Transcript Guiding Students Through a Process That Produces

Guiding Students Through a
Process
That Produces
Substantive Writing
WIP Brown Bag Series #3
November 2013
Pamela R. Fletcher, Facilitator
Some Objectives of an
Intentional Writing Process:
• Stimulate learning
• Encourage and strengthen thinking
• Foster effective communication
To achieve these objectives, offer
students the opportunity to
complete various writing
assignments that include writing
for different purposes and different
audiences as relevant to the
course.
A writing process includes a variety of both informal and
formal writing to help students learn that written
communication, like oral communication, is diverse, changing
according to its purpose and audience.
Informal Writing (Graded or Ungraded)
Such assignments can also serve as a first step in writing a
formal paper.
* Focuses on self as audience
* Fosters thinking and understanding of content
* Helps to clarify and articulate one’s thoughts and ideas
Some examples of informal writing assignments:
* Freewriting and brainstorming help to jumpstart students’
thinking about a topic or to generate ideas for a paper: lists,
one-minute papers, concept maps, word associations,
outlines, etc.
* Journal writing helps students to examine readings,
extend/question class discussions, or make observations; it
can be used as a tool to engage students in dialogue by
having them exchange journals and respond to each others’
entries.
* Reflection writing helps students to connect personally with
a text (written, audio, oral, or visual), aiming to engage their
interest and deepen their understanding.
Formal Writing (Graded)
Depending on its purpose, audience, and criteria for
evaluation, formal writing runs the gamut of formality.
Generally, its aim is to articulate one’s ideas coherently and
effectively with a clear purpose to a specific audience.
Some examples of formal writing:
* Personal essays
* Case Notes
* Position papers
* Case Studies
* Analytical papers
* Summaries
* Lab reports
* Narratives
* Research proposals
* Group process reports
* Abstracts
* Research papers
* Annotated bibliographies
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Practicing an Intentional Writing Process, 1
Suggestion--Decide which assignment(s) will undergo a
writing process, and then discuss and include the steps in the
written instructions: In writing your research paper, use the
following steps, which will earn points.
* Prewriting (Brainstorming or freewriting to generate ideas;
messy, exploratory, personal)
* Organizing your thoughts and ideas (ordering or outlining
major points)
* Drafting (Giving form or structure to your thoughts and
ideas)
* Revising (Clarifying thesis statement, thoughts, and ideas
through various drafts; purpose- and audience-aware)
* Editing and proofreading the final draft
Practicing an Intentional Writing Process, 2
Suggested Classroom Activities, 1
*Class discussion of assignment(s) and the writing process,
which includes reviewing examples of drafts from the work of
previous students (with their permission)
*Prewriting exercise, using a current student’s topic, for
example
*Thesis writing exercise
*Writing drafts of thesis, intro, and body paragraphs
*Peer review conferences, including revision guidelines
*Student-teacher conferences (brief check-ins/scheduled)
* Class discussion of writing mechanics and documentation
style, using The Bedford Handbook as a reference
Suggested Classroom Activities, 2
* To prepare for class discussion, have students write in
response to specific statements and questions based on
assigned texts (readings, films, visual art, etc.)
* As a development step, assign a sequence of short writing
assignments to help students work toward writing a long
paper. Think about the sequence of your course
assignments along development lines.
* In a few short assignments, have students write to specific
audiences from different points of views. Consider engaging
cases and scenarios.
*Write in response to your own assignments and write with
your students during class. Share your work with them.
Definition of Writing Intensive Courses. (1995).
Hacker, D., & Sommers, N. (2010).The Bedford
Handbook. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Walvoord, B.E. F. (1982). Helping Students Write Well:
A Guide for Teachers in All Disciplines. New
York,
N.Y.: The Modern Language Association of
America