Can you remember the last project you wrote for a single reader? How about the last one you finished in one draft and with zero input from peers? In papers written for one reader (the instructor) without peer feedback (classmates), learners face an artificial situation. They write to perform—not to communicate, the purpose of most… Read more »
Reading: The Partner of Good Writing
Without reading well, students can’t write well. The two skills cannot be disentangled. Yet, in my writing courses, I’ve often lamented that students don’t seem to be completing or comprehending the reading assignments. Why aren’t they reading? My colleagues Sarah Pedzinksi and Madeleine Gonin lay out five common barriers and some solutions in their post,… Read more »
Articulating the “Why” Behind Your AI Stance to Students
A few millennia ago, Plato was anxious about a new technology called writing, fearing it would degrade people’s capacity for memory. Writing took hold, of course, despite the philosopher’s qualms. Today, we all accept writing as an indispensable tool for sharing knowledge and expressing the self. But new technologies are shaking up our educational philosophies… Read more »
Bad Ideas about Writing
We all hold a lot of beliefs about writing, especially what “good writing” is and how it ought to be taught. But what if a lot of our assumptions are wrong? That’s the premise of Bad Ideas About Writing (2017), a collection of essays that is also available as a podcast. Lydia Wilkes, who earned… Read more »
Welcome to our new Writing Specialist, Layli Miron
We are so excited to welcome Layli Miron, our new Lead Instructional Consultant who specializes in integrating writing into teaching. Layli will consult with instructors on using writing to support students’ learning. For a full list of the services she can provide, check out the “Consultations” section of our Campus Writing Program page. Please tell… Read more »