Supporting Writing Assignments

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Supporting Writing Assignments

What do you do now to build in process (and support) with your writing assignments? What have you not yet tried but might want to try in the future to support assignments? Any barriers to providing in-class support activities for assignments that might make you reluctant to incorporate them?  What about outside-class support?

Supporting Oral Assignments

Now that you've thought about revising an oral assignment, we'll turn more to the in-class and out-of-class support issue.  In the past, what have you done to support students in their oral assignments?  Do you use any pre-speaking activities? Have any preliminary discussions about speaking? Provide any guidance on speaking?  Reflect on what you have provided in the past and what you are considering doing in the future.

Introduction to the writing process and forming writing assignments

What pedagogical and practical considerations typically inform your design of a writing assignment? How do the writing assignments in your courses function for your students? Are they meant to demonstrate mastery of form or material?  Or are they a part of how your students learn course content? Or both?  How much do your assignments change from semester to semester and course to course?

Speaking Assignments

Creating the kind of speaking assignment that motivates interesting student speeches can be tricky.  This week, you are reflecting on that process by examining an old assignment and thinking about the kinds of speaking skills that students might need in their major and/or careers.  Here, I'd like you to reflect on what you think makes an effective speaker in any communication context.