Writing-to-learn in STEM

1. Writing-to-learnin STEM Julie Reynolds Duke University July 2012

2. Why should scientists teach writing? • What works? What do we know? • How do you study the impact of WTL?

3. Part 1: Why should scientists teach writing?

4. WTL pedagogies can • Deepen conceptual understanding • Reveal misconceptions • Acculturate students into discipline • Increase retention But….

5. What are the barriers to WTL in STEM?

6. Myth #1: STEM faculty don’t care about writing What evidence do we have that faculty don’t care?

7. MYTH 2: Writing isn’t integral to STEM write it up do research • draw • conclusions formulate problems analyze data plan and execute experiments

8. Scientist & Engineers always write Letters and emails Re-write for another audience do research Lab notebooks Incorporate reviewer’s comments formulate problems • submit manuscript Grant proposals experiments write it! Drafts analyze data • draw conclusions Drafts

9. …but are our STEM students? First-year writing “W” course “W” course

10. Myth 3: It’s the English department’s job….

11. Scientific writing ability = f(?) • # of undergrad English courses? • years at University? • exposure to sciwriting in other courses? • prior experience writing a scientific paper? Jerde CL, Taper ML. 2004. Preparing undergraduates for professional writing: evidence supporting the benefits of science writing within the biology curriculum. Journal of College Science Teaching 33: 33-37.

12. Myth 4: “But I can’t teach writing!”

13. WTL LTW • X Writing is visible thinking vs

14. Myth #5: A Few WID courses are enough Quality practice

15. Writing task (and associated learning outcomes) 1styear Pre- & Co-Requisites Core Course Cap-stone seminar Honor thesis Abstracts and summaries Lab notebooks, etc. Laboratory reports Op-eds/opinion pieces Research proposal Thesis, manuscript, book chapter • • • ? ? ? ? •

16. Writing task 1styear Pre- & Co-Requisites Core Course Cap-stone seminar Honor thesis Abstracts and summaries Lab notebooks, etc. Laboratory reports Op-eds/opinion pieces Research proposal Thesis, manuscript, book chapter • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

17. Myth 6: more assignments will improve writing Students will figure it out

18. Take Home Messages • Writing-to-learn pedagogies are under-utilized in STEM courses • Stem faculty can and should use writing to teach • Student need opportunities to practice disciplinary writing • Skill development occurs over time • Skills do not improve automatically • Writing assignments need to be carefully constructed, using full rhetorical context, structured opportunities for feedback (including peer review) • Modeling disciplinary ways of thinking socializes students into the discipline • Bowman MH, Stage FK. 2002. Personalizing the Goals of Undergraduate Research: Implementing Three Types of Goals. Journal of College Science Teaching 32: 120-125.

19. Part 2: What works? What do we know?

20. WTL Working group • Biology = 2 • Chemistry = 3 • Education = 1 • Engineering = 2 • Physics = 1 • Psychology = 1 • Writing = 2 • Workshop = 80 STEM faculty

21. Julie A. Reynolds, Christopher Thaiss, Robert J. Thompson, Jr, and Wendy Katkin, 2012. Writing-To-Learn in Undergraduate Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Education: A “bottom-up” approach to developing and adopting effective practices, CBE - Life Science Education Vol. 11, 17–25. Table 1: Key citations from the WTL in STEM bibliographic database that represent exemplary descriptive studies, empirically validated studies, and promising practices. The database, of 324 sources, can be searched by keywords. http://bit.ly/fjudgo

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24. Reconceptualize the role of writing in improving learning • Delineate specific learning objectives • Determine “mechanisms of effect” • Focus on critical reflection and argumentation • Adopt a “hybrid paradigm” for studies • Establish multi-university collaborative initiatives

25. Future efforts must be informed by: • theory and research on WTL • science of teaching and learning • Constructivism  beliefs, prior knowledge, and frameworks for interpretation • Metacognition  focus on sense-making, self-assessment, and reflection during learning • Metacognition  regulates cognition, emotions, and motivation • Neurocognitive development • learning changes the physical structure and functional organization of the brain • ongoing remodeling of the brain throughout college year

26. Research template What is the role of ___________________ in improving ________________________________ through impacting _______________________________ as a function of _______________________________ ? [specific practice] [disciplinary specific learning objective] [specific cognitive, motivational, emotional process; prior knowledge; beliefs] [course level, class size; discipline; level, background, and goals of the student; and institutional factors]

28. Part 3: How do you study the impact of WTL?

29. Discourse analysis of texts • Rubric • Rater training and calibration • Inter-rater reliability

33. Writing process • Guidelines for students • Guidelines for faculty • Timeline for revision • Cover letters • Response to feedback • Structured comments • Reader-based feedback • Timely feedback • Multiple revisions • Peer review

34. Rubric • Quality of research • Critical thinking skills • Writing skills