Write to learn sye workshop january 15 2013
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This document discusses using writing effectively in second-year experience courses. It begins by asking why instructors should use student writing and what types of writing assignments they can have students complete. Examples of short writing assignments that can be done in class are provided, such as knowledge probes, minute papers, and concept maps. The document then discusses how to integrate these informal writings and manage the workload for instructors. Suggestions are given for scaffolding assignments, using rubrics, responding to writing in process, and not getting caught up in copyediting. The document concludes by discussing developing formal writing assignments and planning a sequence of activities to meet learning objectives and requirements for pages of writing.
Write to learn sye workshop january 15 2013
- 1. Using Writing Effectively in Second-Year Experience Courses Julie Staggers Ed Nagelhout 1
- 2. Why Use Writing? What Do We Have Them Write? How Do We Avoid OVER . . .? 2
- 3. So, 3
- 4. So, the first question is . . . 4
- 5. Why use student writing? 5
- 6. Some might argue for using writing . . . 6
- 7. by referring to Bloom’s Taxonomy 7
- 8. by referring to Bloom’s Taxonomy 8
- 9. Some might argue for using writing . . . 9
- 10. to meet the needs of Learning 2.0 10
- 11. to meet the needs of Learning 2.0 11
- 12. Ultimately . . . 12
- 13. you need to use writing to meet your goals as a teacher: 13
- 14. to promote active learning 14
- 15. to stimulate participation and discussion 15
- 16. to discover what students are thinking and learning 16
- 17. to create opportunities for teacher / student and student / student dialogue 17
- 18. to give everyone a stake in the class 18
- 19. to provide both formative (process) and summative (product) assessments 19
- 20. More importantly . . . 20
- 21. you need to use writing to help students meet their learning goals: 21
- 22. to communicate information 22
- 23. to clarify thinking 23
- 24. to learn new concepts and information 24
- 25. to try out new ideas and alternative strategies 25
- 26. to reflect on their learning 26
- 27. to think metacognitively and personally about their learning 27
- 28. to discover what they know and what they don't know 28
- 29. Activity 1 • List your teaching goals • List your course outcomes • Share 29
- 30. Next question… What counts as writing? or maybe… What do we have them write? 30
- 31. SYE Hallmarks Writing Critical thinking skills Communication skills to Learn 20+ pages writing vs Learning to Write 31
- 32. writing to learn short impromptu informal think through key concepts 32
- 33. knowledge probe 5 minutes beginning of class summarize a text define key terms raise questions 33
- 34. synthesis 1 minute middle of class What have they learned from a lecture, group work or activity? 34
- 35. minute paper 5 minutes end of class summarize, evaluate, or ask questions about day’s activity 35
- 36. nutshelling 1-2 minutes anytime 1-2 sentences about what they understand about a topic or question. Great for starting class discussions! 36
- 37. process description 5 minutes after a task/activity Reflect on steps they used to solve problem or develop a position. 37
- 38. concept maps 5 minutes anytime Explore concepts or problems graphically. 38
- 39. summarizing 5 minutes anytime Translate specialized information (like a reading) into their own, more colloquial language. 39
- 40. microthemes 5-10 minutes anytime Informally state and develop a thesis that compares ideas or concepts. 40
- 41. opposing views 5-10 minutes anytime Reach a decision by developing side-by- side lists or arguments. Push past pro-con into the gray areas in between. 41
- 42. notes and letters 5-10 minutes to clarify a concept Exchange notes explaining or summarizing a concept and raising questions about it. Respond to each other. 42
- 43. cases and simulations variable to think critically Apply principles to a real-world problem. 43
- 44. Effective write-to-learn assignments... Are short (3-15 minutes) Ask students to write a word, a sentence, question, or a paragraph or two Are integrated (explicitly) into class content, objectives, and activity, and, are optimally, utilized in subsequent writing projects Elicit multiple responses Where appropriate, receive some content-focused (versus mechanics-focused) response Aren't formally graded, but count toward a portion of the grade 44
- 45. The big question How can you integrate writing in a way that supports your goals but is not burdensome? 45
- 46. Activity 2-a Describe Activity Blocks for a 75-minute class • Beginning of Class • Middle of Class • End of Class • Share 46
- 47. Activity 2-b Select writing activities (from list) that seem promising for filling activity blocks effectively. • Share 47
- 48. Break – 10 minutes 48
- 49. Activity 3 Connect Activity Blocks, Writing Activities, and Course Outcomes • Share 49
- 50. More big questions… How can informal writing help you meet the 20+ page requirement? And also help you meet your teaching goals/course outcomes? 50
- 51. Activity 4 • State your goals for using writing as clearly and concretely as possible. • Determine what writing products will meet these goals and fit your teaching style/preferences. • Determine what constitutes 20 Pages 51
- 52. Managing the workload 52
- 53. Checklist for managing the workload Scaffold/sequence informal and formal writing Build assignments and rubrics that reduce your workload Separate responding from evaluating Respond in process Don’t get caught in the copy-editing trap Grade efficiently 53
- 54. Rubric is your best friend • Reverse-engineer from assignment objectives • Check off the boxes, leave some brief commentary about strengths, weaknesses, most important thing to focus on in next paper • Egg-timer: 10 minutes per paper 54
- 55. Good assignments gone bad… Instructor For the short paper on a video, I wanted students to make connections among the archeologist’s questions, the methods used to get answers, and principles from their reading. Student This assignment was like writing a high-school movie review. I wanted to give my own personal understanding about the video, so I was going to write a narrative. 55
- 56. • . You have to evaluate every piece of writing they do Requiring 2 drafts of an essay doubles your work You have to mark ALL grammar and spelling errors More response is You have to READ better Writing intensive everything they means 3-5 write separate, unrelated assignments 56
- 57. Informal writing: Look for understanding, not correctness Strategies o Use warm-up exercise as a quiz and collect occasionally, comment on grasp of a reading or concept o Have them share with a couple of partners o Pick up randomly from 10 students daily o Have them post to WebCampus discussion board 57
- 58. Formal writing? Where does it go from here? Respond to work in process. Evaluate completed product.s. The rubric is your friend. 58
- 59. • Provide samples (not "models") • Use peer review • Require drafting and revision • Teach use of spell check/grammar check • Return documents if they’re too difficult to read Don’t become the Copy Editor 59
- 60. Activity 5 Plan writing activities that help you achieve your learning objectives AND get you to 20 pages for the semester w/o assigning a 20-page research paper or killing yourself. • Share 60
- 61. Questions/Discussion 61
- 62. Resources/Handouts Online Course and workload management • Addressing Writing in Your Syllabus • Tips: First Day, Writing Assignments, Feedback • Handling the Paper Load Supporting critical thinking • Writing Activities for Thinking and Learning • Helping Students Make Connections • Getting Students to Think • More Writing to Learn Assignment Ideas Assignment Development • Effective Assignments • Examples of Course Assignment Sequences in Various Disciplines Research Papers • Writing and Research • The Successful Research Assignment 62
Editor's Notes
- #33: Writing to Learnshort, impromptu or otherwise informal writing taskshelp students think through key concepts or ideas presented in a courseusually take less than 5 mins of class time may be brief, out-of-class assignmentshttps://morethanaminute.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/stopwatch.jpeg
- #34: Knowledge Probe: A five-minute writing task, usually performed at the beginning of class to determine what students know/don’t know/want to know about a topic. The writing, usually based on assigned readings, can help students summarize a text, define key terms, or raise questions for further discussionhttp://cdn-static.zdnet.com/i/story/30/40/091925/avatar-brain-sensor-epfl-1.jpg
- #35: Mid-Class Synthesis: Another short exercise that gets students to reflect on what they are learning from a particular classroom activity, from group work or lectures.vatar-brain-sensor-epfl-1.jpg
- #36: Minute Paper: A minute paper is an activity used at the end of a class period to summarize, evaluate, question the day’s activity.http://www.umanitoba.ca/virtuallearningcommons/files/360/note_taking.jpg
- #37: Nutshelling: Have students write down, in a sentence or two, what they understand about a topic or question. Good for generating grist for class discussions.http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_RhmBRH9oYbM/SpuqD876STI/AAAAAAAAAU0/iQu49jaPniY/s320/nutshell400.jpg
- #38: Process Description: This activity, also called “how to” writing, asks students to reflect on the ways or steps they went through to solve a problem or develop an argument or position. Ask students to act as experts teaching a process to a novice for example.http://www.slidegeeks.com/pics/dgm/l/p/ppt_linear_process_flow_powerpoint_template_5_stages_style1_templates_1.jpg
- #39: Concept Maps: You can have students explore problems graphically, using webs, Venn diagrams or any other visual representation of a concept or problem.http://maggiecakes.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/venn-diagram.jpghttp://www.slidegeeks.com/pics/dgm/l/p/ppt_linear_process_flow_powerpoint_template_5_stages_style1_templates_1.jpg
- #40: Summarizing: You can ask students to translate specialized information, e.g., a reading assignment, into their own, more colloquial language.http://www.caribexams.org/files/u1/summary_img.gifhttp://www.slidegeeks.com/pics/dgm/l/p/ppt_linear_process_flow_powerpoint_template_5_stages_style1_templates_1.jpg
- #41: Microthemes: These are brief comparisons of ideas or concepts. Similar to short answer questions on exams, you can ask students to informally state and develop a thesis.http://www.ereadingworksheets.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/compare-and-contrast-text-structure-graphic-organizer1.jpghttp://www.caribexams.org/files/u1/summary_img.gifhttp://www.slidegeeks.com/pics/dgm/l/p/ppt_linear_process_flow_powerpoint_template_5_stages_style1_templates_1.jpg
- #42: Opposing Views: Asks students to make decisions about an issue by developing side-by-side lists or arguments. While you can frame this as a pro/con activity, it is helpful to urge students to explore the gray areas of issues.http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-1GCHfgDESLI/Tr2WcwMbZQI/AAAAAAAAANM/qeX4KFsiJfc/s1600/091123123740-arguing_couple.jpghttp://www.caribexams.org/files/u1/summary_img.gifhttp://www.slidegeeks.com/pics/dgm/l/p/ppt_linear_process_flow_powerpoint_template_5_stages_style1_templates_1.jpg
- #43: Notes and letters: A good collaborative activity, you can have pairs or groups of students write notes to one another explaining or summarizing a concept as well as any problems or questions they had. The students then trade responses to the notes.
- #44: Cases and Simulations: Giving students a real-world based problem and asking them to apply whatever principles you expect them to understand is an effective way to get students to engage their critical thinking skills.