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The Write Stuff - By Celeste Fenton

Consistently, when asked what skills they look for in new employees, bosses emphatically state that communication skills and the ability to work with others is at the top of the list. And equally as frequent are the desires by instructors to see better writing skills exhibited by students. So how can faculty with large class loads, limited resources, and a shortage of time help students improve their proficiency in written communication and teamwork? Sage advice from the following faculty may provide some insight.

Recalling a writing assignment from his college days, James Mayo, Assistant Professor in English and Foreign Language at Jackson State Community College, remembers how difficult it was to get into the subject matter. "I had no interest in hot air balloons. I knew nothing at all about them. I merely was told to find a topic and write a research paper...I think I got a good grade, yet I didn't learn a thing." There is a disconnect between the perceptions of instructors who find value in the research paper and students who see the research paper as a somewhat useless learning activity. Instructors view the writing assignment as an assessment tool that builds skills in locating information, learning about a topic, synthesizing information, and communicating it effectively, thus utilizing critical thinking and inquiry. Mayo proposes that students find the research assignment as irrelevant, approaching the writing of the paper more as a regurgitation of information than an analytical process.

In each composition class he teaches, Mayo attempts to make the research paper experience more relevant and rewarding to students. One strategy involves requiring students to develop a research question(s) based on a topic of their choice, and then doing research to answer their question(s). Mayo also requires students to submit an annotated bibliography to help ensure that they are actively searching, examining, and critically evaluating their sources.

Collaborative writing assignments have become an effective tool for Professor Bob Hurt from California State Polytechnic University, to utilize in providing instruction and feedback on writing assignments. Hurt allows students to form work groups of three to four members, requiring each member to develop an individual response and rough draft to the writing question/topic. Students meet as a group to critique each individual work, combining the best parts of each individual effort to create a collaborative rough draft. The group also prepares a list of needed improvements. At this point, members prepare a second draft and again critique for improvements. After presenting the final rough draft to Hurt for approval and feedback, students submit all of their work, both individual and group. Hurt concludes that through the collaborative methodology, students not only become finer writers, but develop better oral communication and critical thinking skills through the group draft development process.

Richard Paul and Linda Elder maintain that "good thinking is thinking that effectively assesses itself." In their handbook, How to Improve Student Learning: 30 Practical Ideas (2003), Elder and Paul advocate the importance of teaching students how to assess their writing through the following strategies:

Provide explicit intellectual standards for assessing written work. Have students work in groups of four to select the best paper. Read the group "winners" to the class, and direct a class discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of the papers. Hold a class vote on the best paper of the day.
Working in groups of three to four, have students exchange papers from one group to another. Each group makes recommendations for improvement on the other groups' papers. Written recommendations are returned to the original writers for their use in creating a revised draft.

Peer assessment appears to be beneficial in fostering greater individual improvement in writing skill. Students often acquire a fresh perspective and insight on their writing by working within a group, as well as gain a sense of ownership of the assessment process thereby creating an increase in motivation to produce quality work. Additionally, students learn to realistically evaluate their own work and that of their peers while increasing their understanding of the process and product. Group or peer assessment works best when students are engaged in the process of devising specific criteria for assessment that is linked to the learning objectives.

Visit the links below for more information on peer assessment and online writing guides for students.

Peer Assessment:

From Learning and Teaching in Action, Volume 4, some insights into peer assessment
http://www.ltu.mmu.ac.uk/ltia/issue4/langanwheater.shtml

Resources for Students:

The Keys to Effective Writing
http://www.collegeboard.com/article/0,3868,2-8-0-122,00.html

A+ research and writing skills for high school and college students
http://www.ipl.org/div/aplus/

Links for online guides to research and writing
http://www.ipl.org/div/aplus/links.htm

Nuts and Bolts of College Writing
http://www.nutsandboltsguide.com/

Sources:

Hurt, Bob. (2004). Effective Collaborative Writing Assignments. Innovation Abstracts, March, 2004, Volume XXVI, Number 8.

Mayo, James. (2004). Making the Research Paper Relevant. Innovation Abstracts, April, 2004. Volume XXVI, Number 14.

Paul, Richard, and Elder, Linda. (2003) How to Improve Student Learning: 30 Practical Ideas, 2nd Ed. Foundation for Critical Thinking. ISBN 0-944583-12-1.