Using High Engagement Strategies For Student Success in a Writing ...
High-Engagement Strategies For Student Writing Success!
Patti Huskin Assistant Professor, Special Education Department of Teacher and Bilingual Education Texas A & M University, Kingsville
This morning we will: • Look at course structure for the best student outcome in writing intensive or writing focused courses. • Look at and experience multiple activities to increase students’ learning, engagement, and success. • Look at how to incorporate multiple highengagement strategies into your own writing intensive/writing focused courses.
-For centuries colleges and universities have worked to improve student writing and learning through writing… -To correct students' shortcoming in writing proficiency… colleges and universities have adopted initiatives such as: -Writing Across The Curriculum, and -Writing In The Discipline Programs
-Integrating writing strategies into learning can result in improved student writing (Fulwiler, 1986)
This is not a new problem… “Of 414 English composition papers, nearly one half either passed unsatisfactorily or were conditioned. It can be said that one half of the total number of candidates for admission were unprepared in English preparation. They could not write their mothertongue with ease or correctness.” – Brereton, John C., Ed. The Origins of Composition Studies in the American College, 1875-1925: A Documentary History. Pittsburgh: U of Pittsburgh Press, 1995. Print.
• This curricular movement has been inspired by the premise that "writing is thinking“ • Suggesting that course writing activities increase students' learning and engagement – (The Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2008)
• Institutions are increasingly dedicating resources in supporting faculty to integrate Writing throughout their courses – (National Survey of Student Engagement, 2008)
• Many colleges and universities have developed quality enhancement programs (QEPs) to address student writing needs and require their students to complete at least one Writing Intensive course in their major field of study
• First class meeting… – Syllabus, Schedule of Assignments, Questions About Our Course – Class Norms and Expectations… – *Backwards Mapping (organization and planning activity) • We revisit this a few weeks later…
Class Norms Ask questions Engage fully Integrate new information Open your mind to diverse views Utilize what you learn in your teaching and • Write to learn • • • • •
Writing to Learn • The ability to write has a direct impact on one’s sense of self, one’s self-confidence, and one’s self-advocacy • Writing and learning are intimately related… • Writing well will help you become a better thinker… – it involves a series of intentional acts
• Writing is a fundamental “basic” skill
The rigors of writing… • • • •
Involves reading critically Developing hypotheses Conducting and evaluating research Communicating your findings with the conventions of our discipline
Writing Issues… • Attitude – both motivation and interest • Mechanical skills – spelling, punctuation, and grammar • Organizational skills – how to piece it together • Style – conventions appropriate to task and audience • Reasoning – thinking and logic • Knowledge – something to write about!
Student Active Engagement • The National Survey of Student Engagement (2008) states… – The amount of student writing was positively correlated with engagement,
• The more students wrote, the more they engaged in – – – –
active and collaborative learning student-faculty interactions enriching experiences deeper learning
• When designing a Writing Intensive/Focused course, instructors can: – Methodically plan the structure and assignments to increase students' success • (Formative vs Summative)
– Have students participate in activities that build on one another (scaffolding) – Have students explore, learn, and build on concepts throughout the course through assigned writing
When designing a Writing Intensive/Focused course, instructors can: • Have students participate in revisions of writing assignments based on instructor/peer responses • Allow students to revise/polish their writing in a "low-stakes" format before submitting final assignments • Allow students to gain mastery of concepts, discipline-specific vocabulary and terms, without fear of a high-stakes assignment
Student Active Engagement • Students engage in writing assignments in response to course readings and lecture content – Provides students an opportunity to use new terminology, concepts and vocabulary learned through reading and lectures – Allows students to answer questions asked by the instructor from readings / lectures
• Students should be given opportunities to engage in informal and/or reflective writing assignments about course content
Student Active Engagement • Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Postsecondary Strategies For Success (2011) and Project CRISS (Creating Independence through Student-owned Strategies) (2014) – Offers best practices and numerous strategies for instructors – High engagement strategies planned during each class meeting allows students to become comfortable and practiced with discipline specific-vocabulary, terminology, and concepts – Working collaboratively • builds strong peer relationships • fosters a classroom climate of cooperation and communication • builds a classroom community dedicated to student success
Strategies • Minute Papers and *Quick Writes-
• Helps students generate ideas • Allows students to think and connect course content to their thoughts • Instructors follow-up with discussion to help students deepen their understanding of the topic and content • Students articulate their thoughts while practicing the use of academic language and content-specific vocabulary • Students are provided opportunities to practice writing in a low-stakes format, reflect and expand on concepts previously covered in reading and lecture • An excellent way to help students make connections between writing and learning
*Quick Write… One-Minute Paper… “Reflect on the types of writing you have your students do throughout the semester”
Strategies • Know, Want/Need to Know, Learned or K-W-L – • Primarily an inquiry strategy, but students engage in writing, collaboration, organization and reading skills during this activity • Helps students identify what they already know about a subject or topic, what they need or want to know, and what they have learned in the process • Allows students to activate their background knowledge, and make valuable connections to their learning • A great tool to employ prior to lecture or giving students a writing prompt or to use as an assessment, and it works with the entire class, collaboratively and with individual students. • A variation of this strategy is 3-2-1…
Strategies
• Concept Mapping, Processing Organizer or Graphic Organizer-
– Inquiry strategies engage students in writing, reading, collaboration, and organizational skills – Requires students to make visual connections to their learning – Works well as an individual or small group activity – Beginning with a timed writing, brainstorming or quick write activity, students identify as many aspects of a concept as they can – Students work together to create a visual representation of the concept – Instructor provides textual conventions, students can draw circles containing concepts and lines with connecting phrases between the concepts
• Students can then share and critique the work of their peers, followed by a written reflection of the activity
Strategies• Philosophical ChairsCollaborative activity assists students in deepening their understanding of a text, subject, or position. Similar to a debate in format, it focuses on dialogue rather than competition • Builds on a prompt or position where contradictions exist • Students explore all positions through a collaborative process • Provides students with an opportunity to fluently use course specific vocabulary and academic language •
– Students are provided with a prompt with at least two interpretations and encouraged to keep an open mind. After reading the prompt, students can dialogue with a partner and complete a brain storm, articulating positions on both sides of the argument
• Instructor divides the class into three groups- Agree, *Neutral, or Disagree • Each group is given the opportunity to discuss their group’s position before the dialogue begins
Philosophical Chairs • Each position is stated one person at a time and only one person may speak at a time • Each group member is given the opportunity to speak during the activity • Students are reminded to address the ideas and not the person who stated them (or at the instructor) • Instructor remains neutral and encourages each participant to restate the previous argument or statement prior to stating their own position • Allows students an opportunity to hear and process the positions being stated • Students may move from one position to another as compelled by the statements presented • Dialogue should have a specific length of time and the facilitator may bring the discussion to a close at any time • Prior to the dialogue’s closing, participants are permitted to state their final opinion and which argument they found most compelling • Students should be provided the opportunity to debrief or reflect the process
• This collaborative activity provides students with a foundation for articulating their thoughts prior to a written assignment such as a position paper or reflective paper
Philosophical Chairs
• *Carousel brainstorming• Collaboration activity using writing, organization, and reading skills • Multiple writing prompts are written at the top of several pieces of chart paper • Individuals/Groups move from chart paper to chart paper, writing down multiple ideas in a “graffiti-style” process • Useful tool assists students in generating ideas to use with a subsequent and more complex writing assignment • Strategy allows students to offer ideas and react to the ideas of peers in a non-critical safe environment • Activity provides students an opportunity to discuss ideas and determine the focus of their assignment – Students should be provided the opportunity to debrief after the activity, as well as to write down some of the ideas of others to support their future writing assignment
Carousel Brainstorming
Carousel Brainstorming • Why do I want my students to write? • How can I use writing as an authentic assessment in my class? • What are the advantages to having my students write? • How does writing impact student learning? • How does writing impact my teaching?
Strategies • Give One, Get One• Similar to the carousel brainstorming activity • Students generate as many responses to a prompt as possible on a sheet of paper • After their final idea, students draw a line on their list of ideas and stand with their list in hand • In four or five minutes, they move about the room talking to as many other students as possible, sharing and exchanging ideas • Activity allows students the opportunity to discover the depth and breadth of a topic prior to writing about it
Give One, Get One
• • • • • • • • • •
Think-Pair-Share or Pair-ShareOpportunity for students to share thoughts and ideas, examine a question or writing prompt, and craft a collaborative response Students share work with a partner, articulate their own ideas and identify similarities and differences with their partner's ideas Provide rationale for their ideas, and build consensus through listening and understanding A writing prompt or question is shared with the class Students are instructed to Quick Write a response (including their rationale) for 3-5 minutes and then find a partner One partner shares their response to the question and their supporting rationale. The other partner listens. The instructor sets time limits appropriate to the question or prompt When the time has expired, the partners change roles, share and listen, and work toward consensus on at least one point When the time has expired for the second partner, students share their responses with the entire class This activity can be extended, adding another pair, forming foursomes
Pair-Share • Turn to a partner and share ideas from your Quick Write…
• “Reflect on the types of writing you have your students do throughout the semester”
Think-Pair-Share or Pair-Share
• Many students are required to develop presentation skills as part of their academic program or as part of their post-college professions
• These requirements often require public presentations, collaborative development, and the use of visual aids
Group Poster Board Presentation-
• Provides students with the opportunity to use and develop a variety of skills – – – – – – –
written communication active listening critical thinking verbal communication teamwork collaboration development of visual aids
• Students reflect on presentation skills and ability to complete a visual presentation demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of an assignment or concept • Goals of this activity are for students to work collaboratively, practice presentation skills, examine the challenges of presenting, and provide information in presentation format to classmates and instructor
• Jigsaw Groups-
• Used in a variety of courses where sequencing is an important skill to develop or where a larger quantity of information is needed to be broken down and processed • Helps students share in the understanding of a larger concept or reading, breaking it down and presenting a portion of it to the group as the "expert group" on the assigned passage or concept • Combines well with a modified Group Poster Presentation, with each section being detailed on a poster and presented to the group • After all groups have presented their passage or section, the whole group can discuss the entire reading or concept, and debrief the activity
Supporting Student Writing • Use high impact writing strategies… – Provide students with multiple opportunities in class to engage in the writing process – Provide instructor support and expertise in class while students explore a topic, concept, or writing prompt – Ask students to describe their understanding of the topic, concept, or writing prompt and – Think about how they might approach the writing process – Use low-stakes, informal, descriptive, reflective, and narrative prompts – Scaffold high-stakes, formal, expository/persuasive prompts
Peer Review • Tool for learning and an effective engagement strategy • Small groups, students listen to a peer draft being read and write at least three comments about the paper's strengths and three comments about areas needing improvement • Students generally care about how their writing appears to their peers • Small group review process facilitates growth/confidence in the writing process • Review/revise papers based on peer review prior to submitting first drafts to the instructor • Instructor facilitates this process in class, asking students to bring copies of their papers to class, at least one meeting prior first draft due date • Instructor allocates class time and facilitates the peer review process • Instructor provides a sample rubric to peer review groups to focus their comments and to guide them in the technical review process • Rubric gives students a clear sense of the instructor’s expectations • Students can address larger problems concerning structure and/or content before submitting their draft to the instructor • Allows instructor feedback to focus on the development of ideas
Peer Review
What questions do you have?
References •
Association of American Colleges and Universities (2008). College learning for the new global century. A report from the national leadership council for liberal education & America’s promise. Washington D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
• •
Advancement Via Individual Determination (2011). Postsecondary Strategies for Success: A Guide for Faculty and Student Affairs Professionals. AVID Press: San Diego, CA. Fulwiler, T. (1986). The argument for writing across the curriculum. In Young, A. & Fulwiler, T. (Eds.). Writing across the disciplines: Research into practice. Upper Montclair, NJ: Boynton/Cook.
•
Gottschalk, K. & Hjortshoj, K. (2004). The elements of teaching writing: A resource for instructors in all disciplines. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's.
•
National Survey of Student Engagement. (2008). Promoting engagement for all students: The imperative to look within. A Report from the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. Bloomington, IN.
•
Project CRISS (2012). Creating Independence through Student-owned Strategies.
Patti Huskin Assistant Professor, Special Education Department of Teacher and Bilingual Education Texas A & M University, Kingsville
This morning we will: • Look at course structure for the best student outcome in writing intensive or writing focused courses. • Look at and experience multiple activities to increase students’ learning, engagement, and success. • Look at how to incorporate multiple highengagement strategies into your own writing intensive/writing focused courses.
-For centuries colleges and universities have worked to improve student writing and learning through writing… -To correct students' shortcoming in writing proficiency… colleges and universities have adopted initiatives such as: -Writing Across The Curriculum, and -Writing In The Discipline Programs
-Integrating writing strategies into learning can result in improved student writing (Fulwiler, 1986)
This is not a new problem… “Of 414 English composition papers, nearly one half either passed unsatisfactorily or were conditioned. It can be said that one half of the total number of candidates for admission were unprepared in English preparation. They could not write their mothertongue with ease or correctness.” – Brereton, John C., Ed. The Origins of Composition Studies in the American College, 1875-1925: A Documentary History. Pittsburgh: U of Pittsburgh Press, 1995. Print.
• This curricular movement has been inspired by the premise that "writing is thinking“ • Suggesting that course writing activities increase students' learning and engagement – (The Association of American Colleges and Universities, 2008)
• Institutions are increasingly dedicating resources in supporting faculty to integrate Writing throughout their courses – (National Survey of Student Engagement, 2008)
• Many colleges and universities have developed quality enhancement programs (QEPs) to address student writing needs and require their students to complete at least one Writing Intensive course in their major field of study
• First class meeting… – Syllabus, Schedule of Assignments, Questions About Our Course – Class Norms and Expectations… – *Backwards Mapping (organization and planning activity) • We revisit this a few weeks later…
Class Norms Ask questions Engage fully Integrate new information Open your mind to diverse views Utilize what you learn in your teaching and • Write to learn • • • • •
Writing to Learn • The ability to write has a direct impact on one’s sense of self, one’s self-confidence, and one’s self-advocacy • Writing and learning are intimately related… • Writing well will help you become a better thinker… – it involves a series of intentional acts
• Writing is a fundamental “basic” skill
The rigors of writing… • • • •
Involves reading critically Developing hypotheses Conducting and evaluating research Communicating your findings with the conventions of our discipline
Writing Issues… • Attitude – both motivation and interest • Mechanical skills – spelling, punctuation, and grammar • Organizational skills – how to piece it together • Style – conventions appropriate to task and audience • Reasoning – thinking and logic • Knowledge – something to write about!
Student Active Engagement • The National Survey of Student Engagement (2008) states… – The amount of student writing was positively correlated with engagement,
• The more students wrote, the more they engaged in – – – –
active and collaborative learning student-faculty interactions enriching experiences deeper learning
• When designing a Writing Intensive/Focused course, instructors can: – Methodically plan the structure and assignments to increase students' success • (Formative vs Summative)
– Have students participate in activities that build on one another (scaffolding) – Have students explore, learn, and build on concepts throughout the course through assigned writing
When designing a Writing Intensive/Focused course, instructors can: • Have students participate in revisions of writing assignments based on instructor/peer responses • Allow students to revise/polish their writing in a "low-stakes" format before submitting final assignments • Allow students to gain mastery of concepts, discipline-specific vocabulary and terms, without fear of a high-stakes assignment
Student Active Engagement • Students engage in writing assignments in response to course readings and lecture content – Provides students an opportunity to use new terminology, concepts and vocabulary learned through reading and lectures – Allows students to answer questions asked by the instructor from readings / lectures
• Students should be given opportunities to engage in informal and/or reflective writing assignments about course content
Student Active Engagement • Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID) Postsecondary Strategies For Success (2011) and Project CRISS (Creating Independence through Student-owned Strategies) (2014) – Offers best practices and numerous strategies for instructors – High engagement strategies planned during each class meeting allows students to become comfortable and practiced with discipline specific-vocabulary, terminology, and concepts – Working collaboratively • builds strong peer relationships • fosters a classroom climate of cooperation and communication • builds a classroom community dedicated to student success
Strategies • Minute Papers and *Quick Writes-
• Helps students generate ideas • Allows students to think and connect course content to their thoughts • Instructors follow-up with discussion to help students deepen their understanding of the topic and content • Students articulate their thoughts while practicing the use of academic language and content-specific vocabulary • Students are provided opportunities to practice writing in a low-stakes format, reflect and expand on concepts previously covered in reading and lecture • An excellent way to help students make connections between writing and learning
*Quick Write… One-Minute Paper… “Reflect on the types of writing you have your students do throughout the semester”
Strategies • Know, Want/Need to Know, Learned or K-W-L – • Primarily an inquiry strategy, but students engage in writing, collaboration, organization and reading skills during this activity • Helps students identify what they already know about a subject or topic, what they need or want to know, and what they have learned in the process • Allows students to activate their background knowledge, and make valuable connections to their learning • A great tool to employ prior to lecture or giving students a writing prompt or to use as an assessment, and it works with the entire class, collaboratively and with individual students. • A variation of this strategy is 3-2-1…
Strategies
• Concept Mapping, Processing Organizer or Graphic Organizer-
– Inquiry strategies engage students in writing, reading, collaboration, and organizational skills – Requires students to make visual connections to their learning – Works well as an individual or small group activity – Beginning with a timed writing, brainstorming or quick write activity, students identify as many aspects of a concept as they can – Students work together to create a visual representation of the concept – Instructor provides textual conventions, students can draw circles containing concepts and lines with connecting phrases between the concepts
• Students can then share and critique the work of their peers, followed by a written reflection of the activity
Strategies• Philosophical ChairsCollaborative activity assists students in deepening their understanding of a text, subject, or position. Similar to a debate in format, it focuses on dialogue rather than competition • Builds on a prompt or position where contradictions exist • Students explore all positions through a collaborative process • Provides students with an opportunity to fluently use course specific vocabulary and academic language •
– Students are provided with a prompt with at least two interpretations and encouraged to keep an open mind. After reading the prompt, students can dialogue with a partner and complete a brain storm, articulating positions on both sides of the argument
• Instructor divides the class into three groups- Agree, *Neutral, or Disagree • Each group is given the opportunity to discuss their group’s position before the dialogue begins
Philosophical Chairs • Each position is stated one person at a time and only one person may speak at a time • Each group member is given the opportunity to speak during the activity • Students are reminded to address the ideas and not the person who stated them (or at the instructor) • Instructor remains neutral and encourages each participant to restate the previous argument or statement prior to stating their own position • Allows students an opportunity to hear and process the positions being stated • Students may move from one position to another as compelled by the statements presented • Dialogue should have a specific length of time and the facilitator may bring the discussion to a close at any time • Prior to the dialogue’s closing, participants are permitted to state their final opinion and which argument they found most compelling • Students should be provided the opportunity to debrief or reflect the process
• This collaborative activity provides students with a foundation for articulating their thoughts prior to a written assignment such as a position paper or reflective paper
Philosophical Chairs
• *Carousel brainstorming• Collaboration activity using writing, organization, and reading skills • Multiple writing prompts are written at the top of several pieces of chart paper • Individuals/Groups move from chart paper to chart paper, writing down multiple ideas in a “graffiti-style” process • Useful tool assists students in generating ideas to use with a subsequent and more complex writing assignment • Strategy allows students to offer ideas and react to the ideas of peers in a non-critical safe environment • Activity provides students an opportunity to discuss ideas and determine the focus of their assignment – Students should be provided the opportunity to debrief after the activity, as well as to write down some of the ideas of others to support their future writing assignment
Carousel Brainstorming
Carousel Brainstorming • Why do I want my students to write? • How can I use writing as an authentic assessment in my class? • What are the advantages to having my students write? • How does writing impact student learning? • How does writing impact my teaching?
Strategies • Give One, Get One• Similar to the carousel brainstorming activity • Students generate as many responses to a prompt as possible on a sheet of paper • After their final idea, students draw a line on their list of ideas and stand with their list in hand • In four or five minutes, they move about the room talking to as many other students as possible, sharing and exchanging ideas • Activity allows students the opportunity to discover the depth and breadth of a topic prior to writing about it
Give One, Get One
• • • • • • • • • •
Think-Pair-Share or Pair-ShareOpportunity for students to share thoughts and ideas, examine a question or writing prompt, and craft a collaborative response Students share work with a partner, articulate their own ideas and identify similarities and differences with their partner's ideas Provide rationale for their ideas, and build consensus through listening and understanding A writing prompt or question is shared with the class Students are instructed to Quick Write a response (including their rationale) for 3-5 minutes and then find a partner One partner shares their response to the question and their supporting rationale. The other partner listens. The instructor sets time limits appropriate to the question or prompt When the time has expired, the partners change roles, share and listen, and work toward consensus on at least one point When the time has expired for the second partner, students share their responses with the entire class This activity can be extended, adding another pair, forming foursomes
Pair-Share • Turn to a partner and share ideas from your Quick Write…
• “Reflect on the types of writing you have your students do throughout the semester”
Think-Pair-Share or Pair-Share
• Many students are required to develop presentation skills as part of their academic program or as part of their post-college professions
• These requirements often require public presentations, collaborative development, and the use of visual aids
Group Poster Board Presentation-
• Provides students with the opportunity to use and develop a variety of skills – – – – – – –
written communication active listening critical thinking verbal communication teamwork collaboration development of visual aids
• Students reflect on presentation skills and ability to complete a visual presentation demonstrating their knowledge and understanding of an assignment or concept • Goals of this activity are for students to work collaboratively, practice presentation skills, examine the challenges of presenting, and provide information in presentation format to classmates and instructor
• Jigsaw Groups-
• Used in a variety of courses where sequencing is an important skill to develop or where a larger quantity of information is needed to be broken down and processed • Helps students share in the understanding of a larger concept or reading, breaking it down and presenting a portion of it to the group as the "expert group" on the assigned passage or concept • Combines well with a modified Group Poster Presentation, with each section being detailed on a poster and presented to the group • After all groups have presented their passage or section, the whole group can discuss the entire reading or concept, and debrief the activity
Supporting Student Writing • Use high impact writing strategies… – Provide students with multiple opportunities in class to engage in the writing process – Provide instructor support and expertise in class while students explore a topic, concept, or writing prompt – Ask students to describe their understanding of the topic, concept, or writing prompt and – Think about how they might approach the writing process – Use low-stakes, informal, descriptive, reflective, and narrative prompts – Scaffold high-stakes, formal, expository/persuasive prompts
Peer Review • Tool for learning and an effective engagement strategy • Small groups, students listen to a peer draft being read and write at least three comments about the paper's strengths and three comments about areas needing improvement • Students generally care about how their writing appears to their peers • Small group review process facilitates growth/confidence in the writing process • Review/revise papers based on peer review prior to submitting first drafts to the instructor • Instructor facilitates this process in class, asking students to bring copies of their papers to class, at least one meeting prior first draft due date • Instructor allocates class time and facilitates the peer review process • Instructor provides a sample rubric to peer review groups to focus their comments and to guide them in the technical review process • Rubric gives students a clear sense of the instructor’s expectations • Students can address larger problems concerning structure and/or content before submitting their draft to the instructor • Allows instructor feedback to focus on the development of ideas
Peer Review
What questions do you have?
References •
Association of American Colleges and Universities (2008). College learning for the new global century. A report from the national leadership council for liberal education & America’s promise. Washington D.C.: Association of American Colleges and Universities.
• •
Advancement Via Individual Determination (2011). Postsecondary Strategies for Success: A Guide for Faculty and Student Affairs Professionals. AVID Press: San Diego, CA. Fulwiler, T. (1986). The argument for writing across the curriculum. In Young, A. & Fulwiler, T. (Eds.). Writing across the disciplines: Research into practice. Upper Montclair, NJ: Boynton/Cook.
•
Gottschalk, K. & Hjortshoj, K. (2004). The elements of teaching writing: A resource for instructors in all disciplines. Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin's.
•
National Survey of Student Engagement. (2008). Promoting engagement for all students: The imperative to look within. A Report from the Indiana University Center for Postsecondary Research. Bloomington, IN.
•
Project CRISS (2012). Creating Independence through Student-owned Strategies.
