Writing Pedagogy

1. Writing Pedagogy “Every time a student sits down to write for us, he/she has to invent the university for the occasion--invent the university, that is, or a branch of it, like history or anthropology or economics or English. The student has to learn to speak our language, to speak as we do, to try on the peculiar ways of knowing, selecting, evaluating, reporting, concluding, and arguing that define the discourse of our community.” (David Bartholomae, “Inventing the University”)

2. Writing Pedagogy We are helping students move into the discourse community of a research university: introduce the idea of writing in the disciplines explain the research university as a community understand the “culture of evidence” (what counts as evidence in that community?) contrast the texts of students’ academic and non-academic lives

3. Writing Pedagogy To do this, we have to help students with: the process (pre-writing, writing, re-writing) the pieces (sentences, paragraphs, essays) the parts (introduction, body, conclusion) the “particulars” (content, structure, style, conventions)

4. Background “Teach the process!” Donald Murray, 1972 – shift from an emphasis on the product to the process…

5. Allatonceness On the other hand … [Ann Berthoff] said learning to write was like learning to ride a bike. You don't start by practicing handlebar skills, move on to peddling practice, and then finally learn balancing techniques. You get on the bike and fall off, get up and try again, doing all of those separate things all at once. At some point, you don't fall and you pedal off down the street. Berthoff said writing is a process that involves allatonceness (all-at-once-ness), and it's simply not helpful to try to practice the subskills separately. (Ballenger, The Curious Writer 9) the “allatonceness” is overwhelming if you don’t break writing down into subskills

6. “Revision” Umbrella term – from invention to research to revising Website – wrtgpedgagy page http://pwrfaculty.net/newfaculty/ wrtg-pedagogy Revision log – record & reflection – or any type of reflection (metacognitive activity)

7. The “Process” 1 strategies for pre-writing or invention fastwrite cherrypicking mapping PowerPoint as outlining tool “Tweet” your claim

8. The “Process” 2 writing or drafting multiple drafts workshopping critical thinking standards rhetorical analysis guided/thinking questions

9. The “Process” 3 re-writing or revising start big (claim/evidence/organization) and work down to the sentence level “allatonceness” – focus on one thing at each revision look at the pieces, the parts & the particulars “watch list” – identify your specific problems

10. The “Pieces” Strategies for the building blocks: Sentences (multiple versions, switch structure, read backwards, etc) Paragraphs (color-coded “map,” phrase descriptions, etc.) Essay (look at the content - guided questions, read conclusion first, etc.)

11. The “Parts” Strategies for looking at the whole: Introductions (read, then stop and list expectations, write alternate intros) Body (color-coded “map,” phrase descriptions) Conclusion (synthesize, look to the future, suggest further research, write alternates)

12. The “Particulars” Strategies for: Content (thesis generation/revision, mapping ideas, deepening analysis, etc.) Structure / Organization (reverse outline, “Frankenstein” draft, etc. ) Style (sentence length, verbs, “streamline,” read backward, etc.) Conventions (cut and paste individual sentences, know your patterns, etc.)

13. Workshopping A mechanism for offering students the chance to work on pieces, parts, etc.: small group activities large group (whole class) activities conferences (individual 0r small group)

14. Workshopping Logistics– how to assign? Random, number, planned, student choice All groups – same task Each group – specific task – one part of the whole Roleswithin groups Pairswork Accountability– guided questions, submit finished work (notes, etc.)

15. Reflective Writing Level 1: General, informal, catch-all “At this point, what are you most concerned about in writing this essay?”

16. Reflective Writing Level 2: A bit more specific and directed, in the midst of the process “Which element of your essay needs the most work right now—content (thesis, ideas, supporting evidence), structure (essay-level, paragraph-level), style (tone, vocabulary, voice, sentence syntax), conventions (spelling, grammar, punctuation? What are some strategies you can use to work on this element? Be specific.” Level 3: Final Reflection – more formal, asks students to define (comprehension) and demonstrate (application) their understanding of the assignment, as well as to reflect on their writing process and plan for their next writing task What’s your definition of a “textual analysis” essay? What is its purpose? (define) Write briefly about specific ways that your essay fulfills your definition of a textual analysis essay. Feel free to quote yourself or refer to specific passages in your essay. (demonstrate) If you had more time, how would you further develop the content of the essay? (directs attention to the specific focus for this essay – the content) Which stage of the writing process was the most successful (not necessarily the easiest): discovery, invention, drafting, revising, editing/proofing? Why? What strategies did you use? (Be specific.) (process and strategies) Which stage was most difficult? What strategies could you use in your next essay to help with this? (process and strategies, moving forward) Take time to proof your paper one last time. If you find something that needs to be changed, correct it on your essay.

17. Reflective Writing Level 3: Final Reflection – more formal, asks students to define (comprehension) and demonstrate (application) their understanding of the assignment, as well as to reflect on their writing process and plan for their next writing task

18. Reflective Writing What’s your definition of a “textual analysis” essay? What is its purpose? (define) Write briefly about specific ways that your essay fulfills your definition of a textual analysis essay. Feel free to quote yourself or refer to specific passages in your essay. (demonstrate) If you had more time, how would you further develop the content of the essay? (directs attention to the specific focus for this essay – the content) Which stage of the writing process was the most successful (not necessarily the easiest): discovery, invention, drafting, revising, editing/proofing? Why? What strategies did you use? (Be specific.) (process and strategies) Which stage was most difficult? What strategies could you use in your next essay to help with this? (process and strategies, moving forward)