Active Writing ently,than when they think they should model the opaque, stilted prose they associate with academic style and language TheIntention Note:Even when provided explicit instructions for a writ- Some commonly used short writing assignments ask ing assignment,many students may not understand what is students to reiterate what the instructor has said in class or what an authoritative document,such as a textbook or required of them.A good way to inform students of what you expect is to create and model(briefly)their writing assign- article.has stated. ments by offering an example that reflects the limits within Many of the following suggestions build on those short writ- which the students will write. ing assignments by asking students to think in writing about For example,if they will be able to produce only a first draft those facts.concepts.and issues delivered by content experts then a model should not be perfect or the result of many As students"think in writing"they clarify the material for drafts,and should contain the same kinds of flaws that would themselves and see what they understand and what they need appear in a typical example. help in making sense ofit. Through writing,students order and organize the material so they can comprehend both the larger picture and the sup The Activities:For Individuals porting details-building a ladder of abstraction that helps Submitting questions them see the relation among topics and subtopics Ask students to write down and submit any questions Students can use writing to explore a topic or class material, they have at the end of each class. using the pen as a flashlight that provides them the opportu The answers to these questions become the beginningo nity and the confidence to think beyond the statements the next class. and thoughts of others and to forge connections among isolated concepts. This technique can be used to gauge student learning,as well as to motivate students to listen.It also providesa In their work Promoting Active Learning,Meyers and Jones way to review course material before moving forward (1993)suggest that when students are directed to write for specific"rhetorical contexts"-a specific audience,situation and purpose-they are more apt to write clearly and coher- Page 80 Instruction at FSU Handbook 2010Page 80 Instruction at FSU Handbook 2010 Active Writing The Intention Some commonly used short writing assignments ask students to reiterate what the instructor has said in class or what an authoritative document, such as a textbook or article, has stated. Many of the following suggestions build on those short writ￾ing assignments by asking students to think in writing about those facts, concepts, and issues delivered by content experts. As students “think in writing” they clarify the material for themselves and see what they understand and what they need help in making sense of it. Through writing, students order and organize the material so they can comprehend both the larger picture and the sup￾porting details - building a ladder of abstraction that helps them see the relation among topics and subtopics. Students can use writing to explore a topic or class material, using the pen as a flashlight that provides them the opportu￾nity and the confidence to think beyond the statements and thoughts of others and to forge connections among isolated concepts. In their work Promoting Active Learning, Meyers and Jones (1993) suggest that when students are directed to write for specific “rhetorical contexts” - a specific audience, situation, and purpose - they are more apt to write clearly and coher￾ently, than when they think they should model the opaque, stilted prose they associate with academic style and language. Note: Even when provided explicit instructions for a writ￾ing assignment, many students may not understand what is required of them. A good way to inform students of what you expect is to create and model (briefly) their writing assign￾ments by offering an example that reflects the limits within which the students will write. For example, if they will be able to produce only a first draft, then a model should not be perfect or the result of many drafts, and should contain the same kinds of flaws that would appear in a typical example. The Activities: For Individuals Submitting questions • Ask students to write down and submit any questions they have at the end of each class. • The answers to these questions become the beginning of the next class. • This technique can be used to gauge student learning, as well as to motivate students to listen. It also provides a way to review course material before moving forward