Writing as Process
Faculty used processes to improve writing (pre-writing, research, thesis development, multiple drafts, revisions, conferences, etc.).
About
Faculty who use this activity have a strong commitment to improving their students’ critical thinking abilities, and feel that practicing writing is one of best ways to improve. They are willing to spend considerable time teaching and practicing the various components of the writing process, from brainstorming and idea generation, to research into and reading of various texts and scholars, to structuring, drafting, revising, and editing their work. They believe that explicit engagement with the analytic process develops habits of thought and performance that significantly improve their students final written work. They also understand that it may not result in all students improving, and that the significant investment in time and feedback may produce highly variable end results (like all activities). Though writing is broadly used in all disciplines, there are certainly some that are more writing intensive, and this activity will continue to appeal top them for the above-mentioned benefits, and for the deepened engagement with ideas and concepts that results.
The original study's data and analysis for "Writing as Process" can be found on this link.
What Faculty Have To Say
Strengths (9)
- Encourages writing as a process, not a product
- Deepens engagement with class readings
- Improves class discussion
- Improves their work habits
- Teaches patience and craft
- Connects reading, thinking, and writing
- Teaches critical thinking
- Puts them in conversation with other scholars
- Helps build their own arguments improves their critical thinking
Weaknesses (7)
- Time consuming for faculty and students
- Requires a lot of grading, personal meetings, and feedback before improvements are seen
- Requires a commitment to mentoring
- Can be more work for students
- Students resist changing their work habits
- Can be disliked and cause pushback
- Highly variable final products
Pedagogy Usage
Bucknell faculty was asked their best estimate for how often in the semester they used Writing as Process and the average class time it took.
Average Duration: 30 min (mode=30)
Remote Suggestions
Most of the writing tools of the last decade have improved to the point where almost everyone writes in a digital format. Students come to college well skilled in using programs like Google Docs, and cloud-based storage makes these documents avaiable across mutiple devices. These improvements makes it easy for online instructors to see early drafts (via sharing or email), add comments to the document, and even share, discuss and edit a document while in a video-call with the student. This makes teaching and managing the writing process manageable and collaborative, whether face to face or remote.
Resources for Additional Learning
Articles & Books
- Teaching Writing as Process, Dartmouth Institute for Writing and Rhetoric:
- Resources for Writers: The Writing Process. http://cmsw.mit.edu/writing-and-communication-center/resources/writers/writing-process/
- A Cognitive Process Theory of Writing, Linda Flower and John R. Hayes.
Websites
- STEM Writing-to-Learn Database, Duke University (RefWorks RefShare)
- George Mason University Teaching Resources