W
RITING
MATTERS
W
RITING
MATTERS
‌AN INCOMPLETE GUIDE TO TEACHING
WRITING AT WESLEYAN
C O N T E N T S
IWHERE DID WE GET OUR INFORMATION?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
IIWHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT OUR STUDENTS’ CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS? . . . 4
III
WHAT DO STUDENTS VALUE AND WHAT APPROACHES DO THEY
IV
LORE, TIPS, AND ADVICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
BELIEVE HELP THEM DEVELOP THEIR WRITING SKILLS?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
VFURTHER RESOURCES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
~1~
•
DEAR COLLEAGUES,
Sketched out below are some brief thoughts about matters to keep in mind if you’ll be teaching a
course that emphasizes expository writing.
These thoughts don’t claim to be comprehensive or definitive. There are many useful books about
teaching writing that can give you a more complete theory of writing pedagogy or fuller detail about
teaching strategies. (Some of those guides are included in our list of further resources below.) But, of
course, none of those books can tell you about teaching at Wesleyan in particular.
Our aim is to provide a little of that kind of perspective. More specifically, we hope to give you
some useful information about how Wesleyan students tend to view the experience of learning to
write in college—about what they value, what they find challenging, what makes them anxious, what
they find helpful or rewarding. We also include a few pointers about ways you might take their views
into account when designing your syllabi and assignments or responding to their work.
We view these suggestions as provisional and incomplete. Our intent is not to tell you how
things must or should be done, but to raise for your consideration some issues that we’ve learned
about from students and faculty. We think of this guide as a work-in-progress, and we look forward
to hearing your thoughts and reactions so that we can draw on them to create fuller and richer editions in the future.
One final note. This guide has been made possible by generous funding from the Teagle
Foundation. We are grateful to Teagle for its support.
Sincerely,
Anne Greene
Director of Writing Programs and Adjunct Professor of English
Sean McCann
Professor of English and Director, Center for Faculty Career Development
Kate Thorpe ’06
Teagle Fellow in the Writing Programs
~2~
I
WHERE DID WE GET OUR INFORMATION?
This guide compiles ideas, tips, and advice from several sources:
1
IT DRAWS FROM A COMPREHENSIVE SURVEYon the experience of writing instruction administered
to Wesleyan undergraduates in the fall of 2011. Nine-hundred-and-eighty-two students, or 48 percent of
the undergraduate student body, returned responses to this survey.*
2
IT MAKES USE OF IDEAS EXPRESSED BY STUDENTSin a series of focus-group discussions held in
the spring of 2012. Students participating in these discussions were enrolled in courses from across the
University and were at various stages in their undergraduate careers.
3
IT INCORPORATES THOUGHTS AND ADVICE FROM FACULTYmembers who were enrolled in the
Teagle Seminar on the Teaching of Writing in the fall of 2011 and the spring of 2012.
4
IT MAKES USE OF DIRECTOR OF WRITING PROGRAMSAnne Greene’s experience working with
Wesleyan faculty and students and draws from the conversations she has had over the years with writing
tutors and mentors who have worked closely with students on their writing for courses.
*If you are interested in seeing the full results of this survey, please contact Sean McCann at [email protected].
~3~
II
WHAT DO WE KNOW ABOUT OUR STUDENTS’
CHALLENGES AND CONCERNS?
Students worry about many different things when it comes to academic writing, of course, but our
information suggests that five major issues affect a large portion of our student body:
1
LEARNING TO WRITE CLEARLY FOCUSED, ARGUMENTATIVE PROSE
We take it for granted in most disciplines that you write to make a point, that good writing effectively
marshals ideas and evidence in the effort to convince readers to share a view, and that in this way an
essay or paper seeks to contribute to a larger discourse on a subject.
For many of our students, these ideas are not intuitive, and they often find it a slow and painful
process to learn to think and write in this manner. When our survey asked students what aspects of
writing they find most challenging, the largest proportion of students cited the difficulties of “shaping the argument” (43 percent), “organizing the paper” (32 percent), or “figuring out what to say”
(29 percent). In focus-group conversations and in discussions with writing tutors and mentors, we
frequently heard that students struggle to learn how to make an argument, how to effectively draw
on and organize evidence, and how to structure their essays to best develop and advance their ideas.
2
FINDING A VOICE
Wesleyan students are concerned about expressing themselves as individuals. In our survey, 66 percent of respondents cited “to write in my own voice” as a “very important” goal. Another 24 percent
marked it as “moderately important.”
But, justifiably or not, our students often do not think of academic writing as a venue in which
they can develop their own ideas and perspectives. In fact, they may have been taught in their high
school classes or during their preparation for AP exams that academic writing should aspire to an
authoritative and bland synthesis of established ideas. In focus-group discussions and other conversations, students often describe academic writing as impersonal and objective. They sometimes think
they are merely reiterating other people’s views, and they worry that in writing for courses they are
not able to express their own unique ideas or interests. They often are slow to see themselves as
engaged or creative participants in a larger discourse.
~4~
Our experience suggests that this may be one source of common weaknesses in student writing—
e.g., unwieldy syntax, overuse of the passive voice, an inclination to grandiosity or sweeping abstraction. In such writing, students may be trying hard to sound—as they think they should—like a
person who doesn’t have a point of view.
3
UNDERSTANDING EXPECTATIONS
What does the professor want? That question is on the minds of many of our students when they
write, and a large number of them claim not to have clear ideas about the answer. In our survey, 41
percent of the respondents said they were unfamiliar with what their instructors expect. In focus-group
discussions and other conversations, students often express uncertainty over what individual professors
want or remark that they do not fully grasp the way goals, methods, and styles vary across disciplines.
4
MANAGING THEIR TIME
In our survey and in focus-group discussions, students referred frequently to the battle against procrastination and to their challenges managing their workload. Students who enroll in several courses
featuring extensive reading and writing (and who sometimes have many substantial assignments
due at once) often find time management especially challenging. They express great appreciation for
assignments that are designed to help them organize their time well.
5
WRITING IN A SECOND LANGUAGE
Twenty-nine percent of the students responding to our survey say they are writing in a second language and find the experience a “moderate” or “significant” challenge. Some of these respondents are
probably native English speakers who are referring to the papers they write for language courses. But
it is worth keeping in mind the diverse backgrounds of our students and the significant number who
speak English as a second or even third language. Such students may arrive at Wesleyan with different
expectations and writing conventions than our other students.
~5~
III
WHAT DO STUDENTS VALUE AND WHAT
APPROACHES DO THEY BELIEVE HELP THEM
DEVELOP THEIR WRITING SKILLS?
1
STUDENTS VALUE GOOD WRITING HIGHLY. THEY WANT TO BE CHALLENGED
AND TO IMPROVE THEIR ABILITIES.
Survey results, in addition to conversations with students, suggest that the great majority of Wesleyan
undergraduates view skill in writing as a central accomplishment of a liberal education. Eighty-two
percent of the respondents to the 2011 survey viewed “to write effectively” as a “high priority” or “the
very highest priority.” When we asked students about the particular skills they hope to develop, 49
percent said that it was “very important” to “write effectively for other specialists in a scholarly discipline.” But 65 percent said it was “very important” to write clearly about academic subject matters for
a “general audience,” and 74 percent said it was “very important” to be able to synthesize and clearly
articulate ideas and information that they might encounter in a wide range of fields.
In focus-group discussions and other conversations, students repeatedly stress their desire to
become accomplished and effective writers, and they frequently express appreciation for instructors
who challenge them and demand that they hone their skills.
2
STUDENTS VALUE INSTRUCTION AND ASSIGNMENTS THAT EMPHASIZE
THE PROCESS OF WRITING
In focus-group discussions and other conversations, we heard often that students are especially grateful
for assignments and approaches that emphasize the process, in addition to the product, of writing.
They often express appreciation for staged assignments that help them manage their time (e.g., a
research paper assignment that includes interim sub-assignments such as statement of topic, reviews
of the literature, hypothetical thesis statement or introduction, required drafts, etc.).
But, in addition, students frequently emphasize the value of assignments and pedagogical
approaches that help them to understand that writing ability develops through practice, repetition,
~6~
and revision. Students frequently single out for praise courses that include frequent short writing assignments. And they often appreciate when instructors make time in class, even briefly, to
discuss writing. They stress the value of comments on papers that treat student writing as work-inprogress, and they praise instructors who encourage or, especially, require that students confer with
the instructor on their work.
3
STUDENTS YEARN FOR CLARIFICATION AND ILLUMINATION
In our discussions with students, we found that they are often grateful for instructors who can clarify
the writing skills that a particular assignment, course, or discipline demands. Students value, for
example, faculty who provide clear and concise guidelines about what they expect in an assignment.
They also express strong appreciation for faculty who provide model papers. Such a paper might be,
for example, an exemplary work published in your field. But students often claim that it is particularly helpful to see examples of student work. Especially when professors take the time to go over the
strengths and weaknesses of the models in class, students often find the experience of poring over
other people’s writing to be very useful.
Students also told us that they are grateful when professors clarify what sorts of thesis statements are discipline-appropriate or when faculty identify the types of questions that papers in a field
attempt to answer, as well as appropriate source materials and citation styles.
4
STUDENTS ARE MOTIVATED BY SUBSTANTIAL RESPONSES TO THEIR WORK
(and annoyed by responses that seem to them inattentive or pro forma)
In our conversations with students, we heard time and again that they deeply appreciate substantive responses to their work that attend to both the content of ideas and the clarity of expression.
Although they differ in their preferences for how such feedback should be communicated (through
marginal comments, head or end notes, or conferences), students consistently emphasize how important rich feedback is to their development as writers. By the same token, students are easily irked by
responses that appear inattentive (such as check marks in the margins followed by “well done” or
“weak paper” as the only end note).
~7~
IV
LORE, TIPS, AND ADVICE
Below is an incomplete and provisional list of suggestions based on advice from our faculty
colleagues, writing mentors, and tutors.
1
GENERAL TIPS ON TEACHING WRITING
• ACKNOWLEDGE THE
CHALLENGE
As it is for many of us, writing is difficult and often anxiety provoking for many of our students.
(Thirty-four percent of the respondents to our poll noted anxiety as a challenge in their writing.)
Many of them, however, don’t realize just how commonly shared is the struggle to write well. Nor
do many understand that good writing is typically the result of long effort and patient revision.
Often they think they suffer alone, and they frequently imagine that good writers just pour out
brilliant prose in the first draft. (By the same token, some students who believe they are already
gifted writers think that whatever they do must be good and are easily injured when they’re told
their work can improve.)
So, anything you can do or say that emphasizes the sheer challenge of writing can be useful. You
might talk about your own writing process, or you can remind students that even the most renowned
professional writers get copyedited, if they’re lucky. As one faculty member told us, “the difficulty of
writing should be emphasized as a necessary part of the process, as should the value of the investment.”
• TAKE ADVANTAGE
OF THE WRITING WORKSHOP
Frequently in our conversations, students and faculty alike emphasized how helpful it can be for
students to get advice from more experienced peers. Consider encouraging students to call on the
tutors at the Writing Workshop, or consult with Anne Greene about arranging for a dedicated tutor
to be assigned to your course. Tutors also are available to work with students who speak English as a
second language and with students who have learning disabilities.
• LOOK
FOR WAYS TO CHALLENGE AND STIMULATE YOUR STUDENTS
Students often told us they would rather be asked to work hard than to receive an “easy A.” Think
about ways to challenge your strongest students, as well as less accomplished writers, with demanding
assignments and substantive and constructive criticism.
~8~
Students who receive high grades on papers are sometimes frustrated when they don’t see comments that explain what they have done well. They would like to know what aspects of their writing—in addition to their arguments or findings—are impressive. Such comments help them to
understand their strengths as writers and can motivate them toward future achievements.
2
DESIGNING ASSIGNMENTS
• HELP
STUDENTS UNDERSTAND YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Whenever you create writing assignments, keep in mind the “Four Cs,” as defined by Linda Simon
of Skidmore College. Are you being Clear, Complete, Concise, and Candid about what you want
from your students’ work?
Think carefully about what you want to read in terms of argument, structure, evidence, intended
audience, style. Are these expectations being effectively conveyed to your students?
• CONSIDER ASSIGNMENTS THAT
HELP STUDENTS MANAGE THEIR TIME
AND UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS OF WRITING
Look for ways to stage and stagger assignments, so that students can get frequent feedback and so
they will not succumb to their tendency to procrastinate.
Consider requiring drafts or partial drafts of essays (e.g., a draft introduction, a draft first sentence,
a provisional hypothesis, a definition of the problem), so that students will think of themselves as
working to develop and improve a piece of writing—rather than as dumping a hastily assembled
product on your desk. Tell students that the quality of their drafts will be a factor in the final grade.
Consider asking students to engage in writing exercises that help them to see how their work can
be developed and improved. For example, ask students to construct outlines of the drafts they have
completed, so they can perceive the structure of their work and ways it can be altered; ask them to
propose plans for revisions they might make to an essay.
Our experience, as well as conversations with students and faculty, suggests that, although requiring
drafts (or similar staged assignments) can require greater time and effort from the instructor, it can pay off
both in better quality work from students and in fewer cases of plagiarism. As one faculty member told
us, “working through drafts is the most effective, even if not the most efficient, writing-teaching tool.”
~9~
• CONSIDER
INCLUDING ASSIGNMENTS THAT HELP STUDENTS
SEE THEMSELVES AS CREATIVE AND PERSONALLY ENGAGED
Just as students appreciate assignments that emphasize the process of writing, they also value assignments that develop their skills in different styles and formats or that vary the rhythms of the semester. Look for assignments that may seem to students to break the mold of academic prose—e.g.,
assignments that ask for reflective or creative writing or that ask students to bring specialist expertise
to a general readership.
(Courses that include a unit on writing for broader audiences may be included in the curriculum
for the Writing Certificate; please contact Anne Greene or see the Writing Programs web site for
more information.)
3
RESPONDING TO STUDENT WRITING
• STRIKE
EARLY
In conversation, students often describe a sense of shock at getting back the first assignment of the
semester and facing the realization that they will need to adjust and improve their work. They are
grateful when instructors assign a paper early in the semester, so they can get this initial hurdle over
with and still have time to ask questions and improve.
• BE
CLEAR . . . AND, WHERE POSSIBLE, SUBSTANTIAL
Students sometimes describe themselves as struggling to decipher and interpret faculty comments. Be
sure your students understand the goals and methods of your comments on papers (e.g., tell them in
class or in a handout or posting the ways you respond to student writing and why).
Consider using electronic versus handwritten comments. Typed comments are typically more
time-consuming than handwritten notes. But they are often clearer to students and more substantial.
They may also be useful for your own record of student progress. On the other hand, many students
find an instructor’s handwritten margin notes a sign of personal attention.
Consider taking advantage of word processing tools (e.g., “track changes,” special fonts such as strikethrough, marginal comments) to show students how passages of writing can be revised and improved.
One faculty member told us that students in her class were more likely to revise “when they saw from
my own editing how easy it was to rearrange small sections of text to sharpen their arguments.” But, be
wary of overusing “track changes.” Students can “accept all” rather than making revisions themselves.
When offering comments that might seem cursory, explain what your check marks or abbreviations mean. Even formulaic phrases like “good point” or “nice idea” can convey the valuable sense
that you are engaged and paying attention. Mark particular phrases to help the writer locate the
passage you are praising.
~ 10 ~
• BE
DEMANDING . . . AND COACH, DON’T SCOLD
Students consistently told us that the most helpful comments on papers are those that address the
writer as someone working to develop and improve her work. They welcomed responses to papers
that showed strengths and weaknesses and that pointed out ways to improve. Some students told us
they are grateful for faculty who comment at length on drafts, even if the instructor then goes on to
write cursory comments on a final product.
In that light, you may want to address student writing in the mode of coach or editor rather than
as judge. By all means, hold your students to high standards. But help them see how they can meet
those standards, and keep in mind that your comments do not need to justify your grade or express
your frustration. The most useful comments may tell the student what to do to improve rather than
show her where she has failed.
• DON’T
OVERDO IT
Don’t think you have to edit every sentence in an essay or explain every place a paper needs more
work. For your own sanity, and for the learning experience of your students, it may be helpful to limit
your responses. If you are reviewing an essay for grammar and style, for example, you may want to
focus your attention on one or two paragraphs of the paper. But, make sure your students understand
your approach. Students can be easily annoyed if they have the impression that you are not attending
to all of their work.
• MEET YOUR
STUDENTS
Students often tell us how valuable—eye-opening, even transformative—they have found it to
meet with faculty to discuss their writing. But some also have acknowledged feeling hesitant about
approaching their professors. Consider requiring a short meeting with your students.
Like requiring drafts, meetings with students can be a time-consuming strategy. But even very
short conferences can be productive. In such a meeting, you can clarify your own goals and expectations and identify the places where student writing is weak or strong. But, you can also help your
students understand their own work. Oftentimes, just asking students to explain the ideas they were
trying to express or the goals they were pursuing or the places where they think an essay succeeds or
fails can bring them a deeper and clearer sense of what they need to do to succeed.
~ 11 ~
4
GRADES AND PLAGIARISM
• GRADING
Please note, we’ve chosen to say very little about grades in this guide. But do be aware, your students
have strong feelings about grades and would like you to be conscientious and transparent about how
you grade. Students tell us they are powerfully motivated by grades, and they are eager to know what
they can do not only to improve their skills as writers in general but to earn higher grades for particular courses. When responding to student work, it may be helpful—where possible—to be clear
about the difference.
Also, many students have come to Wesleyan from high schools where they have excelled, and they
may expect to receive high grades. Your students may assume that they begin an assignment with a
grade of 100 percent and are downgraded for errors. It can be challenging to convince them that high
grades in college are an achievement rather than a starting point.
• PLAGIARISM
Students tell us that they believe plagiarism occurs for a few main reasons: because of poor note taking habits, because of ignorance of academic norms and citation methods, and, most significantly,
because of panic.
You may be able to head off plagiarism, then, by countering these dangers. Be sure students are
aware of your expectations about documentation and that they’re familiar with citation methods.
Look for assignments that are hard to plagiarize—e.g., staged assignments requiring drafts or other
preparatory work, or unusual or idiosyncratic assignments that are specific to your course and not
widely reproduced.
And consider talking to students about what to do when they’re feeling frantic. They may come
to you and ask for help instead of plagiarizing.
The anti-plagiarism software turnitin.com is available through the Wesleyan University Library.
For help with turnitin, contact Reference Librarian Kendall Hobbs at [email protected].
~ 12 ~
V
FURTHER RESOURCES
1
WESLEYAN WRITING PROGRAMS
• The Teagle Initiative: wesleyan.edu/writing/faculty/teagle.html
• Information for Faculty Requesting Course Tutors: wesleyan.edu/writing/faculty/facultytutor.html
• Writing Workshop General Information: wesleyan.edu/writing/workshop/
• Information Regarding Mentoring Program: wesleyan.edu/writing/workshop/applymentor.html
• Thesis Mentor Program: wesleyan.edu/writing/workshop/thesis.html
• Anne Greene, Director of Writing Programs, can be reached at:
[email protected], or by phone at ext. 3604. Her office is 207 Downey House.
• Writing Programs Fellows can be reached at:
[email protected], or by phone at ext. 2440. The office is 103 Downey House.
2
OTHER HANDY ONLINE RESOURCES
• Harvard Writing Project Publications:
writingprogram.fas.harvard.edu/icb/icb.do?keyword=k24101&pageid=icb.page209491
Includes detailed writing guides for students of various disciplines, including social anthropology,
philosophy, psychology, East Asian studies, performance studies, art, religious studies, and the life
sciences. There’s also a guide (towards the bottom) to writing with Internet sources that looks
potentially useful.
• Princeton’s Guide to Teaching with Writing(Kerry Walk, former Director of Princeton Writing Program):
princeton.edu/writing/university/resources/TWW.pdf
A very useful, general guide that emphasizes specific methods for engaging students in the writing
process, particularly through working with peers. Walk offers suggestions for assigning cover letters
and multiple drafts, and for conducting peer collaboration/workshops. A special chapter on teaching
with writing in science and engineering courses (p. 47) briefly gives advice about assigning and
responding to writing in the sciences.
~ 13 ~
• Online Materials for Faculty (Dartmouth):
dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/faculty/
A range of materials developed by Karen Gocsik, Executive Director of the Writing and Rhetoric
Program at Dartmouth: while some are Dartmouth-specific, most are widely applicable to the teaching
of writing more generally. Materials in the following categories seem particularly relevant: pedagogies
(teaching issues of argument and research, for instance); methods (such as assignment development and
suggestions for linking reading to writing in courses); and a Teaching Forum for further ideas, handouts,
and sample assignments.
• “Helping Students Write Better in All Courses,” Barbara Gross Davis, available on University of
California, Berkeley web site: teaching.berkeley.edu/bgd/writebetter.html
A chapter from Davis’s book Tools for Teaching, which offers useful suggestions for teaching writing,
especially for instructors of non-English disciplines, as well as helpful further resources to consult.
• Center for Teaching and Learning at Stanford:
http://ctl.stanford.edu/teaching-at-stanford.html
While not writing-specific, this site includes a variety of teaching resources on many different aspects
of teaching, including course and syllabus design and suggestions for evaluating students.
• For further online resources related to the teaching of writing, see:
wesleyan.edu/writing/faculty/online.html
• For a list of online writing resources for students, see:
wesleyan.edu/writing/workshop/resourcesforstudents.html
• National Council of Teachers of English Guideline on
Some Questions and Answers about Grammar: ncte.org/statements/qandaaboutgrammar
This site offers a clear and useful explanation of why grammar matters and how to help struggling
students understand it.
~ 14 ~
3
SOME VALUABLE TEXTS: WORKS ON THE TEACHING OF WRITING
AND ON THE CRAFT OF WRITING, AND GUIDES FOR STUDENTS AND OTHERS
• RESOURCES
ON TEACHING WRITING
•Bartholomae, David. “Inventing the University.” When a Writer Can’t Write: Studies in Writer’s Block
and Other Composing-Process Problems. Ed. Mike Rose. New York: Guilford, 1985. 134–65. Available at:
utoronto.ca/writing/Dec2010/Bartholomae.pdf
•Bean, John C. Engaging Ideas:The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning
in the Classroom. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2011.
•Cioffi, Frank. The Imaginative Argument. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2005.
•Goldsmith, Kenneth. Uncreative Writing: Managing Language in the Digital Age. New York: Columbia
University Press, 2011.
•Graff, Gerald, and Cathy Birkenstein. They Say / I Say:The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing. New York:
W. W. Norton & Co, 2010.
•Shaughnessy, Mina. Errors & Expectations: A Guide for the Teacher of Basic Writing. New York: Oxford UP, 1977.
•Simon, Linda. “The Papers We Want to Read.” College Teaching 36 (1988): 6–8.
•Sommers, Nancy and Laura Saltz. “The Novice as Expert: Writing the Freshman Year.” College Composition
and Communication 56.1 (Sept. 2004):124–149. Available at: jstor.org/stable/4140684
•Zawacki, Terry M, and Paul M. Rogers. Writing Across the Curriculum: A Critical Sourcebook. Boston: Bedford/
St. Martins, 2012.
• WORKS
ON THE CRAFT OF WRITING AND GUIDES FOR STUDENTS
•Dillard, Annie. The Writing Life. New York: HarperPerennial, 1990.
•Fish, Stanley. How to Write a Sentence: And How to Read One. New York: Harper, 2011.
•Hacker, Barbara and Nancy Sommers. A Writer’s Reference. 7th ed. New York: St. Martins, 2010.
•Strunk, William, and E B. White. The Elements of Style. 4th ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1999.
•Williams, Joseph M. and Gregory G. Colomb. Style: Lessons in Clarity and Grace. 10th ed. Boston:
Longman, 2010.
•Zinsser, William K. On Writing Well:The Classic Guide to Writing Nonfiction. New York: HarperCollins, 2006.
~ 15 ~