Transcript CLA Orientation for Writing Integration—GTA Preparation

Orientation for GTAs—GTA Preparation
for Grading and Responding to
Undergraduate Writing
Sue Doe
Assistant Professor of English
Colorado State University
[email protected]
Overview of Orientation
Day One
• Introduction to the CSU gtPathways writing integration
• A Sample Assignment--Overview
• International Student Writing
• GTA panel
Day Two
• Holistic scoring/sorting—developing criteria, applying criteria,
revising criteria—and why
• Analytic scoring—strategies and choices
Day Three
• Commenting/responding to student writing
• Common problems students have with academic writing;
grading and responding as part of the instructional team
• Interventions through peer review, conferences, office hours
Day One
• Introduction to the CSU gtPathways
writing integration
• A Sample Assignment—Overview
• International Student Writing
• GTA panel
Day 2
• Holistic scoring/sorting—developing criteria,
applying criteria, revising criteria—and why
• Analytic scoring strategies and choices
– standard rubrics
– anchor papers
– continuum approach
• Writing @ CSU (online resources)
• The CSU Writing Center
Day Three
• Commenting & responding to student writing
• Common problems students have with
academic writing; grading and responding as
part of the instructional team
• Interventions through peer review,
conferences, office hours
• The TILT Teaching Certificate
Local Writing Resources
• http://writing.colostate.edu
– Google search possible on virtually any writing topic. Over
100K pages of writing information, most authored at CSU.
– Writing tools available through Writing Studio-keep track
of your drafts, your biblios, your reading, etc. Same tools
available for undergrads and others
• http://writing.colostate.edu/gtPathways
– specialized resources to support your efforts with your
assistantship
• The Writing Center and WAC
– Visit Eddy 6 (The physical writing center) or submit papers
electronically for feedback
– Request a workshop on any writing subject
gtPathways
What it is, where it came from
State Guaranteed Transfer:
gtPathways
• gtPathways Curriculum Adopted as part of the CCHE (now CDOE)
Academic Affairs Policy I, Part L: Statewide Transfer Policy.
• Built upon concepts found in the Student Bill of Rights (a.k.a, the
King Bill), § 23-1-125 C.R.S:
 “The Commission, in consultation with each Colorado public
institution of higher education, is directed to outline a plan to
implement a core course concept”
 “The core of courses shall consist of at least thirty credit hours,
but shall not exceed forty credit hours”
 “Individual institutions of higher education shall conform their
own core course requirements with the guidelines developed by
the Commission…”
One Policy Goal of gtPathways
Students shall have assurance of:
“A quality general education experience that
develops competencies in reading, writing,
mathematics, technology, and critical thinking
through an integrated arts and science
experience.”
Major Changes to Colorado Colleges and
Universities
Adams State College: Faculty Senate agreed to adopt gtPathways
curriculum for institutional general education curriculum
Fort Lewis College: Restructuring entire general education curriculum to
meet gtPathways requirements; modifying junior-level writing courses to
meet gtPathways requirements (i.e., 200-level)
University of Northern Colorado: Charting the Future; reducing general
education course offerings to 60-70 courses; restructuring curriculum to
meet gtPathways curriculum
Colorado State University: Integrating writing into general education
AHUM and SOCS courses (20% - 25% of grades in writing assignments);
adding 3 credit hours in AHUM
Memorandum of Understanding
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
WRITING IN AUCC COURSES IN LIBERAL ARTS
Effective Fall 2007
All AUCC courses in Categories 3B, C, D and E of the core must satisfy
the following requirements regarding writing. These must be clearly
stated on the syllabus for the course.
1. Goals for writing in AUCC courses:
There are two goals for writing assignments in AUCC courses:
(1) to improve students’ comprehension of course content
(2) to improve students’ proficiency in writing.
Note (1): Both of these goals are best achieved when students receive
feedback on their writing assignments and have an opportunity to
make use of that feedback.
MOU continued…
2. Writing requirements:
• At least 25 percent of the course grade must be based on
written work that satisfies the following:
– At least one writing assignment must be an out-of-class
piece of written work (2)
– In-class written work, such as on exams, must be in the
form of essays
• Note (2): While this represents a minimum standard, to
maximize the benefits to students of more writing multiple
opportunities to write and respond to feedback are
recommended, such as:
• Several out-of-class writing assignments.
OR
• One or more rewrites of an out-of-class writing assignment.
MOU continued
2. Writing Requirements (continued)
•
Expectations of written work must be clearly stated on the
syllabus. Among other things the instructor considers
appropriate, those expectations should include students
demonstrating: (3)
– The ability to convey a theme or argument clearly and
coherently.
– The ability to analyze critically and to synthesize the work of
others.
– The ability to acquire and apply information from appropriate
sources, and reference sources appropriately.
– Competence in standard written English.
•
Note (3): Instructors should use their own discretion in
communicating to students the relative importance of the various
expectations in their own writing assignments in terms of how
they will be graded.
MOU continued
3. Plagiarism Statement:
• More writing in AUCC courses also brings the risk of increased
incidents of plagiarism. It is strongly recommended that instructors
have a statement in their syllabus that clearly states that plagiarism
in not acceptable and is a form of academic dishonesty.
• Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. As per university
policy “Any student found responsible for having engaged in
academic dishonesty will be subject to an academic penalty and/or
University disciplinary action.”
• The CSU General Catalog defines plagiarism are follows:
“Plagiarism includes the copying of language, structure, ideas, or
thoughts of another, and representing them as one’s own without
proper acknowledgement. Examples include a submission of
purchased research papers as one’s own work; paraphrasing and/or
quoting material with properly documenting the source.”
Copies of Written Competency
Guidelines of College of Liberal Arts
MOU
Simply send an email request to:
[email protected]
Say: Please send MOU
What Matters in College Writing?
• Write for 5 minutes about
– the qualities of writing that you believe all first-year college
students should develop—essential abilities they’ll need
– your beliefs about student writing ability right now and what
that belief is based upon
– the kinds of support students need to improve
– where, how, and when writing instruction should be given in
college contexts
• Put your name on this piece of paper as you’ll be turning
it in. Bring to front table at the end of session today or at
a break.
• Discuss your beliefs with 2-3 neighboring people
Grading—Becoming Part of the
Instructional Team
• Support and instruction, formative feedback
vs. justification of the grade
• Consistency and fairness
• Criteria-based grading vs. norming
• Time management through Hierarchies of
Rhetorical Concern
• Holistic and Analytic Evaluation
Hierarchy of Rhetorical Concerns
Audience, Purpose, Occasion
Focus: Thesis, Reasons, Unity/Coherence
Development: Reasons, Evidence, Explanation
Style/Mechanics/Conventions: Readability, Care and
Polish, Patterns of Error
Hierarchical Concerns Detailed
Audience
• Who is the writer’s audience? Is this an
academic audience? What are the
expectations?
Purpose
• Is this piece of writing intended to inform?
Analyze? Explore? Summarize? Argue?
Development
• What kinds of evidence does the audience
expect? Does the context demand clarification
through examples, data, etc.?
Hierarchical Concerns continued
Organization
• Is the writing organized in a coherent way?
• Do transitions guide the reader through the logic of the
paper?
Style and Conventions
• What style is appropriate for the context in terms of
audience and purpose? What register or level of formality
Is appropriate? (For instance, can the writer use “I” in this
context?)
• Are there locations where the writing is hard to follow or
comprehension is disrupted? If so, can I discern why?
• Are there patterns of error showing any of the Top Five
DASTARDLY SENTENCE ERRORS—1) subject–verb
agreement, 2) run-on and fragmented sentences, 3)
unclear or incorrect pronoun agreement, 4) verb tense
inconsistencies, 5) weak comma use
Grading For What Matters—Purposes of
Assignments
What is the TASK being required by the assignment—to inform, to explore, to
convince, to describe, to compare, to summarize, to persuade? Find the
VERB or VERBS and you’ll know the task.
Is this
• a thesis-provided paper for which students must defend of refute?
• a problem-solution paper in which students are given a problem or
question that demands a thesis and support? Is
• a data-provided paper for which students are expected to analyze and
explain?
• a genre-provided paper, in which students are expected to follow an
organizational structure or format in an accepted form, such as a memo,
case study, lab report, or executive summary?
• write-to-learn or write-to-engage writing for which students are expected
to explore and/or develop their thinking rather than to produce a polished
paper?
• an in-class essay, reflecting comprehension of course material?
The Assignment: HI 151 Spring 2009
U.S. History Since 1877
Assignment #2
Answer the following question regarding the
Great Depression based upon a careful reading of
McElvaine’s book Down & Out in the Great
Depression
HI151 Writing Assignment 2
The Great Depression was the most severe economic
depression that the U.S. has ever experienced. The
period’s deprivations affected all Americans in some
way and helped to exacerbate the gap between the
rich and poor, the comfortable and the destitute.
One of the biggest factors that influenced people’s
responses to the Great Depression was their
position in society, their class. Did working class
Americans’ attitudes and actions toward the Great
Depression and the New Deal differ from those of
middle-class Americans? If so, why, and if not, why
not?
Recommendations provided with
assignment sheet
Organize your paper as follows:
1. Introduction: In a short paragraph,
clearly state your argument that directly
answers the question. Give a general
statement about why or why not
attitudes and actions differed between
the groups
Recommendations, continued
2. In 2-3 paragraphs give pertinent and
appropriate examples from the book and the
letters that support your contention. These must
be carefully chosen and described with some
detail. With each example, explicitly explain how
your example proves your point. These
sentences should serve as the topic sentences of
the paragraphs that include your examples.
Avoid vague generalities and do not use direct
quotes from the book. Show us you have read
the book.
Recommendations, continued
3. Conclusions: In a final paragraph, discuss your
argument’s implications for how we can define
“class” in America. If you argue that attitudes
and actions did not differ between the two
classes, can we say that classes exist in America?
Are we a classless society? Are there values that
unite all Americans, regardless of
socioeconomic position? Or, if differences do
exist, how do we distinguish between them?
What defines the working class from the middle
class?
Additional Advice Given Students
• Think about the question on each book given in
class. Review your notes on the book with the
question in mind.
• Determine your answer to the question and organize
your argument into an outline before writing
• Write your paper following your outline. Your outline
and subsequent paper should follow the format
described on the assignment sheet
• Your paper must be two double-spaced pages that
are handed in at the time of the discussion
Grading—HI 151
Papers will earn a letter grade that considers the following
components:
1. The clarity of the argument. Does the student state
his/her contention in the introduction and does he/she
prove it with good examples from the book?
2. The appropriateness and description of the examples
used. Does the student only generally describe or does
he/she provide detail and explanation of the examples?
Has the student read the book?
3. The organization of the essay: Is the essay well organized
and well written?
4. Proper grammar and spelling. Work from an outline and
carefully edit your own writing.
Holistic Process
• In groups of three, do a “read-around” of the
set of three papers you now have. Sort High,
Medium, and Low.
• Before you begin reading the sample papers,
read through the Holistic Scoring Rubric for a
Thesis-Restricted Paper.
Sort, Read, and Comment
(or Stop, Drop, and Roll)
You would apply the same strategy if you had a set of papers
here. You would skim through the set of papers. While this
sounds like a time-consuming extra step, it actually saves
you time in the long run.
Here’s what you might do if you had that stack:
– Sort into three stacks—high, medium, low
– If possible, stack within categories (High + and High -) so that you
have 6 stacks
– Read with hierarchy of concerns in mind
– Provide an end comment that is forward-looking and focused
– Substantiate end comment with a few marginal comments
As you arrive,
Select Paper 1, 2, or 3 according to
your last name
If your name begins with A-H, take a copy of P1
If your name begins with I-R, take a copy of P2
If your name begins with S-Z, take a copy of P3
Write to Engage
• What was the most helpful feedback you’ve
ever gotten on a piece of writing?
– What made it helpful?
• What was the least helpful feedback you’ve
ever gotten on a piece of writing?
– What made it less than helpful?
• As you hear others’ experiences, what
generalization(s) can you draw?
GRADING
Remember: you are only assigning a grade; students
earn those grades.
You do not GIVE grades. They do not GET grades.
Consider using a 24-hour moratorium and a
conference appointment system for grade protests
Ask Your Faculty Supervisor:
Are you allowed to return a paper ungraded in the
case of careless or unacceptable work with a 24hour window of opportunity before default to F?
Use a scoring tool to assist with grading
Consider Three Approaches
1) standard rubric
2) benchmark and anchor papers
3) continuum approach
Approach #1: Anchor Papers
Consider writing an evaluation criteria paragraph that explains
what’s necessary to earn a C paper on this assignment. In
other words, what MUST a paper accomplish to be deemed
“adequate” and to exceed this lowest, acceptable standard?
--The C paper has a clear thesis or focus, shows a satisfactory
degree of development /support of points, and is
reasonably easy to read/follow
--The B paper does everything the C paper does but goes
further to provide deeper development of points, a more
satisfactory selection of evidence, a coherent
structure/organization, and a more compelling set of
insights
--The A paper does everything the B paper does but goes
further to provide a more unified, fully developed, and
polished paper that is a pleasure to read because it offers
good insights that are expressed well
It can be useful to distribute or post this explanation
Approach #2: Standard Rubric as Scoring
Tool
Component Parts
• Assignment itself
• Dimensions/priorities/criteria
• Scale with levels of achievement. Levels can be
continuums or reflect categories such as
“proficient,” “competent,” “needs work.” Can
associate levels with points
• Specific commenting room/space
* Be careful to not create a checklist effect. Remember that meaningful
quality indicators are needed. Too much detail can create student
confusion & grader anguish!
Rubric that Combines Holistic and Analytic Features
Dimension
Excellent
Competent
Needs Work
Clarity and
accuracy of article
summary
Focus of
response
Development,
Organization &
Coherence of
Response
Readability,
Mechanics,
Source Citation
Overall Comment:
Grade: ___
Steps for Creating Standard Rubrics or Scoring
Sheets
• List key elements/features to assess, based on course
and assignment objectives
• Refine and simplify key elements, then consider their
relative importance or weight
• Place most important dimension at the top
• Do a common sense check to see if weighting of criteria
is meaningful. Avoid points. Percentages are better but
keep them broad. Too much refinement can lead to
“grade-grubbing.”
• Decide if you will comment on the rubric or on the paper
itself. Commenting itself is not optional.
• If using rubric, decide if you’ll give feedback on all criteria
or only on certain ones, as well as in an end comment
• Make clear where the overall grade appears
Analytic Rubric for HI151 Paper
The clarity of the argument
The appropriateness and description of the examples used
The organization of the essay
Proper grammar and spelling.
Dimension and
Weighting
Excellent
Argument-thesis
present and
maintained-50%
X
Competent
Does this work?
What are the
problems?
Developing Score &
Dimension
86.5%
A- 45
Evidence—use of text
examples—30%
X
B
25
Organizationstructure 15%
X-
C
13
Grammar-5%
X-
C- 3.5
Note Differences—Does this work?
Dimension &
Weight—100
point paper
Excellent
Competent
Developing
Score &
Dimension—
93% (B) or
96% (A)
Argument –
Thesis
Established and
Maintained—60
points possible
X Comment
about strength
of the
argument here
57 (95%) or
59 (98%)
Text Evidence
Well Selected
and Organized—
30 points
possible
X Comment
on well-chosen
evidence that
helps the
argument
28.5 (95%) or
29 (98%)
Paper polished
Grammar and
Mechanics—10
points possible
X Comment on
PATTERNS of
error here
7.5 (75%)
Consider the Point in the Semester &
Feedback Opportunities
• If there are several pieces of writing assigned or if
feedback is given with opportunity for revision,
then consider that you may shift the expectations
for a rubric
– Early in the semester, students will need to learn
about focusing and providing a clear thesis. Later the
emphasis can shift to development
• If there is only one paper assigned, then there are
fewer opportunities to make these changes in
priorities
Revision Feedback—early semester
Dimension and
Quality
Argument-thesis
present and
maintained
Excellent
Competent
X
Evidence—use of text
examples
Feedback
You are
getting the
right idea;
See notes
about clarity
X
Organizationstructure
Grammar
Developing
You are not
using
enough text
support
Not ready
for ranking
X
Work on
comma
splices
Approach #3: The Continuum Approach
Once you have determined the most important aspects or
criteria for grading, consider using a continuum to describe
where the student is in their application of this criteria. This
avoids the oft-times awkward approach of assigning points
with criteria-based evaluation.
Example (criteria 3) from the Washington State U “Critical
Thinking Guide”:
Identifies and considers salient perspectives and positions
important to the issue’s analysis
Scant
Substantial
----------------------------------------------------------------
Grading Criteria Listed on the HI 151
Assignment Sheet
1) Clarity of argument and organization
2) Quality of analysis. You need to make your
position on the issue clear. Provide arguments
that are supported by information (i.e.,
evidence)
3) Quality of writing. Your ideas need to be
clearly expressed. This includes proper
spelling, grammar, expression of ideas, and
citation of sources
Apply One of the 3 Scoring Systems
Number off 1-3 and prepare to do ONE form of
scoring
Write a description of your scoring procedure
for this assignment
Show others in your group the way your
application would look or how it would be
described for students
Select best example of 1, 2, 3 and show whole
group
Discussion
• Which forms of scoring do you like best or do
you like pieces of each kind?
• Would you combine strategies from the three
approaches?
• What strategy do you think you’ll take with
grading, if you’re allowed to choose your own
method?
• What recommendations would you make to
others about scoring?
Minute Paper and the Muddiest Point
• Write for one minute about the most
important strategy you learned today
• Write for one minute about some topic from
today’s session that you’re unclear about or
would like more information on
As you arrive,
Select Paper 1, 2, or 3
If your name begins with A-H, take a copy of P1
If your name begins with I-R, take a copy of P2
If your name begins with S-Z, take a copy of P3
Managing Your Time Through a 3-Part End
Comment
1. Sum up the strengths of the paper
2. Identify the main problems to be worked on
3. Provide a specific suggestion for how to improve the paper,
based on the main problem(s) already identified
And Remember:
• You can’t respond to everything in a paper.
• There are real people on the receiving end.
• Comments are not principally for “justifying” a grade. Your
are providing formative feedback students can use with the
next paper, even if it’s not in this class.
• Consider using questions in your marginal comments.
Peer Review of Comments
1. Identify the major strength your partner noted in this paper. What locations did
the GTA point out to substantiate this claim of strength?
How accurate do you believe this evaluation is?
2. Identify the guidance or advice your partner noted as a central concern in this
paper. What locations did your partner identify to substantiate the claim of
“needs improvement”
How accurate do you believe this evaluation is?
3. Identify the concrete suggestion for improvement that your partner noted. Would
an undergraduate understand this advice and be able to follow it?
How accurate do you believe this advice is?
4. Characterize the tone/attitude of feedback your partner has provided. Could it be
improved and if so, how?
5. Are your partner’s comments forward-looking and formative in nature or do the
comments seem defensive, as if justifying the grade?
HOW MIGHT YOU USE PEER REVIEW (IN-CLASS OR ELECTRONIC) TO
INTERVENE IN STUDENTS’ WRITING PROCESSES? DISCUSS IDEAS WITH
YOUR FACULTY SUPERVISOR
Reminder: You Are Managing Your Time By Choosing
Your Battles
• Apply minimal marking technique
• Avoid becoming your students’ copy editor as that is NOT your
job and error correction is not instructional. Remember you
are part of the instructional team, not an editor.
• To instruct students on grammar issues, look for patterns of
error or try to characterize error if you feel it is impeding the
student’s message. Work with a Top 5 list of errors.
• Severe cases should represent <2% of papers. For these, you
may need additional support.
– Non native speaker/writer issues: tenses, dropped articles,
strings of sentences arranged the same
– Learning Disabilities: misspellings even with spell check,
omitted words, homonyms
• Carelessness: Consider a “return to sender” policy on first
occasion or the “R” grade. Must be approved by professor and
not all will believe this is a good idea.
Commenting Advice
• “The writing teacher’s ministry is not just to the
words but to the person who wrote the words.”
--William Zinsser
• “The best kind of commentary enhances the writer’s
feeling of dignity. The worst kind can be
dehumanizing and insulting—often to the
bewilderment of the teacher whose intentions were
kindly but whose techniques ignored the personal
dimension of writing.”
--John Bean
Responding to WTL/WTE and Threaded
Electronic Discussions (aka Discussion Forums)
•
If being used, you have basic decisions to make/discuss with prof about
how to read and assess
–
–
–
•
Will you skim every entry and give whole-class feedback?
Will you read a random sample/scheduled group and give feedback to
sample?
Will you decide in advance how many times over semester you will read and
respond to each student?
Then generate accountability
–
–
–
–
–
–
Select good examples to show as models
Use a check mark system for recording—participation?
Observe length of responses
Provide prof with your observations to share with whole class
Discourage “texting” shortcuts in posts and for in-class writing
Expect and enforce a standard of courtesy and academic professionalism.
Contact people on first evidence of discourteous shared writing. Be prepared
for “confessions” of adolescent behavior
Common Manifestations of Early Academic
Writing
• And Then writing—chronological structure
• All About writing—everything but the kitchen
sink
• Data Dump writing—no discernable structure,
revealing a student overwhelmed with
information; patching together of quotes
Did you see any of these in the sample papers?
Revision Processes and Strategies for GTA
Intervention
Early, mid and late interventions
•
Early
–
–
–
•
Topic proposal (subject, topic, issue, question)
Research question + tentative thesis
Seminal source description
Mid
–
–
–
–
–
•
Annotated bibliography (text partners) or source evaluation
Summary and response to one source
Quote and paraphrase sheet for one source
Introduction review, especially if multiple sources. Use “templates” for
entering conversation
Prospectus in full sentences (one page)
Late
–
–
–
Full draft workshop on one paper
Full draft peer review on all papers
Conference—writers talk about the draft they bring and revision plan
What are the questions you’ll ask
your prof?
E608 – Integrating Writing in the
Disciplines
Ask Yourself: How can helping
undergraduates with their writing
benefit my own?
E608 Guided by Questions
•Week 1: Why is writing important to thinking?
•Week 2: Why do students write as they do? How do writing
assignments connect to thinking?
•Week 3: What IS plagiarism and what are some responses
to it?
•Week 4: Where does grammar fit it? What do I need to
know?
•Week 5: What are the challenges I face as a graduate
writer? What have I learned about writing that
applies to my own work?
E608
Fall Semester 2009
• Section 1 7:45-9:00 TR—8/24-9/27—Eddy 119
• Section 2 4:00-5:15 TR—8/24-9/27—Eddy 9
• Section 3 12:30-1:45 TR—8/24-9/27—Shepherdson
120
• Section 4 12:30-1:45 TR—9/28-11/1—ENGR B 103
The E608 Topics
• Academic writing and thinking—what students do in their writing, what
students can learn
• Intervening in student writing processes and getting students to your
office
• Designing and conducting peer reviews—electronically or in-class. Peer
processes for grad students
• Error Pattern Analysis and dealing with students’ mechanical errors
• Engagement Writing (threaded electronic discussions or in-class) vs. Inclass graded writing, the essay exam
• The Non Native Speaker as Writer
• Student source usage, citation conventions, and plagiarism prevention
• Genres, discourse communities, professional writing in the disciplines
• Your assignments, papers, comments, & challenges
• The graduate student as writer
Feedback on Session
1. What “stuck” from this week’s training? What will you use?
2. Was the training too short, too long, or about right?
3. What aspects of your GTA position are you looking forward
to?
4. What parts of your GTA position most concern you?
5. Would you seek out help from Sue on these issues?
6. Will you use the CSU writing web site? the gtPathways web
site?
7. Would you benefit from support for your writing?
8. Would you read an occasional one-page newsletter on
writing integration if it came to you electronically? If so, what
sorts of topics would be valuable?