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Developing Effective Writing Assignments

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Article, book, movie review or summary. Learning log. Double-entry journal. 6/28/09. 9 ... Review the assignments, providing the following information to the writer: ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: Developing Effective Writing Assignments


1
Developing Effective Writing Assignments
  • Effective Teaching and Learning Department
  • Instructionaltech_at_baker.edu

2
Course Outcomes
  • Describe writing as a learning element
  • Discuss formal vs. informal writing
  • Classify writing styles
  • Develop effective assignments
  • Assess/evaluate writing
  • Identify writing resources at Baker

3
Discussion
  • How do you see yourself as a writer?
  • What writing assignments do you use in your
    class?
  • Why are these assignments important?
  • How many do you give your students per quarter?

4
Activity
  • What are the five most important elements in good
    student writing?
  • What are the top three problems with student
    writing you see in your class?

5
Blooms Taxonomy
6
Discussion
  • Where do your current assignments fall within
    Blooms Taxonomy?
  • Which levels are an appropriate target for your
    class?

7
Types of Writing
  • In class vs. out of class writing
  • Formal vs. informal
  • Graded vs. not graded

8
Activity suggestions
  • In class
  • Essay exams
  • Lecture reaction papers
  • Muddiest point papers
  • Free writing
  • Observation log
  • Journal
  • Out of class
  • Take home essay exams
  • Term papers
  • Article, book, movie review or summary
  • Learning log
  • Double-entry journal

9
Formal Writing
  • Typically, formal writing encompasses these
    elements
  • Require citations/bibliographies
  • Graded
  • Oriented to a specific audience
  • Performed both in and out of class

10
Ideas for Formal Writing
  • Case plans or logs
  • Annotated bibliography
  • Laboratory reports
  • Research paper
  • Reaction papers

11
Informal Writing
  • Typically, informal writing encompasses these
    elements
  • Graded credit/no credit or not graded
  • Can be a starting point for formal writing
  • Helps develop student understanding of concepts

12
Ideas for Informal Writing
  • Class minutes
  • Peer reviews
  • Brainstorming
  • Post-lecture counterarguments
  • Admit ticket
  • Exit box
  • Free writing
  • Journaling

13
Graded vs. Not Graded
  • Contain components of both formal and informal
    writing
  • Can be performed in or out of class
  • Determined by instructor and/or class

14
Styles of writing
  • Expressive
  • Exploratory
  • Informative
  • Scientific
  • Persuasive
  • Literary

15
Expressive Writing
  • Focuses on the writers experience and motives
  • Examples
  • Autobiography
  • Reaction/express personal views to lecture
  • Journals/logs
  • Blooms Taxonomy Comprehension, Application,
    Analysis, and Evaluation

16
Exploratory Writing
  • Asks questions
  • Examples
  • Marketing study
  • Opinion papers
  • Feasibility studies
  • Blooms Taxonomy Comprehension, Application, and
    Evaluation

17
Informative Writing
  • Answers questions
  • Examples
  • Article and book reviews
  • Job proposal
  • Web site scripts
  • Essay exams
  • Blooms Taxonomy Knowledge, Comprehension, and
    Application

18
Scientific Writing
  • Provides proof for its assertions
  • Acknowledges other side of issue
  • Examples
  • Lab reports
  • Grant proposal
  • Case logs/notes
  • Experiment notes
  • Blooms Taxonomy Analysis, Synthesis, and
    Evaluation

19
Persuasive Writing
  • Attempts to change views or behavior of reader
  • Examples
  • Advertising campaigns
  • Video review
  • Position papers/speeches
  • Editorials, letters to the Editor
  • Blooms Taxonomy Synthesis, Analysis, and
    Evaluation

20
Literary Writing
  • Invites attention to the message itself
  • Includes
  • Book reviews
  • Plays, TV, or film scripts
  • Based on course-related issues
  • Blooms Taxonomy Knowledge, Comprehension, and
    Analysis

21
Writing the Writing Assignment
  • Identify the purpose
  • State the topic and audience clearly
  • Describe the evaluation criteria
  • Explain format requirements
  • Length, due date, number of citations
  • Check student knowledge and skills
  • Are they appropriate to complete the assignment?
  • Verify that the topic is relevant
  • Have students complete paper prospectus

22
Discussion
  • What could happen in your class if you allowed
    the following?
  • Collaboration
  • Revisions
  • Time extensions
  • Flexibility on requirements

23
Assignment Strategies
  • Break long assignments into stages or sequence
    small assignments so the end product is one
    cohesive unit
  • Provide reality-based, problem-solving activities
  • Highlight connections within and between
    disciplines
  • Present examples of good writing for student
    review
  • Provide all assignments in writing

24
Individual Activity
  • Using the information you have learned so far,
    create a writing assignment for your class

25
Assessments
  • Set the goal of continuous improvement
  • Allow the student to reflect on his/her past
    performance and areas of concern
  • Can be performed by any one of the following
  • Instructor and student - collaboratively
  • Student and peers
  • Student self-assessment

26
Methods to Help Students Perform Self-Assessment
  • Provide students with a self-assessment
    worksheet, based on your grading criteria
  • Require students to peer review other students
    work
  • Consider making a self-assessment or reflection
    journal part of the assignment

27
Peer Assessment Ideas
  • Use both large and small groups
  • Incorporate a peer review after a self-assessment
    and rewrite
  • Distribute one essay to entire group and have the
    group offer suggestions for improvement
  • Have author read essay to group

28
Group Activity
  • Gather in a group of 3 and trade assignments
  • Review the assignments, providing the following
    information to the writer
  • Two strengths of the assignment
  • Two areas for improvement
  • An insight about the assignment

29
Discussion
  • When could you use peer assessment in your
    current class assignments?
  • How could you incorporate regular self-assessment
    into your writing assignments?
  • Do you assess your assignments on a quarterly (or
    yearly) basis to validate their worth?

30
Assessment vs. Evaluation
  • Assessments goal is continuous improvement
  • Evaluations goal is to measure performance
    against a standard set of criteria
  • Grades are based on evaluations, but are often
    improved by assessments

31
Dealing with Plagiarism
  • Define the concept of plagiarism, in writing,
    early in the quarter
  • Provide passage examples so students can practice
    determining common knowledge from a work that
    should be cited
  • Provide citation examples
  • Include web citations on list
  • Discuss Internet plagiarism

32
Questions?
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