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INFORMAL WRITING @ DSU

Mike Peterson, Ph.D.

English Department

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FREE-WRITING

  • Free-writing is essentially

thinking on paper

  • You can write anything you want
  • These won’t be read by anyone

else (you might be asked to share some of your ideas)

  • Try to keep your pen moving; if you stall on an idea, move on!
  • Silence your inner critic
  • Feel free to write in bullet-points and sentence fragments

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FREE-WRITING PROMPT

Have you ever used informal-writing assignments to help students learn and understand course material?

  • If yes: What type of informal-writing assignment did you use? Do you think it was effective? In what other ways are you thinking of using informal-writing assignments?
  • If no: Is there a specific course, assignment, lesson plan, or principle where an informal-writing assignment might help students learn and understand? What type of informal-writing assignments are you considering implementing? What are your concerns?

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“You can’t think your way out of a writing block, but you can write your way out of a thinking block.” –Merlin Mann

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“You can’t think your way out of a writing block,

but you can write your way out of a thinking block.”

Free-Writing Prompt (3-ish minutes):

Think of a specific course, assignment, or principle that often causes your students to have thinking blocks. How could an informal-writing assignment help your students get past that block?

Alternative Prompt: How has writing about something helped you get past a thinking block?

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Writing to Learn

Writing to Demonstrate Learning

Writing for Authentic Purposes

Informal

Formal

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Writing to Learn

Writing to Demonstrate Learning

Writing for Authentic Purposes

Informal

Formal

83% of Writing Assignments*

*2006 study of 2,100 courses in varied disciplines across the country

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DSU Faculty 68 Responses

February 2017

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Informal-writing assignment:

  • short (a couple pages or less)
  • low-stakes (worth few points)
  • unedited

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Panopticon Grading

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Panopticon Grading

  • Skim/Read Quickly
  • Don’t worry about sloppiness or errors
  • Add comments or questions to only a few

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FINAL RECOMMENDATIONS

Anticipate

Thinking Blocks

Provide informal, writing-to-learn activities to help students learn and understand material, generate ideas for formal assignments, and retain information from lectures.

Use Class Time

When Possible

Try giving students a little class time for informal-writing prompts such as free-writing, discussion starters, and lecture wrap ups. Great way to take attendance or in place of a pop quiz.

Grade Simply

and Quickly

Give yourself permission to grade quickly and simply. Don’t waste time pointing out errors. Provide meaningful comments or questions only as needed. Try the panopticon.

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FOLLOW UP “LISTING”

In your journal or on piece of paper, write

two specific things you learned from today’s discussion

AND

two specific ways you plan to incorporate informal-writing assignments in your teaching