Author: Heather Anne Mir

As we know, writing is a gradual process for students and teachers alike. There are certain conventions that represent good writing. So how do we get students to learn the basic skills of good, organized writing? How can we hold students accountable for the basic conventions of writing prose? Even though we use informal writing assignments to brainstorm a particular topic there are still conventions that represent a polished piece of writing found in a formal assignments. Students should learn the importance of an introductory paragraph, supporting arguments, topic sentences, the correct use of quotations and a concluding paragraph. Here, students should learn that there writing needs to take a certain shape in order for their ideas to be understandable by the reader. Teaching students to keep their reader in mind is another important part of the writing process.

When I assign written work, I stress the importance of the preceding conventions to help students become more effective and organized writers. For some students, English grammar conventions are difficult to decipher, but students can still learn the basics of rhetorical strategies so their writing takes a certain form that is easier to read. And because they are more organized, it will become easier for them to write, particularly when it comes to outlining their work. With an introduction and topic sentences in mind, students will be better equipped to build effective outlines. Of course, most of their brainstorming and informal writing assignments will help them with content. However, aiding students with the rhetorical structure of their argument will help with presentation.

By teaching students about the correct form and purpose of an introductory paragraph, students will have a foundation about what needs to follow in the rest of their writing. I tell students the introductory paragraph is like a “road map” to the rest of the paper. Here, students will strategically house a strong thesis statement. They should also include some of the main points that will be argued relating back to their thesis. The introductory paragraph should signal to the reader what is to come and why it is significant. I notice that students with a strong introductory paragraph have stronger conviction to their writing because they have organized their thoughts beginning with the introduction.

Topic sentences are equally important to the writing process. I tell students that a good topic sentence somehow connects the reader to their thesis. There should be a purpose in each topic sentence that reinforces their argument as they progress throughout the paper. Furthermore, good topic sentences serve two purposes. If students can construct good topic sentences, than they will be able to construct an effective outline that details their main argument. Rhetorically speaking, students will be able to reinforce each topic sentence with supporting arguments as they proceed through the paper. Topic sentences signal to the reader and writer the purpose and substance of the argument.

Importantly, students should learn how to use their sources effectively. Even though I teach political science, I still take time to inform students how to use quotations effectively including how to format them correctly. Oftentimes, I find that students use large block quotes without a lead in statement. And they never take the time to explain to the reader why that quotation was important to the argument. Also, using quotations in a paper should also be an exercise in paraphrasing. This can be difficult for students because in order to paraphrase effectively they will have needed to understand the content. I teach my students to use quotations strategically so that their argument becomes clearer to the reader.

Finally, students should be able to construct a proper concluding paragraph. I stress that students restate their thesis and their main supporting arguments. At this point in the writing process, students will be asked to think about the structure and content of their work. Does the paper do what it was initially intended to do? In addition to a reframing of the thesis and supporting arguments, students should add an extension statement in the conclusion. For example, the student might inquire or suggest what further research can be done on their topic. They may also cite why their particular topic is significant. In short, the concluding paragraph should reflect the introductory paragraph, but add an addition of what I like to call the “so what” factor. Students should ask themselves why their work was significant and then communicate that idea in their concluding paragraph.

Organization and structure in writing is an important skill for students to keep in their rhetorical toolbox. Many of these skills can be learned through informal writing assignments. They can brainstorm and focus on one or more of these areas. For example, a student can write a journal entry that has a focus on topic sentences. Or students can practice writing mock introductory paragraphs. Students should also have opportunities to incorporate outside sources into their writing which they can do in blog posts or journal writing. Students can learn that writing is easier when it takes a certain form. I like to think of it as a formula for good writing. It is still a part of the overall writing process and will help students write with purpose keeping their reader in mind.

 

 

One of the aspects of teaching writing is to motivate students to take ownership of their own writing. This, in part, is also a major component of the writing process. We want them to feel accountable for their work and master the skill of self-editing. But how do we do this? On occasion, students may perceive the writing process as a series of steps without actually becoming their own critics. There are a number of steps that you can take to help students become advocates of their own work, which, in turn, allows them to become problem solvers during the writing process.

The first step is a series of informal writing assignments that allow students to become critics of their own work as they work towards a polished piece of formal writing. Formal writing assignments are often the capstone of a course no matter what the discipline. Whether it is a term paper or a lab report there are opportunities during the writing process that allows students to engage in self-reflection of their work through small steps. One method that works particularly well is reflective journal entries. Students can be asked to keep a journal of their written work that also includes notes on the process of writing. This task is twofold. First students will write a journal entry in the form of free writing about their topic of choice. The second step is students will write a journal entry about reflections on their journal about previous entries. They should focus on how they feel they are progressing, things they might do differently, or areas of inquiry. These meta-journal entries will help students become problem solvers as they reflect on the writing process.

The second method where students become their own critics is during peer review. Here, they become advisors of work other than their own. However, peer review can have a dual purpose. First, students learn to problem solve as objective observers. However, they are doing more than just reading, they are to become actively involved in the revision process. There are two benefits for this. First, students are receiving valuable feedback from their peers. Second, they will become more thoughtful concerning their own material. By reading work other than their own, they gain a fresh perspective on ways to revise their own writing. It is also helpful to give students a peer revision handout to act as a guide during the peer review process. For example, students can be directed to give their general impressions after a first read. Then students should identify the conventions of writing that include whether or not there is a clear thesis statement that flows throughout the paper. Students should discern whether there is a clear introduction, topic sentences and a conclusion. Students can also be advised to note if there is sufficient evidence in the supporting arguments. In this case, students will have two avenues of feedback. The first is suggestions for revision on the original work. The second is on the handout which provides the students with a criterion for revision. In this way, students will have direction as both receivers and editors during the writing process.

The third method that allows students to take ownership of their own work is through the submission of a rough draft. This step should occur after peer review. The student is now ready for feedback from the teacher. As teachers, there are specific ways during the grading process that will encourage students to self-edit. There are two marking strategies that I recommend. The first is minimal marking. Try not to correct every mistake on the student’s work. Instead provide as an example of one or two revision suggestions. These should be revisions that tend to have a recurrent theme throughout the students work. But do not correct every instance. Give the students an example of each, and allow the students to revise their work on their own. This provides opportunities for students to grapple with their own writing but they still have initial guidance from a teacher. The second is to develop a working rubric that can be handed back to students so they can distinguish what their working grade might be. This rubric can be simple and provides feedback on the general conventions of writing. For example, the rubric may contain criterion on themes, supporting arguments, grammar, word choice, and format. You need not provide detailed descriptions of each, but note general comments that will guide the students through the revision process. Here, the rubric will act as a guide as students craft the final draft.

As educators, we want students to find meaning during the writing process. Students will retain more about writing if they are encouraged to become critics of their own writing. The take away should be that students learned more about writing because the process required that they become promoters as writers. The first step is as writers that create reflective journal entries. The next task for them is to be recipients of peer review and act as active reviewers. Finally, they continue their writing journey through a dialogue with their educators. All three activities require ownership. We do not want students completing assignments as the only way to receive a good grade. Rather we want students to become active participants during the learning process. We want students to hand in a polished piece of work because they advocated for themselves.

 

How do we communicate to students our expectations for writing assignments? First, we give students a detailed outline of the assignment. The specifications for a writing assignment should be clear so that students know what is expected of them as they navigate through the task. But there is another way in which we can communicate what we expect from students. A well -constructed rubric is an important method in which we can work with students to help them decipher what and how their work will be evaluated. A well thought out rubric can also help faculty during the grading process. There are a number of elements that teachers can use to evaluate student writing and the following will outline some of the key features that a rubric might contain to support the grading process.

The first question is to determine whether you are going to use a numerical scale or a grade level measurement. I prefer a grade measurement over a numerical code because students are more likely to evaluate their work as commensurate to a grade level. In this way, they can determine what an “A” paper will look like compared to a “B” or a “C.” Importantly, this is your chance to communicate your expectations to students as to what features student work will need to contain for specific levels of work. Think of a rubric as the first point of contact that begins the conversation about student writing.

Rubrics can guide students through the writing process. I give students the grading rubric when I first assign the project. Here, students can identify what elements of their work can be considered good writing. For example, key parts of my rubric include the presence of a strong thesis—with and “A” being a clearly defined thesis to a “D” grade where there is not an identifiable thesis. Other elements of my rubric include the presence of supporting arguments, organization, voice and tone, word choice, sentence fluency, quotations, conventions and format. In this case, the students will have a well-organized checklist to follow as they work through the process of a final product. A rubric that breaks down the proper elements of good writing can give students more confidence as they navigate through the writing process.

There is a debate surrounding the use of rubrics. Although rubrics can be a successful means of measurement of students work. The use of rubrics also has its drawbacks. One of the positive aspects of using rubrics is that it serves as a consistent means of measurement for student writing. Meaning, rubrics can help ensure that grading is fair to all students because rubrics offer a clear evaluation of student writing. All papers will be measures in a similar fashion. The difficulty with rubrics, however, is that it does not effectively measure students who negotiate the writing process as English language learners. The enigma is then how do we evaluate students who have not mastered the conventions of the English language? These are students who may have difficulty expressing themselves in the English language, yet they demonstrate a clear understanding of what constitutes the elements of good writing. For example, they show good comprehension of concepts and theories. These students may also have precise supporting arguments, a distinct thesis and a strong voice throughout their work. These are cases when a rubric may hinder the grading process. For these students, I evaluate students on the process of their writing. Have they improved during the development of each draft? I also grade students on their potential for good writing. Communication between faculty and students should be encouraging rather than disparaging. A rubric serves as an initial point of contact and can be a rough outline that allows students to generate the untapped potential in their writing. The difficulty with rubrics is that although they are tools to measure student writing fairly, much is left to the discretion of the grader. I tend to evaluate writing in favor of students especially those students who show a clear understanding of what constitutes the overall qualities of good writing.

The use of rubrics can enhance the writing process for students as well as help faculty through the grading process. Importantly, it sets a precedent for students as to how they are going to be graded and at times can “even the playing field” during the evaluation. As I have noted, the use of rubrics has its complications, specifically for students who have not yet developed a clear understanding of conventions. A good rubric not only evaluated conventions, but includes other important aspects of writing so that students can have a chance to show that they understand and include other important facets of writing such as a clear thesis, topic sentences and supporting arguments. Despite the drawbacks of rubrics, I believe they can be used an effective teaching tool. Rubrics have the potential to initiate communication about writing between students and teachers. They should be one of the first things a student sees as a guide to the final product during scaffolding and they are the culmination of the last elements of the writing process that dictates the shape of their final grade.

Every semester I give an assignment in political science to my students entitled from “The Political to the Personal.” The goal of the assignment is that students will take a position and construct an argument on a current event that interests them. My hope is that students will take ownership of a particular current event so that it becomes personal to them. At times, I feel that I am being overly optimistic. It seems that students see the assignment as a paper that they will need to hand in for a grade without any thought of how the paper can make a difference to their own lives. I want them to take a current event and see how the chosen topic can become a personal issue so that they are just not handing in a paper: rather, they have taken ownership of a topic and see its personal value. When I first used the assignment, I implemented very little scaffolding and the result was papers that had very little point of view and a distinct tone and voice. I would tell students to write a paper that served as an extended abstract to sell me their book. But this proved unsuccessful until I engaged students in scaffolding through a process that would help them take further responsibility in their writing. With proper scaffolding, the political became the personal. This blog will detail some of the more effective scaffolding assignments that I used throughout the semester that hold students accountable for their writing. Furthermore, these techniques can be useful to disciplines other than political science.

The first assignment involves a two page journal free write on two current events articles. A free write is often a useful tool because students can put pen to paper their ideas without the restriction of conventions. The goal for them is to write on a topic and perhaps make an argument on how they feel about current events. In this way, students can take current events and put them into their own words often developing a point of view on each. I find this assignment particularly useful because students will begin to develop their own voice. A distinctive voice and tone is one of the grading criteria for the final product. I find that starting with a free write gives students the chance to initiate the process of developing their own point of view and as a result, begin the process of taking ownership of their work. The grading for this assignment is relatively minimal. It serves as the initial assignment that develops a dialog between the students and teacher. It is the first opportunity for student and teacher to begin communication about the assignment. Comments can be quite brief and merely point students in the right direction. The free write is relatively useful for all disciplines as it is a brainstorming activity meant to get students to grapple with their topic of choice.

The second activity is relatively simple, but very useful. This assignment gets students to start thinking about their readers. The students answer the following prompts “before reading my paper my reader will believe…and after my paper my reader will believe…” Here, students will begin to think about how to construct an argument to change their readers’ mind concerning their topic of choice. Here is where the “so what” factor of their work is highlighted. This encourages ownership of their writing because students are encouraged to think about the purpose of their work. Once again, grading for this assignment is minimal. The instructor can initiate brief comments that point students in a specific direction concerning the overall value of their work. Finally, this brief assignment can be useful in many disciplines because it allows students to think about the readers’ point of view and the purpose of their work relevant to many disciplines.

In addition, I find that students take ownership of their work through the process of a reverse outline. A reverse outline is unique because students will have already written the first draft of their paper. They will then write an outline form the constructs of the first draft. Here, students will be critics of their own writing and learning the essential skills of good writing that encourages them to self-edit. I often assign this step after a session of peer review. In this way, students are not only identifying key elements of organization in their own writing, but that of their peers. Reverse outlines are particularly effective in getting students to organize their writing so that it presents a well-polished argument. Furthermore, students can ascertain whether or not they have all of the elements of a persuasive argument. Here, you may find it useful for students to provide a rubric or checklist to guide them during the writing process of a reverse outline. This step also prepares students for the next step in writing, and that is the final product. After constructing a reverse outline, students are prepared to write the final draft of their paper. Grading for this step is also relatively minimal. Comments for this assignment should reflect the overall developments of the paper pointing students in the right direction so that they have all of the elements of a proper argument.

Ownership of writing comes from the process and developed skills of being able to edit your own writing. In this sense, writing enters the realm of the personal, rather than the alternative which is to merely to hand in an assignment for a grade. I find that proper scaffolding with unique assignments to be very effective in engaging students not only to be better writers, but to see the value of being invested in their own writing. In this sense, properly scaffolded assignments in any discipline make writing personal.