WRITING CLEAR INSTRUCTIONS
WHAT IS A “GOOD” WRITING ASSIGNMENT?
REFLECT
Your answer to these questions will inform the assignment(s) you create.
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DO YOU KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE?
EFFECTIVE ASSIGNMENTS
EFFECTIVE ASSIGNMENTS
GIVE STUDENTS A �RAFT & A TIP!
ROLE (purpose)
AUDIENCE : Help students visualize who will be impacted by their work
FORMAT give them an example of the form it should take; form should be consistent with purpose
TASK what is this assignment meant to accomplish?
R.A.F.T
What is this assignment meant to accomplish?
alignment
T.I.P.
“intriguing, beautiful or important problems [and] authentic tasks…will challenge [students] to grapple with ideas, rethink their assumptions, and examine their mental models of reality” (Ken Bain, qtd. in Bean, 3)
GOOD PROBLEMS…?
Considering that our goal is to create “good problems” for students to solve, which of these assignments works best for the nursing teacher who wants to “deepen students thinking” and “help her students read professional literature with sophistication?”
Option 1:
Write an 8-10 page paper on therapeutic touch. Follow APA conventions for documentation
Option 2:
Assume that you and several colleagues seek grant funding to do a controlled research study on the efficacy of TT for reducing anxiety and pain in surgery patients. Research the current professional literature on TT and then write the “review of literature section of your grant proposal
AVOID THE ROOKIE MISTAKE!
WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS ASSIGNMENT?
In the graveyard scene of Hamlet, Shakespeare calls to mind the medieval memento mori (“remember thy death”) philosophic tradition by having Hamlet contemplate the meaning of a human skull. But Shakespeare alters his sources by adding the clownish gravediggers. How does the presence of the gravediggers influence the way you read this scene and perhaps the play itself? Why did Shakespeare add the gravediggers? Do you think “comic relief is an adequate explanation? Do you think the gravediggers are funny? Absurd? Blasphemous? How does Hamlet’s attitude toward the gravediggers affect the scene? Do you think it is appropriate to sing while digging a grave? You might also want to think about the jokes they tell. Do these jokes comment on themes in the play? Do you think that Yorick was more like the gravediggers or more like Hamlet? Does Hamlet seem like a Christian in this scene or something else? You may want to do some research to help you with this topic, but you don’t need to. If you do use research be sure to cite your sources.
IT’S ASKING TOO MANY QUESTIONS!
ROOKIE MISTAKE FIXED!
NOTICE THE DIFFERENCE?
The improved task is phrased as a single question and now forces the student to frame a single answer as a thesis statement for the essay
In the graveyard scene of Hamlet, Shakespeare calls to mind the medieval memento mori (“remember thy death”) philosophic tradition by having Hamlet contemplate the meaning of a human skull. But Shakespeare alters his sources by adding the clownish gravediggers. What do you think is the function of the gravediggers in this scene? Imagine readers who believe in the “comic relief” theory: “The function of the gravediggers is to supply comic relief. When we laugh at the grave diggers, we are temporarily relieving some of the tragic tension that has been building up.” Your goal is to show these readers that the gravediggers serve a deeper, more complex function than comic relief. But what is that function? We’ll be debating this question in class, so you’ll have plenty of chances to generate ideas.
WHAT ABOUT YOUR WRITING?
WHAT ABOUT YOUR WRITING?
REFERENCE
Bean, John. Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom. 2nd Edition.
WE’RE HERE TO HELP!
Are you wondering if your assignments are effective?
Contact Kem Roper to set up a consultation!
kem.roper@athens.edu