guidelines and Checklist Consider purpose of the assignment:

consider audience for the assignment Consider the context for assignment: in

class, out of class, lab Consider the form of the assignment: in-

class writing, journal, note, letter, problem explanation, etc.

See attached checklist

Writing Workshop: Developing, Assigning, and Assessing Writing-to-Learn

Tasks

Rich House, Anne Watt, and

Julia Williams