Amy Van Buren (Psychology)
Here are two ideas for incorporating student writing in the classroom: Both of these ideas come from a workbook I have on classroom assessment (Angelo & Cross, Classroom Assessment Techniques).
- The one-minute paper. After a lecture or class discussion, you ask students to spend one minute summarizing (in writing, of course) what they think was the most important (or interesting or surprising) point covered. You can also ask them to write down whatever lingering questions they have about the topic matter. I usually ask students to read what they have written. I am sometimes very surprised by what they have absorbed. I find this a great way to get students to integrate course material. I've also found that some students are more willing to speak up in class if they have written down their thoughts first.
- The “muddiest” point: This is an exercise in which you ask students to write a short paragraph describing what they think was the “muddiest” or most unclear point covered in class and why. This encourages them to think about what they have just heard and whether it makes sense to them. I find that when I do this, students are much more willing to ask for clarification than if I simply ask who has questions.
In addition to helping students make sense of class material, both of these exercises get them writing without worrying about writing perfectly, since I never collect the exercises. They also really help generate class discussion.