Transcript Writing-to-Learn as a Strategy to Improve Critical

Writing-to-Learn as a Strategy to Improve Critical
Thinking & Student Performance
2010 Lilly Conference
Greensboro, NC- 02/05 – 02/07
Winston-Salem State University
Scott Betz, Deborah Farmer, Eric Greaux, Jill Harp, Brenda Kennell, Michael
McKenzie, Leonard Muaka, Elizabeth Priest, Derrick Virgil, Gregg Ward,
Marie Williamson
The Purpose
 Improve critical-thinking skills
 Probe how students are
conceptualizing information gathered
inside/ outside of class
 Promote greater class participation
 Encourage shared learning and
teaching
Purpose cont’d
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Increase frequency of writing
Foster self-assessment
Build confidence about writing
Improve student performance
Increase retention/ graduation rates
Engaging the Writing Center
 Writing-to-Learn strategies
 Derick Virgil
 Elizabeth Priest
Writing to Learn
 Definition:
The utilization of writing in the classroom in
order to foster critical thinking, deeper
thought and deeper understanding of
knowledge taught in any discipline.
 Reasons:
 To help students to learn more
efficaciously.
 Practicing writing results in improved
student writing.
The Basics: Using The
Notecard
5x8
Entry Slip
Exit Slip
Think ~ Pair ~ Share
Microtheme ~ The Three-Minute Paper
Mini Letters ~ Memos ~ Postcards
Focused Freewriting
The Complaint!
Read ~ Stop ~ Write
Create the Missing Scene
Switch It Up!
Just for Fun
Summarize It
Implementation of Strategies
 Faculty
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Scott Betz
Deborah Farmer
Eric Greaux
Jill Harp
Brenda Kennell
Leonard Muaka
Gregg Ward
Marie Williamson
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
In my own professional work, I use informal daily notes and blog entries to document the
research and work issues in game design.
See my blog at: http://scottblogsgg.wetpaint.com/?t=anon
My blogging leads to clearer and more detailed writing in our game proposals and
assessments:
Example Proposals: http://sites.google.com/site/seriousgamegroup/proposals
Example Assessments: http://sites.google.com/site/seriousgamegroup/makin
And then final Game documents are developed:
http://sites.google.com/site/seriousgamegroup/mayo-game-doc
Since I work in this manner and the professional team I work with values this writing
approach, I believe the students will find this appealing as it relates directly to “professional
design writing” or “writing within the content area.”
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
See my blog at: http://scottblogsgg.wetpaint.com/?t=anon
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
#1 Who am I? Who are we?
#2 My Career Path begins here
#3 Lessons and solutions
#4 Personal Blog examples
#5 Students worked on Planning Outlines
before the art assignments
#6 Final Reflective Statement
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz (Students’ direct quotes)
•”Using writing to learn helped me to organize my ideas and
create an outline to be able to write an excellent paper.”
•”I felt that it was useful in that I learned different methods
of writing.”
•”The writing activities helps strengthen my writing skills in
a professional manner.”
•”This class was a great experience, it allowed me to use my
creative mind to apply to my projects and design's,
along with using design terminology to also show the
intellect when illustrating my work.”
Fine Arts- Visual Arts
 Scott Betz
•”WTL provided insight and time to brainstorm
that I would not have had without it being
assigned. Research is emphasized as a key
element in creating effective designs and
writing about them while thinking them up or
after completion allowed me to extract the
meaning I put into them.”
Behavioral Sciences & Social
Work -- Gerontology
 Deborah Farmer
 WTL techniques used
 Blogs
 Weekly, individual
 Recorded 3 interesting or surprising things
learned that week
 Discussion boards
 Exit free writing
 Reflected on moving video watched in class
Using WTL to Enhance Religion Courses
Eric J. Greaux, Sr.
 Reactions to Religious Films
 Reactions to Site Visits
Department of Life Sciences- Dr. Jill Harp
On a 5X8 note card answer the following two pre-lab questions
1. What do you expect to learn from performing this experiment?
2. What concepts taught in prior courses have helped you understand this
experiment?
On a 5X8 note card answer the following two post-lab questions:
1. What did you learn from performing this experiment?
2. In a job setting, would you feel comfortable performing this experiment? Why?
Overall:
 students were able to generally connect prior knowledge to the lab
performed
 the average and median score for this lab were 77% and 70%,
respectively. This semester, both increased to 84% and 85%,
respectively.
WTL Activity #2: Role Play: The
students make up exam questions
 The questions were so beneficial that some were used
on the midterm exam
 In class - 100% participation
 The average and median scores for this activity were
97% and 99%, respectively
 Previously, the average and median score for the
midterm exam were 50% and 44%, respectively. This
semester, they increased to 56% and 61%, respectively.
WTL Activity #3: Role Play: The
student is the Senior Research Officer
Students pretended to be a lead scientist who would
determine the future direction of the research
presented by a classmate.
 higher order thinking displayed 
informal departmental journal club needed
Instructor enlightened 
The average and median scores for this activity were
80% and 93%, respectively.
Brenda Kennell – MSOT Program
 Entry Tickets
 Exit slips
 Writing to Learn activities:
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Drawing
Explanatory writing
Reflecting and reasoning
Teaching/Feedback
Vocabulary/study
Effectiveness
 Entry tickets – least effective
 Exit slips – very effective
 WTL Activities – varied
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Drawing
Explanatory writing
Reflecting and reasoning
Teaching/Feedback
Vocabulary/study
Where to go from here
 Less paper
 Online submission
 Choose it and use it wisely
 Keep what worked
 Allow enough time
 Repeat activities to see progress
 Be flexible
 Change activities to be more effective
 Respond to feedback
Sample activity – Anatomy story
Bryson’s first day of school was today. He lazily
ELEVATED himself from bed while laying comfortably in
a PRONE position. He proceeded to the shower where
he washed his entire body, hopefully focusing on his
AXILLARY region! He then cleaned his ORAL area, where
CUBITAL grease is required! Bryson finally got out the
door, picking up his 50# bookbag, possibly straining
his LUMBAR region. As he walked down the steep
driveway, he twisted his TALUS and strained his CRURAL
area, while carrying the 50# bookbag. This caused
Bryson great right LATERAL pain, causing him to miss
the bus! This is when Mom feels like wringing his
CERVICAL area!
ENG 1302: FRESHMAN COMPOSITION II
 Leonard Muaka
 A continuation of ENG 1301 which prepares
students to learn how to write at the college level.
 As a writing course, WTL activities were very critical
in reinforcing the writing objective.
 WTL strategies prepared and helped students to
reflect on their learning as a social experience.
 All WTL objectives were embraced however,
reintroducing writing informally and creatively in
order to engage every student was central.
The Process
 Defining to empower! Literary criticism:
students’ responses showing diversity but
helping in finding a common ground to address
one of the core themes in the course.
 Asking questions! Knowing how to ask
questions translates into knowing how to
respond to questions exhaustively
 Completion tasks! Poems and short stories:
Fostering creativity and reflective thinking.
 Reorganization of texts! Reworking a story as a
group project to show gender roles in society.
The Outcome!
 Made students more reflective and critical in
their thinking and writing.
 Enhanced team work and sharing of ideas.
 Motivated students and looked forward to
coming to class for something new.
 Reenergized students because they identified
with the activities that were introduced.
 Enhanced students’ performance.
 As an instructor it gave me an opportunity to
know how to help my students.
Department of Life Sciences- Dr. Gregg Ward
 Molecular Biology (BIO 4467)
WTL assignments
The Types of Writing To Learn (WTL)
Assignments Used
Each lab report covering 8 experiments was considered a
WTL assignment.
Each lab report included the following sections (and the first 4 lab
reports had just one section graded):
Introduction,
Materials & Methods,
Results
Discussion
The completion of the lab report required that students read & derive
the hypothesis for each experiment prior to class.
Finally, the ability of the students to draft a hypothesis independently
was tested - use a primary research article devoid of the abstract.
Results of Student Perceptions of the
WTL Activities
For WTL, we wrote complete lab reports and one section would be heavily
critiqued (and graded). I thought this was a good idea except for the fact
that the next time, a different section would be graded and not the one
before which we had learned how to 'correctly' write. I felt like this did not
allow students to truly improve upon their writing skills because we were
unable to see how well we had improved until weeks later when full lab
reports were graded.
This was a great method used by my professor
Reflections on the Effectiveness of the
WTL Activities Used
(A) Did they seem to make a difference?
The students exhibited modest progress in the following.
(a)
ability to identify and write a hypothesis for the
completed experiments
(b)
ability to discuss cogently whether or not data supports
hypothesis
(B) Are your perceptions supported by results of student
performance?
Laboratory report & Primary research article
Student confused prediction with hypothesis (evident in the use of the
word “will”).
In addition, insufficient detail was evident in certain hypotheses.
Students sometimes failed to discuss possible reasons for absence of
data, or erroneously rejected hypothesis due to absence of data.
(C) What are recommendations for the future?
Continue using current grading model & couple it with peer critical
analysis
In order to enhance the utility of WTL interventions, student focus or
participation must be unfettered. The WTL course is a senior-level
course and graduation requirements are a hindrance.
Solution(s):
-incorporate WTL strategies earlier in paradigm
ENG 2302 (World Literature)
Dr. Marie S. Williamson, Instructor
WTL Strategies were designed to activate prior knowledge;
force examination of personal behaviors, beliefs and biases;
serve as heuristics for writing assignments; render subject
matter more accessible and relevant; and invite creative
written expression of ideas and feelings.
Sample strategies:
 Prior Knowledge: LINK (List, Inquire, Note, Know); KWL
 Personal Beliefs and Biases: Essential Questions (Quick
Write); Self-Evaluation Survey and Essay
 Heuristics: RAFT (Role, Audience, Format, Topic);
Symbolic Characterization
 Illuminating Subject Matter: Summarizing; Major
Writing Assignment for Each Unit
 Creative Expressions: Self-Simile; Personal Epiphany
Summary
 Questions???
 Recommendations for future use of
WTL