Writing Prompts

As teachers, we ask our students to write for all aspects of learning (at least we should)—processing information, exploring research and its implications, applying new concepts, and of course, evaluation. With all the constructs and content in our own heads, sometimes it can be difficult to step outside of ourselves and see the assignment from the students' point of view. Here are few things to consider as you compose a writing assignment, big or small.

1. What do you actually want the student to do with this writing?  Is this something that will help him in learning or assimilating the information or applying concepts?  Or is it for your benefit, so you can learn something about the student and/or his process?  Or, are you going to evaluate the writing for specific, critical objectives?  Your goal should be clear to the student for several reasons.  Not only will it set the tone for the student's writing, but it will also help you and the student achieve the outcome you are looking for. 
2. What are the stakes? Does the student have a clear idea of why he is writing?  He should have opportunities for exploration and writing to learn with no significant risk to his grade.  If a student has a clear sense of purpose, he will have less anxiety about the process whether it is a formal essay for a grade or exploratory notes for his own learning.  But make sure he has ample opportunity to use writing as a tool not just a performance and be clear about what is at stake.
3. What are you asking the student to tell you?  When you are writing a prompt for your students, it is easy to fall into the teacher-brain spasm mode.  You know exactly what you are looking for in the response, but you may not have actually indicated that to the student.  If your prompt is formulated too generally, sometimes your students can't decide what you want. Students can sometimes be overwhelmed and paralyzed by a prompt that is too general or vague.  On the other hand, if you truly just want the students to offer anything they can support, be clear about that as well.  Let them know that there is no "right" answer.  Is there an implied "master text" that you will hold their responses to or are you really looking for anything they have to offer?  Keep in mind where your students are coming from in terms of their knowledge and experience and be sure that your questions give them enough direction to satisfy your goal for the assignment.
4. Have you set a clear context for the writing?  Do your students have a point of reference from which they can launch their writing?  You may have to set up a sample scenario or a little background information to put them in that place and give them a sense of audience and purpose.  You can reference a common experience or something specific from class.  While the actual topic may not be familiar to them, the point of origin should be.  Be clear about what is "prompting" this writing.  Perhaps they are sharing notes that other students should be able to read and follow logically.  Maybe they are writing a brief personal essay just to give you a sense of their skills and experience. Or maybe they are exploring a new concept and trying to apply it.

I have heard many teachers complain that their students did not give them what they asked for.  It is possible that nobody was paying attention, but more than likely the prompt simply was not clear enough to the students.  The more they understand about what is expected, the more comfortable they will be with tackling the problem and the more willing they may be to take risks and go beyond the basics and break new ground. 

Writing should not be punishment, but that is how a lot of students feel.  Most of the writing they have done is for assessment, which usually spells out where they have failed more than where they have succeeded (no matter how many positive notes you wrote on their paper).  Let students look at writing as a tool, as a means to an end rather than the end itself, as a way to express themselves honestly and confidently.  The next time you sit down to create an assignment or a writing prompt, think like a student who wants to do good work.  Give them what they need to succeed.  And remember the basics:

• Audience
• Purpose
• Expectations
• Stakes

The Misplaced Power of the Standardized Test

At the recent Save Our Schools rally, Matt Damon spoke eloquently about the value of teaching, real teaching, and its supremacy over standardized testing. There is no pat answer to the problems our public schools face every day, but one thing is clear—tying funding and evaluation to standardized testing is NOT improving learning. Period. It creates a culture of fear and anxiety rather than a culture of learning and innovation. It sacrifices valuable teaching days to the administration of a battery of tests that have only a meager connection to the learning that is and should be happening in the classroom and beyond. Learning is not memorization or mastering the tricks to the test. It is application, contextual understanding, inspiration, creation. That is what real-world learning asks of us.