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INCORPORATING WRITING IN INSTRUCTION
Writing has been recognized as an important vehicle for individuals to not only communicate their ideas but also generate them. Writing, then, can be used as an effective tool for learning by creating occasions for students to fit new information into their knowledge base and to expand their thinking. The importance of writing in the thinking process implies that writing should occur in courses throughout the curriculum. The development of writing skills has been recognized as an essential accomplishment of a college graduate for which all instructors, not only those in the English department, have a responsibility to facilitate.
Many instructors from other fields, feeling that they have not had special training in the teaching of writing, are uneasy about the role they are expected to play. They are also reluctant to add the grading of great amounts of written work to their existing workload. Fortunately, experts in the teaching field are able to provide reassurance on both counts. The emphasis on writing as process stresses the role of the instructor as a facilitator of the thinking process rather than as "guardian of the semicolon," the technical expert on points of grammar. Suggestions for setting and responding to writing assignments in ways that engage students without creating excessive burdens on the instructor are also available. They revolve around two main thoughts:
1. Writing assignments need not be formal or lengthy. As a medium for actively engaging students in learning, writing can be used as a tool for discovery and understanding in an ongoing way that is integral to course activities. For example, an instructor might ask students to take a minute to write down their ideas before they respond to a question. The instructor might ask the students to write a short summary of what they learned in class or any questions that they still have about the material after class. Good writing assignments are meaningful, related to the goals of the course, clearly defined, and practical for both student and instructor.
2. Not all written work needs to be graded. In fact, instructors who give only formal writing assignments to be graded perpetuate the notion that writing is only an end product of learning, rather than a tool to be used in the process. Writing can be incorporated into the class to serve several different functions, including a feedback and class management tool for the instructor; a way of having students reflect back on their learning, themselves, and their audience; and a means of sharpening students' writing skills.
As a feedback device, the instructor can have students write an anonymous one-minute reaction paper at the end of class or after a particularly intense discussion to solicit input and to test for understanding. The results can be reported back to the class at the next session and/or incorporated into the course design.
Journals can help students reflect back on unresolved questions and conflicts raised for them in class and they can also assist students to see how they have grown during the course . These journals can also serve to personalize classroom learning if they are turned in periodically or at midterm for instructor comment or response.
Writing Assignments
To incorporate writing as an integral part of the learning process, instructors can suggest a variety of ways in which students can write as the course progresses. Ways that have been used effectively across courses include:Reading Journals
Instructors can ask students to keep journals to chronicle their understanding of texts that they are reading for class. Students can write entries that reflect the main idea of the reading, major points covered, and the questions that they have after reading the text. To increase the level of cognitive activity involved in the reading assignments, instructors can suggest that students write about possible applications of the ideas, ways in which the material fits with other course readings and information, and their critical evaluations of the merit of the ideas or readings. Instructors may elect to review these journals periodically, reacting to points that they find particularly interesting, or they may view the journals as personal aids to scholarship for the use of the students alone.The Précis
Instructors can ask students to write a very brief summary of the major points of a reading assignment or class session. Often, they may wish to specify a certain word limit, such as 25 words, in order to stretch students' language skills and cause further reflection on the material. Once again, these may be collected—they may serve as an attendance check or to motivate students to keep up with their reading—or they may be used only to help focus a discussion or for the students' personal use. When collected, they may be graded very quickly. Elaborate comments do not have to be given if the précis paragraphs are viewed as formative documents.Brainstorming/Freewriting
Instructors can ask students to jot down ideas very quickly in response to a given problem or stimulus. They should be encouraged to focus on generating ideas rather than worrying about the format that their writing takes. Brainstorming can be used prior to the introduction of new material to enhance discovery and curiosity. Instructors can ask students to guess the causes of a historical phenomenon before these are discussed in class; they may ask students to predict the results of a scientific experiment before it is demonstrated. The lists that result can be shared in groups or in class before the material is formally discussed. Brainstorming and freewriting can also be used as effective summarizing techniques. Students may be asked to compose "laundry lists" of things to remember when diagnosing a certain virus or characteristics of abstract art. They can compare lists to supplement their own with those of their classmates or to correct misinterpretations. Once again, these assignments are most effective when they are viewed as parts of the learning process rather than as end-point assessment devices.Papers
Although the formal term paper can be a valuable learning activity for many courses, some instructors who once gave their students long research papers are discovering that assigning one or more five-page papers, usually requiring some sort of analysis of ideas or readings, is both easier to evaluate and more useful for their students' learning. To focus students' work, it is helpful to pose a direct question (e.g., "What problems do sociologists encounter in defining 'deviance'?") and convey as clearly as possible the instructor's expectations concerning the appropriate style and tone of the writing, the desired length, and the kind of documentation required. Exemplary papers from past offerings of the course can be made available for students to refer to. If the assignment calls for a prescribed format, such as a laboratory report, an outline of the format or examples of good lab reports will help the students. Students may also be encouraged to look in scholarly journals in the discipline for examples of writing to use as models. When longer papers are assigned, instructors have found that requiring drafts in advance of the final paper helps students to pace themselves better and gives the instructor a chance to provide direction while the ideas are still in process so that the resulting final papers are of higher quality. Drafts also give instructors the opportunity to note stylistic and grammatical problems for students to correct so that they learn about writing while they are engaged in a specific revision task. Drafts can also be posted on electronic mail exchanges so that students can receive advice from their peers while they are composing a paper.The Center for the Study and Teaching of Writing (292-5607) has a variety of helpful publications for instructors on giving writing assignments and responding to them. Writing Center staff will also consult with faculty and teaching associates on these issues. Students can be referred to the Writing Center for individual help.
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