Welcome to the second issue of our monthly newsletter! Dean Kara VanDam (School of General Education) kicks off this issue with “Do as I Say, Not as I Do: Best Practices in Writing Feedback.” Kara makes an excellent point about how we learn by doing—and that writing is certainly no exception. Regardless of our discipline, many of us can identify with the experience Dean VanDam had in college, and many of us struggled to find our way as writers. Her three indicators of valuable feedback are significant. We all have the ability to foster our students’ sense of accomplishment and empowerment—and giving them the tools to think critically about their writing and make marked improvements can do just that.
Other articles that will pique your curiosity about writing include one by Kurtis Clements, “Debunking the Myth of the Writing Center as Paper Review Service.” He exposes the dangers inherent in “editing” papers for students instead of nurturing the process of writing and gives a compelling argument for why we need to change our attitude. In “Autobiography Among the Blogs and Tweets,” Joni Boone explores how to find an academic “voice” using modern technology. She posits that texting and other informal modes of communication do not replace formal writing, but instead coexist. Kella Hammond discusses the notion of students and instructors as “co-inquirers” in the writing process and how writing truly is an exploratory, collaborative effort in “Beyond Kumbaya.”
Carolyn Stevenson maintains the key to successful virtual teams is learning to communicate effectively while working at a distance in, “Strength in Numbers.” In “A Unique Opportunity.” Tara King writes about the unique opportunity we have with WAC to help students. Echoing our first newsletter on how writing cannot be taught in 20 weeks of composition courses, Tara proposes that, since many of our students are scrambling to learn so many skills at once, we could use our WAC GEL program to help bring developmental skills to the forefront.
Erica Ellsworth discusses how using terminology specific to a particular field or discipline can help students more clearly understand what is expected in their writing projects. In “English for Insane People,” Mike Jensen, takes a humorous look at how the English language can drive people insane and notes some of the finer points of being a “guardian” of English.
Finally, Diane Martinez offers a thought-provoking look at the anatomy of a good writing assignment in “What Makes a Good Writing Assignment?” This article offers a number of very useful tips that can help course developers and instructors.
I hope you enjoy this issue and are moved to do a little writing of your own—as always, we welcome your suggestions and contributions.
[This article was originally published in our July, 2009 issue.]
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment