Writing to Learn Booklet July2017 - Maynooth University · is a good warm up and brainstorming technique. It is often used with a prompt which can It is often used with a prompt which

WritingtoLearn:in-classwritingactivities

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IntroductiontoWritingtoLearn:in-classwritingactivities.Thereisstrongresearchtosuggestthatactivelearningleadstodeeperlearningandimprovedretentionofthatwhichislearned.Equally,thereisafirmresearchbasisfortheeffectivenessofwritingasaformofenquiryandabeneficiallearningtool.Inthismanner,writingcanbeusedasathinkingandacommunicationtool;writingcanhelpustoworkoutwhatitiswewanttosayaswellasbeingameansthroughwhichwecanarticulateourideas.In-classwritingcombinesactivelearningwithwritingtolearn.Shortwritingexercisesusedinclasscanhelptoreinforcelearningandtosparkideas,aswellashelpingstudentstoworkoutwhatitistheyaretryingtounderstandand/orsay.In-classwritingactivitiescanbringvarietytoaclassroomandcanpromotegoodwritingprocesses.Theycanalsobeusedtospringboarddiscussionandtopromptquestions.Theycanbeprivateorpublic.Often,studentsdonotsharethisinformalwritingbutoccasionally,whereappropriateandhighlightedinadvanceofthewriting,studentsmightdiscusstheideasthattheywroteaboutwithotherseitherinpairsorsmallgroups;alternatively,theymightreadtheirworktoeachotherortothewholeclass.Werecommendthatwhenateacher/facilitatorasksagrouptowriteinclass,thattheteacher/facilitatoralsocompletesthewritingassignmentwiththegroup.Webelievethisismodellinggoodpractice.Withsomeoftheseactivities,particularlytheonesthathelpteacherstoassesslearning,itmaybeappropriatetocollectthewriting.Ifandwhenthisisgoingtohappen,studentsshouldbetoldinadvancethatthelecturerwilltakeupthework.Generally,thesepiecesofwritingcanbeanonymous.Allofthefollowingwritingactivitiescanbecompletedindividually;manycouldalsobedoneinpairsorinsmallgroupsfordifferentpurposes.Thisshortbookletismadeupoftwoparts.PartOneisalistofverybriefdescriptionsofin-classwritingactivities.Italsoincludessomegreaterdetailonfreewritingandfurtheradviceonteachingwithinformalwriting;bothoftheseinputsaretakenverbatimfromtheUniversityofMinnesota’sCentreforWritingwebsite.PartTwocontainsonepagedescriptionsofin-classwritingactivities.Theseplansmaybeusefulforcolleagueswhoarestartingoutwithin-classwriting;manyofthesearedrawnfromtheexcellentAngeloandCross(1993,1998)textClassroomAssessmentTechniques.Wehavefinishedthebookletwithaverylimitedlistofpublications/websiteswhichdescribeingreaterdetailsomeofthein-classwritingideasand/orincludeinformationonlongerin-classwritingassignments.Feedbackonhowyouhaveusedthisbookletortheseactivitiesisverywelcome;[email protected].

MaynoothUniversityWritingCentre

RegionalWritingCentre,UniversityofLimerickMay2017

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TableofContents

PartOne:ListofIdeas.......................................................................................................3Freewriting..........................................................................................................................................................................3Connotations.......................................................................................................................................................................3WritethePicture...............................................................................................................................................................3Metaphors............................................................................................................................................................................3ListandPrioritise.............................................................................................................................................................3Keywords.............................................................................................................................................................................4Tweet......................................................................................................................................................................................4WriteanAbstract..............................................................................................................................................................4WriteaDialogue................................................................................................................................................................4ReadandReact...................................................................................................................................................................4ProcessAnalysis................................................................................................................................................................4Blue-SkyWriting...............................................................................................................................................................5MindtheGAPS....................................................................................................................................................................5AdmitSlips...........................................................................................................................................................................5Annotations.........................................................................................................................................................................5GlossaryofTerms.............................................................................................................................................................5LadybirdVersion...............................................................................................................................................................5RespondingtoaText.......................................................................................................................................................5MCQWriting........................................................................................................................................................................5ProblemSolving................................................................................................................................................................5Problematizing...................................................................................................................................................................6ExplainaGraph..................................................................................................................................................................6BlogandReply...................................................................................................................................................................6Proofreading.......................................................................................................................................................................6TextCompletion................................................................................................................................................................6WhatCountsasFacts......................................................................................................................................................6LetterstoAuthors.............................................................................................................................................................6CubingTopics.....................................................................................................................................................................7JournalisticQuestions.....................................................................................................................................................7Rewriting..............................................................................................................................................................................7TheBelievingGameandtheDoubtingGame.......................................................................................................7Limericks..............................................................................................................................................................................7

Freewriting:GreaterDetail...............................................................................................8

TeachingwithInformalWritingAssignments:SomeNotesonProcedure.........................9

PartTwo:OnePageIn-ClassWritingPlans......................................................................11StopStartContinue.......................................................................................................................................................12PunctuatedLecture.......................................................................................................................................................13TheMinutePaper(alsoknownas‘TheOneMinutePaper’).....................................................................14MuddiestPoint................................................................................................................................................................15IfOnly….............................................................................................................................................................................16Handouts...........................................................................................................................................................................17DirectedParaphrasing.................................................................................................................................................18ChainNotes.......................................................................................................................................................................19FocusedListing...............................................................................................................................................................20MemoryMatrix...............................................................................................................................................................21MemoryMatrix:WorkedExamples.......................................................................................................................22

UsefulResources............................................................................................................23

References.....................................................................................................................24

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PartOne:ListofIdeas

FreewritingFreewritingiswritingforagivenamountoftime,usuallyfornopublicaudience,infullsentences(notbulletpoints),inaninformalmanner,withoutstopping.Thefacilitatorkeepstimewhichisusuallyshort,e.g.fiveminutes,andwriteswiththegroup.Freewritingisagoodwarmupandbrainstormingtechnique.Itisoftenusedwithapromptwhichcanbeanincompletestatementoraquestion.Onepromptwhichweuseinwritinggroupswhenwearetryingtoexplorewritingprocessesis:‘WhenIhaveapieceofwritingtodoforcollegethefirstthingIdois…’Furtherinformationaboutfreewritingisincludedattheendofthisdocument.

ConnotationsThefacilitatorsuggestsawordandasksstudentstowriteanyconnotationsofthatwordthatcometomind.Theexercisecouldbephrasedasfollows:Writedownanywordsthatcometomindwhenyouthinkof‘counterculture’;whenyouthinkof‘management’;whenyouthinkof‘climatechange’;whenyouthinkof‘poverty’,etc.

WritethePictureThefacilitatorasksstudentstothinkofanimagethatcommunicatesanideaforthem,forexample,whatimagecommunicateseffectiveleadershiptoyou?Itmightbeaconductor,afootballcoach,aschoolprincipal,ateamcaptain,etc.Thefacilitatorthenasksstudentstowriteaboutthatimageorpersoninasmuchdetailastheycanandtoexplainhowtheimagerepresentstheidea.

MetaphorsThefacilitatorasksstudentstodescribeanideaortopicbyfinishingthisphrase:‘GDPislike…’‘Child-centredschoolsarelike…’Studentsmightjustfinishthesentenceortheymightfreewriteforacoupleofminutesusingthestartofthesentenceasaprompt.

ListandPrioritiseStudentscouldbeaskedtolistorbrainstormtheircurrentconcernsaboutatopicfromthetrivialtotheveryserious.Whentheyhavelistedtheirconcernstheyareaskedtoreview

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themandprioritisebyansweringthefollowingquestioninwriting:whataremytopthreeconcernsandwhydotheymatter?

KeywordsStudentsareaskedtosuggestkeywordsfromapieceofin-classreading.Alternatively,studentsmightbuildashortpieceoftextfromagivenlistofkeywords.

TweetStudentswriteatweetaboutanyideabeingdiscussedinclass.Theyneedtofollowtheconventionsoftweeting,includingthelimitationonnumberofcharacters.TheTweetscouldbeshared(ornot)withtheclass.

WriteanAbstractAbstractsaretypicallywrittenattheendofwritingprojects.However,draftinganabstractatthestartofawritingprojecthelpstohoneone’sthinkingaboutthepurposeoftheproject.Studentscouldbeaskedtowritetheabstractforawritingassignmentthattheyhaveoraprojecttheyaregoingtodobeforetheystartandatintervalsduringtheproject.Theseabstractscouldbeasshortas100wordsforthisexercise.

WriteaDialogueStudentsareaskedtowriteadialogueaboutacourserelatedtopic.Studentswouldbegiventhefirstfewlinesofthedialogueandthecharactersinvolved,forexample,‘Writeadialoguebetweenyouandanolderperson(perhapsyourgrandmother)aboutescapeattemptsfrominternmentcampsinWorldWarII.Beginwiththefollowingtwolines’:

Grandmother:‘What’sthisyouweresayingabouttheBritishtryingtogetoutofFrance?Whatwasit?’

Student: ‘Wellitwascomplicated.TheBritishmostlywantedtogethomebutitwasn’teasy.’

Grandmother:‘Whynot?’

ReadandReactPresentascenario,dilemmaorcasestudytostudentsandaskthemtowriteaboutwhattheywoulddoiftheyfacedthissituation.Thiswritingmaybequitereflectiveinstyle.

ProcessAnalysisStudentsdescribe,intheirownwords,thechronologicalsequenceofstepsthatexplainhowsomethingisdone,howsomethinghappensorhowaconclusionisreached.Theyshouldwriteasthoughtheyareprovidinginstructions;thiswritingisoftenquitetechnicalinnature.

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Blue-SkyWritingStudentsareaskedtowriteabouttheblue-skyorperfectversionofsomething,e.g.theperfectsolutiontohomelessness,theperfectschool/university,theidealorganisation,etc.

‘MindtheGAPS’StudentsareaskedtoconsiderawritingassignmentthattheyhaveintermsofitsGAPS,i.e.whatistheGenre?WhoistheAudience?WhatisthePurpose?WhatistheStance–whereareyoucomingfrom,whatisyourcase/argument?Studentscoulddothesameinreactiontoapieceofwriting/reading.

AdmitSlipsStudentwriteforacoupleofminutes‘admitting’somethingthattheydon’tunderstandandexplainingwhytheyhavetroublewithit.

Annotations‘(An)annotationtypicallyasksstudentstonotekeyideasandbrieflyevaluatestrengthsandweaknessesinanarticle.Inparticular,annotationsoftenaskstudentstonotethepurposeandscopeofareadingandtorelatethereadingtoaparticularcourseproject.Youcanhavestudentsannotate(andeventuallycompare)readingsassignedfortheclass,oryoucanaskstudentstocompileannotationstosupplementthecoursereadings.Eachstudent'sannotationscanbedistributedtotheclassinonehandoutorthroughelectronicmedia(Webforum,email).’(‘Annotations’n.d.)

GlossaryofTermsStudentsareaskedtowritedictionarytypedefinitions.

LadybirdVersionStudentsareaskedtowriteaverysimplebutaccurateexplanationofsomething,asthoughtheyweregoingtoteachittoaclasspupilsaged7-8years.

RespondingtoaTextStudentsareaskedtomarkupatextwithquestionsthattheyhaveforthewriter.

MCQWritingDuringorindeedattheendofaclass,studentsareaskedtowriteoneMultipleChoiceQuestion(MCQ)onthecontentoftheclass.Teacherscancollecttheseandusethegoodonestobeginthenextsessionwiththegroup.

ProblemSolvingPresentareallifeproblem/dilemmatostudents(fromanewspaper,forexample)andaskthemtowriteasolution.Thisisinformalwriting.Afterpresentingtheproblemtothe

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groupthestudentcouldbegivenaroleandaskedtosuggestasolution,e.g.‘IfyouweretheMinisterforEducationandyouwerefacedwiththisproblem,whatwouldyoudo?’

Problematizing ‘Afteryouintroduceanewconceptinyourcourse,askstudentstowriteoutatheoreticalorpracticalproblemthattheconceptmighthelptosolve.’(‘TheProblemStatement’n.d.)

ExplainaGraphStudentsareaskedtotranslateagraphintoashortpieceoftext.

BlogandReplyStudentsareaskedtoreadablogpostandtowriteashortreplyinthesamestyle.

ProofreadingStudentsareaskedtoproofreadapieceoftext.Guidelinesshouldbeprovidedtostudentsonwhattolookforinthetext.

TextCompletionStudentsareaskedtocompleteapieceoftext.ThepiececouldbeeithergivenasahandoutorpostedaspartofaPowerPointpresentation.Forexample,studentscouldbeaskedtoadd5or6linestothispieceoftext:

‘INTHE20thcenturytheplanet’spopulationdoubledtwice.Itwillnotdoubleevenonceinthecurrentcentury,becausebirthratesinmuchoftheworldhavedeclinedsteeply.Butthenumberofpeopleover65issettodoublewithinjust25years.Thisshiftinthestructureofthepopulationisnotasmomentousastheexpansionthatcamebefore.Butitismorethanenoughtoreshapetheworldeconomy.’(‘AgeInvaders’n.d.)

‘Thedoublingofthepopulationwillhavemanyimplications.Inthefirstinstance…’

WhatCountsasFacts‘Selecttwoormoretreatmentsofthesameissue,problemorresearch.Forexample,youmightbringinanarticleonanewdietdrugfromUSAToday,TheWallStreetJournal,andtheJournalofDietetics.Askstudentstowriteaboutwhatconstitutesprooforfactsineacharticleandexplainwhythearticlesdrawondifferentkindsofevidence,aswellastheamountofevidencethatsupportsstatedconclusions.’(‘WhatCountsasaFact?’n.d.)

LetterstoAuthorsStudentsareaskedtowriteapersonalresponsetoanassignedreadingintheformofaletteroremail.Thewritingshouldbeinformalintone.

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CubingTopicsStudentsaregivenatopicwhichtheyapproachfromsixsides:

1. describeit2. compareit3. associateitwithsomethingelsetheyknow4. analyseit,i.e.breakitintoparts5. applyittoasituation6. arguefororagainstit

Thiscouldresultinalongwritingexercise,soyoumightjustaskstudentstodosomeoftheelements.

JournalisticQuestionsStudentsareaskedtoconsiderthewho,what,where,how,when,howandwhyofatopic.

RewritingStudentsareaskedtorewriteorcorrectashortwoollypieceoftextinordertomakeitclearerandmoreaccurate.

TheBelievingGameandtheDoubtingGame‘FirstespousedbyPeterElbow,thiswritingactivitysimplycallsforstudentstowritebriefly

• first,insupportofanidea,concept,methodology,thesis;• second,inoppositiontoit’.(‘TheBelievingGameandtheDoubtingGame’n.d.)

Thisexercisecanbeveryshort;itmightonlyinvolvetwoorthreelinesinsupportandinopposition.Alternatively,halftheclasscouldwriteinsupportandhalfinoppositionandthecontributionssharedinaGoogledocumentorthroughlivechatonanonlinelearningplatform.

LimericksAlimerickisshortversewithaparticularrhymeschemeandrhythm.Hereisanexample:‘ThereoncewasamilkmaidnamedMabel,Whoatmilkingwasnotveryable.Sotogetthethingright,Shewouldpractiseeachnight,Withsausagesunderthetable.Studentsareaskedtowritealimerickaboutacourserelatedidea.Theymaywishtosharethese.

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Freewriting:GreaterDetail‘Freewriting,aformofautomaticwritingorbrainstormingtrumpetedbywritingtheoristPeterElbow,requiresstudentstooutruntheireditorialanxietiesbywritingwithoutstoppingtoedit,daydream,orevenponder.Inthistechnique,allassociatedideasareallowedspaceonthepageassoonastheyoccurinthemind.Five-minuteboutsoffreewritingcanbeusefulbeforeclasstosparkdiscussion;inthemiddleofclasstoreinvigorate,recapitulate,orquestion;andattheendofclasstosummarize.Itisalsousefulatmanypointsinthedraftingprocess:duringtheinventionstageasstudentssiftfortopics,andduringthedraftingprocessastheyworktodevelop,position,ordeepentheirownideas.Thereareatleasttwotypesoffreewritingassignments:focusedandunfocused.Focusedfreewritesallowstudentsopportunitiestoinitiateordeveloptheirthinkingonatopical,instructor-suppliedprompt,forexample,“Whatisavirus?”Unfocusedfreewrites,ontheotherhand,allowstudentstosimplycleartheirmindsandprepareforcontentactivity.Ineitherform,studentsareinstructedtowritegenericphraseslike“Ican’tthinkofanythingtosay,Ican’tthinkof…”or“Nothingnothingnothing”iftheirmindsgoblank.Oncetheirself-consciousnessorresistancelowers,ideaswillbegintoflowagain.It’simportant,particularlyinthecaseoffocusedfreewrites,thatstudentstakeafewmomentsafterthetimerhasgoneofftoreadoverwhatthey’vewritten,highlightingusefulandinterestingideasthatmaybeglitteringfromamidsttheverbalrubble[…].Theseinsightsmightthenbedevelopedintoformalwritingassignments,oratleastbecontributedtodiscussions.Notealsothatfreewritingisoftenpersonalandmessy.Itshouldbealow-stakeswritingactivityforstudents,andshouldthereforeremainungraded.’

(Flashn.d.,a)

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TeachingwithInformalWritingAssignments:SomeNotesonProcedure

• Whenintroducingtheactivity,givestudentsyourrationaleforassigningit.Avoidcharacterizingitasa‘funlittlewritingactivity.’

• Ifyou’reusingaprompt,presentitbothorallyandvisuallybywritingitontheboardorprojectingitonthescreen.Exceptionsincludedisciplineswhereresponsetooralinstructionsisvalued.

• Wheneverpossible,dotheactivityyourselfbeforepresentingittostudentsand/ordoitalongwiththemintheclass.Thismakesasignificantimpactonstudentmotivation.

• Beforestudentswrite,describenextsteps.Willthewritingbecollected?discussed?includedinanassignmentportfolio?graded?Ifstudentsaregoingtobeabletobetrulyinformal,theyneedtoknowthattheyaren’tgoingtobejudgedonthequalityoftheirexploratorywriting.

• Beclearabouttimelimits(‘I’llstopyouin5minutes’)andwhentimeisalmostover,giveaone-minuteor30-secondwarning.

• Atthecompletionoftheassignment,askstudentstoreflectoninsightsanddevelopments.

• Ifyoucollectstudentwriting,summarize,oratleasthighlightandcommentonyourfindingsduringasubsequentclass.

EffectiveWrite-to-LearnAssignments...

• Areshort(3-15minutes)• Askstudentstowriteaword,asentence,question,oraparagraphortwo• Areintegrated(explicitly)intoclasscontent,objectives,andactivity,and,are

optimally,utilizedinsubsequentwritingprojects• Elicitmultipleresponses• Whereappropriate,receivesomecontent-focused(versusmechanics-focused)

response• Aren'tformallygraded,but[could]counttowardaportionofthegrade

NowWhat?:RespondingtoInformalWritingIftheprimarypurposeofinformalwritingislearning(ratherthancommunicatingwhathasbeenlearned)andiftheintendedaudienceisusuallylimitedtothewriter,howareinstructorsadvisedtogradeorrespondtothewritinggeneratedbytheseactivities?Unlikefinishedstudentworkelicitedbymoreformalassignments,informalwritingisnotassessedforstyleorgrammar;you’veaskedstudentstoformulateandpursueideasinacreativeandpotentiallymessyprocess.Withthisinmind,considerthefollowingstrategiesforworkingwithcompletedinformalassignments:ForIn-ClassShort-Writes:• Donothingmore:continuewiththediscussion,demonstration,orlecture,confident

thattheactivitysucceededinallowingstudentstodeepentheirunderstandingofthetargetcontent.

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• Followtheactivitybygivingstudentsclasstimetovoiceideasand/orquestionstheymayhaveuncoveredbywriting.Inlargeclasses,askstudentstodiscussideasfromtheirwritingwithapeerinordertoshareorsynthesizeresponsesthatyouthenpullintodiscussion.

• Collectthewritingwithorwithoutstudentnames.Youcanreadthemquicklyforyourowninformation,andthensummarizethisinformationinthenextclasssession,oryoucangradethem(check,checkminus,checkplus).

• Askstudentstokeeptheirwritinguntilthesemester’send,thenhandintheirfivebestforgrading.

GradingInformalWritingAssignments:Respondwithasimplecheckplus(excellent),check(satisfactory),orcheckminus(sub-adequate)and,iftimeislimited,minimalcomments:

‘Yourinsightsonissuesrelatingtoprivacyinhealthcarereportingarestrongandcouldbedevelopedintoacompellingargument!’

‘You’venamedsomeofthemostimportantissuesinvolvedwithprivacyandhealthcare,butdon’tdevelopanyofthempersuasively.’

‘You’vesummarizedthearticlesandhaverespondedthoughtfully,butdon’tanswertheassignedquestion.’

(Flashn.d.,b)

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PartTwo:OnePageIn-ClassWritingPlans StopStartContinue...............................................................................................................12PunctuatedLecture...............................................................................................................13TheMinutePaper(alsoknownas‘TheOneMinutePaper’)...............................................14MuddiestPoint......................................................................................................................15IfOnly…................................................................................................................................16Handouts...............................................................................................................................17DirectedParaphrasing...........................................................................................................18ChainNotes...........................................................................................................................19FocusedListing......................................................................................................................20MemoryMatrix.....................................................................................................................21MemoryMatrix:WorkedExamples......................................................................................22

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StopStartContinueAimofActivity TogetquickfeedbackfromstudentsPreptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize RiskNone 2-3mins Approx2mins

per20studentsAny Low

Materials,Tools,ResourcesPlanningtheActivity:StepsImplementingtheActivity:StepsVariations/ExtensionActivitiesComments

(Rapidbi2016)

• Piecesofpaper/post-its

• Reservethreeminutesattheendofclassfortheactivity.

• Askallstudentstowriteonapieceofpaperwhattheywouldlikeyoutostart,stopandcontinueintermsofyourteachingofaparticulartopic.

• Givestudentstwominutestowrite.• Askstudentstoleavethepiecesofpaperatthefront/backoftheroomontheir

wayout.• Reviewwhatthestudentshavewritten.

• Summarisethestudents’commentsandtellthestudentsaboutthecommentsyoureceivedandwhatyouplantodoaboutthem.

• Trythismorethanonceinthesemester–twiceoratthebeginning,middleandendofsemester.

• Veryquickeasywaytofindoutwhatstudentsthinkaboutyourteachingofatopic.

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PunctuatedLectureAimofActivity Tofocusstudentsonhowandwhattheyarelearningwithinasession.Preptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize Risk5mins 3-6mins 15-30mins Any Low-

MediumMaterials,Tools,ResourcesPlanningtheActivity:StepsImplementingtheActivity:StepsVariations/ExtensionActivitiesComments

(AngeloandCross1993,pp.303-306)

• Questionspre-prepared.

• Choosealecture/sessionwhereyouareintroducingnew/complexmaterial.• Decideonthequestionsandwhentostop/‘punctuate’thesession.

• Stopthelectureandaskstudentstoconsiderthefollowingquestions;e.g.whatwereyoudoingtorecordtheinformationyouwerereceiving?Howsuccessfulwereyou?Whatwereyoudoingtomakeconnectionsbetweenthe‘new’informationandwhatyoualreadyhave?Whatdidyouexpecttocomenextinthelectureandwhy?(2mins)

• Askstudentstowritedowntheirresponses(2-3mins).• Repeatatanotherappropriateinterval.• Collectstudents’responsesandreview.

• Askstudentstoreviewtheirresponsesandnotethem,andthencomparethemastheyworkthroughthemodule.

• Shareresponsesofinterest–usefultechniques;examplesofself-analysis.

• Providesavaluableinsightintohowstudentslearn–getsthemthinkingabouthowtheylearn;promotesactivelisteningandreflectivelearningskillsandfocusesstudents’attention.

• Studentsmaynotbefamiliarwithreflectingonhowtheylearn(metacognition)soyoumayneedtopromptthemwithvocabulary.

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TheMinutePaper(alsoknownas‘TheOneMinutePaper’)AimofActivity Topromptstudentstonotethemostsignificantlearningpointsandthequestionswhichremainafterasession.Preptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize Risk5mins 1min 15-30mins Any LowMaterials,Tools,Resources

PlanningtheActivity:StepsImplementingtheActivity:StepsVariations/ExtensionActivitiesComments


• Canhavepre-preparedsheetsforstudentswithquestionsnoted–orask.studentstouseownpaperandhandup.

• Decideonwhatyouwanttofocuson–students’understandingofthelecture,orpriorhomeworkassignment.

• Decideonthequestions–seesample,e.g.:‘Whatwasthemostimportantthingyoulearnedduringthissession?’and‘Whatimportantquestionremainsunanswered?’or‘Identifythethreemostimportantpoints’.

• Pre-preparesheetsforstudents–iftime/paperoratleastonboard,PowerPointoroverheadprojector.

• Setasidefiveminutestousethistechnique.• Showquestionsonscreenandhandoutoutsheetsoraskstudentstouseown

paper.• Allowstudentsonetothreeminutestocompletequestions.• Giveinstructionsre.theformatyouwant:words,sentences,etc.• Collectsheetsandreviewtoinformnextlecture.• Givestudentindicationofresponses–rangeandsamplesasappropriate.

• Allowtimeforstudentstodiscusstheirresponseswithpeersnearby–orstudentscompletetheminsmallgroups.

• Quickandeasytoprepareandimplementandwillgivereallyvaluablefeedbackonwhatstudentsarelearning.

• Canbeusefultousethisatintervals–beginningofamodule(togaugepriorknowledge),mid-wayandtowardsend.

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MuddiestPoint

AimofActivity

Tounderstandwhatstudentsfindleastclearormostconfusingaboutatopic.

Preptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize Risk5mins 4-6mins Approx2mins


Materials,Tools,ResourcesPlanningtheActivity:Steps

ImplementingtheActivity:Steps

Variations/ExtensionActivities

Comments


• Muddypointcards/piecesofpaper

• Determinewhatyouwantfeedbackon,e.g.theentirelecture?Onetopic?• Preparemuddypointquestionslide/acetate/cardsorwriteonblackboard,e.g.

whatquestionsdoyoustillhaveaboutwhatwascoveredtoday?Whatwasthemuddiestpointintoday’slecture?WhatarethemuddiestpointsintheXsection?

• Print&preparemuddypointcards/paperifapplicable.

• Scheduletimeattheendofthelectureforexercise.• Writethemuddypointquestionontheboardordisplayyourpreparedslide.• Askstudentstoanswerthequestionusingcompletesentencesinthreeminutes.• Collectoraskstudentstoleaveontheirwayout.• Reviewtheresponses.• Decideonhowtoaddressmuddypoints,e.g.distributequestionsandanswersin

lectureorononlinelearningplatform;coverquestionsatthestartofthenextlecture;useresponsestofocusnexttutorial;useresponsestofocusinterimrevision/finalrevisionclass;developadditionalmaterialssuchashandouts,podcasts,orscreencasts.

MuddiestPointUsingOnlineLearningPlatforms• Postyourmuddiestpointquestiontoanonlinelearningplatform.• Settimeframeformuddiestpointresponses,e.g.withinonedayofthenext

lecture.• Addressmajorthemesvialecture/tutorial/extramaterial/podcast/screencast.• Addressindividualqueriesviaquickforumresponse/email.

• Doletstudentsknowyouwillnotbeabletocommentoneverythingbutthatyouwillfocusonthekeyareas.

• Dorespondtofeedbackassoonaspossible.• Don’treadoutthemuddiestpointquestion.• Don'tgetannoyedifstudentsidentifysomethingthatyouaresureyouexplained

perfectly.Youwon’talwaysliketheresponses!

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IfOnly…AimofActivity Togetquickfeedbackfromstudentsonarangeoftopics. Preptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize RiskNone 2-3mins Approx2mins



(Race2005)

• Piecesofpaper/post-its

• Reservethreeminutesattheendofclassfortheactivity.

• Askeverystudenttofinishaspecified‘Ifonly…’question,e.g.‘Mylearninginthismodulewouldbemuchbetterifonly…’

• Givestudentstwominutestowrite.• Askstudentstoleavethepiecesofpaperatthefront/backoftheroomontheir

wayout.• Reviewwhatthestudentshavewritten.

• Summarisethestudents’commentsandtellthestudentsaboutthecommentsyoureceivedandwhatyouplantodoaboutthem.

• Trythismorethanonceinthesemester–twiceoratthebeginning,middleandendofsemester.

• Useanyvariationonthe‘Ifonly…’questionthatyoulike–thisprovidesyouwithendlesspossibilitiesre.findingoutaboutyourteachingandtheirlearning.

• Veryquickeasywaytofindoutwhatstudentsthinkaboutyourteachingandtheirlearning.

• Youcouldshare/comparethefeedbackthatyouaregettingwithacolleaguewhomighttrythesameexercisewiththeirclass…

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HandoutsAimofActivity Topromotelistening,engagement,interaction,assistinlearningandprovideabreakfrom‘teachertalk’.Preptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize Risk1hour(approx)

5minstodistributeandexplain

None(potentially)

Any Low


• Paper–white/coloured/recycledandaccesstoaprinter

ChoosetheHandoutTypeGapped:

• Provideheadings/keypointsforthesessiontoactassignpostsforthelectureandleavegapsforstudentstowritetheirnotesineachsection.

Exercise:• Provideindividualorgroupexercisesheetstobecompletedduringthelecture.

Forexample;answeroneortwoquestions/completeacalculation.Diagram/Chart:

• Providepartially-completeddiagrams/chartsandaskstudentstolabelorcompletethediagram/chart.

ComplexData:ForExamples/Statistics• Providecomplexstatisticaldatasostudentsspendthetime

listening/understandingratherthantranscribing.DesigntheHandout

• Includehandoutinstructionsonthehandout.• Leaveplentyofwhitespaceforstudententries.• Useheadingsandsub-headingstohighlightthestructureofthelecture.• Insertblack/whitegraphics,complexdiagramstoavoidlengthytranscription.§ Don’tmakethemtoolong–1A4back&frontmax!

• Decidehowandwhenyouwilldistributehandouts• Refertohandoutsduringsession.• Discussthemwiththeclass.

• Don’toveruse.

• Uploadhandoutstotheonlinelearningplatforminadvance.• Useanonlinelearningplatformquiztosetquestionsinsteadofhandouts.

Studentscancompletethesebetweenlecturesasarecap.Tofollow-up,youcandisplayandexplainanswersduringthelecture.

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DirectedParaphrasingAimofactivity Toassesshowwellstudentshaveunderstoodimportantinformationandconcepts.Preptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize Risk5mins 5mins Approx2minsfor

every5studentsAny Low

Materials,Tools,Resources

PlanningtheActivity:StepsImplementingtheActivity:Steps

Variations/ExtensionActivitiesComments


• Piecesofpaper

• Pickanimportanttheory/conceptthathassomeimplicationsoutsideoftheclassroom.

• Decideonarealisticaudiencefortheparaphrasedtopic.• Plantimein-classfortheactivity.

• Askstudentstoparaphrasetheconceptfortheselectedaudience–givethemalimitedaboutoftimeandalimitedamountofwords/sentences,e.g.‘Inoneortwosentences,paraphrasewhatyouhavelearnedaboutbilingualschoolingtoinformaparentconsideringthepossibleadvantagesoversinglelanguageschooling.’

• Collecttheparaphraseseitherthereandthenoraskthemtoleavethemontheirwayout.

• Reviewtheparaphrasestoassessforaccuracyoftheparaphrase,appropriatenessfortheintendedaudienceandeffectivenessinfulfillingtheassignedpurpose.Sharesomeofthebestwiththestudentsinclass.Correctrepeatedmis-informationinclass.

• Askstudentstoparaphrasethesameconceptfordifferentaudiences.• Askstudentstosharetheirparaphrasesinclasswiththeirneighbours.• Givehandoutsofparticularlysuccessfulparaphrases–ideallycompiledfrom

studentcontributions.

• Inassessingtheparaphrasesitmaybeusefulinthefirstinstancetodividethemintocategoriessuchas‘confused’,‘minimal’,‘adequate’,‘excellent’andtoworkfromthere.

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ChainNotesAimofActivity Togetquickinstantfeedbackfromstudentsaboutwhattheyarelearningoraboutyourteaching.Preptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize Risk5mins 2-3mins 2minsper20

studentsAny Low



• Aquestion• A4pages

• Choosesomethingthatyouwantstudentfeedbackon–theirlearning/yourteaching.

• Write/printthequestionatthetopofanA4page,e.g.whatquestionaboutthistopicisuppermostinyourmindatthismoment?Whatexactlywereyoudoingintheminutebeforeyougotthispage?Whatispuzzlingyouaboutthistopicatthisverymoment?

• GiveoutanA4page,withthequestionatthetop,tothestudentattheendofeachrowinthelecturetheatre.

• Askthestudenttoanswerthequestionbywritingonelineonlyandstartingfromthebottomofthepage–tellthemtobequickandhonest(butnotrude!).

• Askthestudenttofoldtheiranswerunderandpassthepageon–demonstratewhatyoumeanbythistoavoidconfusion.

• Collectthepages.• Usetheinformationasyoudeemappropriate.

• Repeattheexercisetoseeforchanges.• Askstudentstonotethetimebesidetheircomments–videoyourclassand

cross-referencethecommentstowhatwashappeningintheclassatthetime.

• Thehonestyoftheanswersmaybehardtotake–remembertobebalancedininterpretingtheinformationprovided.

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FocusedListingAimofActivity Tofocusstudentattentionononeparticularterm,principleorconcept.Preptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize Risk2-3mins 2-3mins 2minsper5students Any LowMaterials,Tools,ResourcesDescriptionImplementingtheActivity:Steps

Variations/ExtensionActivities

Comments


• Paper

• Focusedlistingdirectsstudentstolistseveralideasthatarecloselyrelatedtoasingletopicorconcept.

• Selectatopicthatstudentshavejuststudied(orabouttostudy)anddescribeitinawordorphrase.

• Askthestudentstowritethatword/phraseatthetopofasheetofpaperastheheadingforafocusedlistofrelatedtermsimportanttounderstandingthetopic,e.g.‘Postmodernism’.

• Setatimelimitand/orlimitonthenumberofitemsthattheywillwrite.• Usingtheselimits,askthestudentstomakealistofimportantwordsorphrases

relatedtotheheading,e.g.inthenexttwominuteswritedownasmanywords/terms/phrasesthatyouknoworthatyouthinkrelatetotheconceptof‘Postmodernism’.

• Collectthelists,reviewandprovidefeedbacktostudentseitherinclassoronline.

• Allowstudentstoworkingroupstocreatefocusedlistscollectively.• Makefocusedlistsavailableforcomparisonanddiscussiononanonlinelearning

platform.• Askstudentstowritedefinitionsforeachofthekeyphrasesonthefocusedlists.• Havestudentsturnthelistsintoexpositoryprose,clearlyexplainingthe

relationshipsbetweenthefocuspointandtheitems.

• Chooseafocustopicthatisneithertoobroadnortoonarrow.Atopicthatistoobroadwillleadtodivergentlists;toonarrowcanleadtolimitedlists.

21

MemoryMatrixAimofActivityAssessingstudentrecallandbasiccomprehensionoffactsandprinciples.Preptime In-classtime Follow-uptime Classsize Risk12-15mins 5mins 3minsper5students

Any Low

Materials,Tools,ResourcesDescriptionImplementingtheActivity:StepsVariations/ExtensionActivities

Comments


• Handout• White/blackboard(optional)

• TheMemoryMatrixisasimplegridcomprisedofrowandcolumnheadingsrepresentingkeyconceptsandtheirrelationships.Cellcontentsareleftblank.Studentsfillintheblankcells.Completedmatricesprovidefeedbackthatcanbequicklyexaminedandanalysed.

• Drawasimplematrixwithverticalcolumnsheadedbymainconceptsorareasthatdefinethematerial,horizontalrowshighlightdifferentcategoriesorconcepts(seeworkedexamples).

• Leavecellsblankbutlargeenoughforstudentstolistseveralitemsifneedbe.• Duplicatematrixonasuitableformat,e.g.handout,overhead,blackboardand

distribute.• Directstudentstoprovidetheinformationneededtofillinthecells.Setarealistic

completiontimeandlower/upperlimitforthenumberofitemsyouexpectthemtolist.

• Collectthecompletedmatrices,reviewandprovidefeedbackeitherinclassoron-line.

• Allowstudentstoworkinpairsorsmallgroupstofillinmatrix.• Useasawhole-classexercisebydrawingonthewhite/blackboard.• Supplyamatrixthatismissingelementsotherthanthecontentsofcells,e.g.

leaveoutonecolumnheadingorrowandfillinonecellascluetodeterminingthecolumn/rowheading.

• Ifstudentsareunfamiliarwiththisformatthenbeginwithsimplematrices,limitingthenumberofcategorieswillhelpstudentstomasterthetechniquemorequickly.Whileitisausefulwaytoassessandorganiseinformation,theMemoryMatrixneedstobeacknowledgedasaconvenientsimplificationofamorecomplexreality.

22

MemoryMatrix:WorkedExamplesSpanish101Studentsaregiven10minutestofilltheblankcellswithasmanydifferent‘baseform’verbsastheycanrecall. -ar -er -irIrregular Regular 19thand20thCenturyWesternArtStudentsaregiven10minutestofillintheblankcellswiththenamesofmajorartisttheyhavestudied. France UnitedStates UnitedKingdomNeoclassicism Impressionism Postimpressionism Expressionism AnatomyandPhysiology101Studentsaregivena15minutesmemorymatrixonthedigestivesystemtoseeiftheyunderstandtheconnectionsbetweenstructures,processesandfunctionsassociatedwiththissystem. Structure Functions EnzymesMouth Esophagus Stomach Smallintestine Largeintestine Pancreas Liver Gallbladder


23

UsefulResourcesAngelo,T.andCross,P.(1993)ClassroomAssessmentTechniques:AHandbookforCollegeTeachers,SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass.Bean,J.(2011)TheProfessor'sGuidetoIntegratingWriting,CriticalThinking,andActiveLearningintheClassroom,SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass.CentreforWriting,UniversityofMinnesotahttp://writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/informal.htmlWACClearinghousehttp://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5.cfmWritingAcrosstheCurriculum,UniversityofWisconsin–Madisonhttp://writing.wisc.edu/wac/node/138WritingCentre,UniversityofNorthCarolinahttp://writingcenter.unc.edu/faculty-resources/tips-on-teaching-writing/in-class-writing-exercises/

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ReferencesAgeInvaders(n.d.)Economist.com[online],available:

http://www.economist.com/news/briefing/21601248-generation-old-people-about-change-global-economy-they-will-not-all-do-so[accessed29March2017].

Angelo,T.andCross,P.(1993)ClassroomAssessmentTechniques:AHandbookforCollegeTeachers,SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass.

Annotations(n.d.)TheWACClearinghouse[online],available:https://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5c.cfm[accessed29March2017].

Flash,P.(n.d.,a)TeachingwithWriting:Informal,In-ClassWritingActivities,UniversityofMinnesotaCentreforWriting[online],available:http://writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/informal.html[accessed29March2017].

StopStartContinueChangeManagementModel(2016)Rapidbi[online],available:https://rapidbi.com/stopstartcontinuechangemodel/[accessed13July2017].

Race,P(2005)ReinventingAssessment:TowardsAssessmentASLearning,workshop,1December2016,UniversityofHuddersfield[online],available:https://phil-race.co.uk/download/5750/[accessed29March2017].

Flash,P.(n.d.,b)TeachingwithWriting:NowWhat?:RespondingtoInformalWriting,UniversityofMinnesotaCentreforWriting[online],available:http://writing.umn.edu/tww/assignments/informal.html[accessed29March2017].

TheBelievingGameandtheDoubtingGame(n.d.)TheWACClearinghouse[online],available:https://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5p.cfm[accessed29March2017].

TheProblemStatement(n.d.)TheWACClearinghouse[online],available:https://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5j.cfm[accessed29March2017].

WhatCountsasaFact?(n.d.)TheWACClearinghouse[online],available:https://wac.colostate.edu/intro/pop5o.cfm[accessed29March2017].

Documents

Writing to Learn Booklet July2017 - Maynooth University · is a good warm up and brainstorming technique. It is often used with a prompt which can It is often used with a prompt which