- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
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
5 comments:
To my mind, context is the most important part of a writing assignment. If we don't know who we are as a writer, who our readers are, and what the issue or subject is, then we will always have difficulty writing clean, clear prose. This is, in large part, because clarity depends upon context. If I don't know who is talking, what issue they are addressing, and what audience they are addressing, then I don't know how to interpret their text, whether spoken or written. Context, I think, is all, and it is too often ignored in college writing assignments.
I like the idea of using writing as a tool and not as a performance, as a means to and end, rather as en end in itself. On the other hand the author gives us specific keys to writing prompts, such as what is the objective for the student's writing, what is at stake for the student, what is the student going to tell you and what is the context of the assignment.
The last 4 points are the most important summary to me: "Audience, Purpose, Expectations, Stakes". Maybe we can add in the direction of the writing prompt on format (e.g. Three or four paragraphs, one to one and half pages, 12 points, double space etc.), and grading process (e.g. how much points total, how much deduction for an typo, or grammatical mistakes etc.), as well as due date'''
The message that I have taken away from this piece is that we need to give our students clear instructions about the assignment that address issues related to the audience to whom this assignment is directed, the purpose of the assignment, our expectations of them from this assignment, and the stakes involved. Above all, we should create a writing environment that enables students to write freely without inhibitions.
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