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Responding to student writing. A few tips. Peter Elbow, “About Responding” . Students learn from extensive writing. Do they learn from our comments? Comments are frequently misunderstood . Be humble in your comments.
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Responding to student writing A few tips
Peter Elbow, “About Responding” Students learn from extensive writing. Do they learn from our comments? Comments are frequently misunderstood. Be humble in your comments. The right way to comment: What will help this student on thistopic on thisdraft at thispoint in the semester? Consider a “cover letter” that gives you information about where the writer thinks she’s at.
Peter Elbow, “About Responding” Be clear (in advance) about what you think is important qualities of this assignment. Comment on those qualities. Read the whole paper without comments. Make checks by the parts that are most problematic. Remember: 2-3 major problems are all that students can address. Don’t get caught in “little spasms of unhelpful irritation.” Avoid the “voice of God” comments, since students know that another reader/teacher may respond differently. Ask students to write a response to tell you what they “hear” in your comments.
Erika Lindemann'sStrategies for Response • Read the paper once without marking. • Identify one or two problems. • Assume that there's a logic to what appears on the page (even if it isn't your logic). Formulate tentative hypotheses to explain the problem you want to focus on. • Examine what the student has done well. • NOW you’re ready to start commenting. • Avoid labeling problems unless you also give students a way of overcoming them. (The “No AWK rule”) • Don’t circle every mechanical problem. Show one or two instances (so they can “see”) and then have them search for other instances.
Rubrics! AKA: Your new best friend.
Rubrics: How to create a rubric? Think about your outcomes. What are the goals of this assignment? Once you think about your outcomes, then you can translate them into your “criteria” for assessment. Think about your varying levels of success. (Excellent/Average/Poor/etc. or 5/4/3/2/1) Add descriptive language for each level. (What makes something an “average” or “3” in this category?) Put your criteria and evaluations into a grid.
