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student writing

Time Management Strategies for Student Writers

Is it me or do students often seem surprised by just how long the writing process takes? When I first started teaching, I never thought to address the issue of time management with my students. Over the course of my next several classes, however, I started to notice a pattern in students’ comments, such as: The work in this class is really, really time consuming; I’ve never spent this much time writing before; and I didn’t realize it would take SO much time but I am really happy with the end results.

Lauren Shapiro March 30, 2011

Writing Comments That Lead to Learning

Instructors who require papers spend a good deal of time emphasizing the importance of audience and purpose in writing. Writers who remember their readers and their writing objectives are much more likely to use good judgment about the decisions that go into creating an effective piece of writing. This is equally true of the comments instructors write on students’ papers. I’d like to share some suggestions, some of which I learned the hard way.

Susan M. Taylor September 21, 2010

Encouraging Substantive Discussion of Course Content by Getting Personal

“Why are teachers afraid of sentences that begin with ‘I feel’ or that draw on personal experience?” Margaret Mott asks, repeating a question she read in an essay early in her career.

Maryellen Weimer, PhD August 26, 2010

The “Systematicity” of Student Writing Errors

One of the more interesting things I’ve noticed over my years of teaching is the “systematicity” of developmental writers’ errors.

Matt Birkenhauer August 3, 2010

Good Job! The Importance of Writing More Meaningful Comments on Student Papers

When graded papers get a quick glance before being shoved into a backpack or deposited into the trash can on the way out of class, it’s often hard for teachers to summon the motivation to write lots of comments on papers. That’s why I was pleased to find evidence in two studies that students do value written comments on their work.

Maryellen Weimer, PhD June 24, 2010

Help Your Students Become More Mindful Editors

“How many of you would keep listening to a CD—even of your favorite band—if the CD regularly skipped?” That’s the question I ask my students. Although the question keeps evolving (and now that students have abandoned CDs for iPods, I may have to come up with another analogy), my point doesn’t change. Even in pleasurable pursuits, we tolerate distractions or interference only to a degree, after which we abandon the activity.

Noralyn Masselink February 12, 2010

Meta-Collaboration: Writing with Students to Engage Learning

In one of my favorite A Midsummer Night’s Dream passages by William Shakespeare, Theseus comments on the creation of poetry. Informing us that the “poet’s eye” in a “fine frenzy rolling” glances from “heaven to earth, from earth to heaven,” we learn about the process of making sense of the world and composing something about it.

Dan Kulmala, PhD January 25, 2010

Five Questions that Improve Student Writing

Before embarking on a writing assignment, I challenge my students to imagine a skeptical reader who expects them to answer five important questions. Answering these questions demands critical writing and thinking, and helps the students develop thoughtful content, efficient structure, and clear sentences.

Christopher Baker, PhD January 11, 2010

Six Tips for Effective Writing Groups

By offering students a supportive group for writing assignments and research projects, students can form strong learning communities and feel less isolated when they see

Kathryn Linder M.A. December 9, 2009

A New Approach to Grading Student Essays

As a very young teacher, I remember pulling all-nighters to get my students’ essays back within the one-week limit I set for myself. Even in those days this “cram grading” was miserable and exhausting; but now at 50—especially with the added responsibilities of husband, father, and homeowner—this style of grading papers is all but impossible.

Matt Birkenhauer November 16, 2009

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student writing

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