MCLA Blog

Posted for Matt Silliman

The intent of this CASTL Roundtable meeting was to offer some tools and experiences helpful for teaching writing effectively – with the goal that students learn writing and editing skills and habits adaptable to all of their courses, not confined to the discipline in which they learn them. Several of the teaching instruments discussed are editing tools, on the premise that much of the quality of writing, and the intellectual engagement that makes writing pedagogically valuable, comes not merely in drafting but in editing (including focused re-drafts, post-draft outlining, peer-editing for style and clarity, etc.).

Among the suggestions discussed was a generic “Writing Checklist,” adaptable with small changes for specific courses or disciplines. As a simple list of general rules for grammar and style to which we can rigorously hold our students, this will work best when it reaches a critical mass of faculty, so that students realize they have nowhere to hide. Other tools are more specific to disciplines or applications (position papers, regular responses to reading, etc.).

Below are some documents you may find helpful. You are welcome to download them and use them in your own courses.

CRITO : An analytical tool for examining and refining the reasoning of a position paper.

Journaling Guidelines

PARQ : Problem, Answer, Response, and Question. This is a tool for helping students develop their critical reading skills.

Writing Checklist : A handy guide for students to check the quality of their own and others’ writing.