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As a learning tool, writing can help students achieve a number of learning goals. Critical thinking is
often supported with writing assignments, as writing converts students from passive to active learners
by encouraging them to take concepts learned in class and confront problems, gather and analyze data,
prepare hypotheses, and formulate arguments. Writing can also help students practice knowledge
translation, and as students work to make concepts clear and accessible to others, they often come to
understand those concepts better themselves. In addition, through writing, students can explore, refine,
and reflect on how they think and feel about course concepts and issues, and make abstract course
concepts more meaningful by connecting them to their own experience. Finally, writing is an excellent
tool for retaining course concepts: when asked to write about concepts discussed in class or described
in course readings, students retain the concepts better.
So what’s the difference between high-stakes and low-stakes writing? And why might an instructor
choose to include low-stakes writing activities in their courses?
Do not collect the low-stakes writing activity, but give a small participation mark for its
completion in class.
Collect the low-stakes writing activity and provide brief feedback.
+ Your insights are strong and you developed a compelling argument and/or the
information is correct and detailed.
You highlighted important issues but your argument could be more persuasive and/or
some information is incorrect or there is not enough detail.
- You summarized the articles but did not answer the assigned question and/or all or
most of the information is incorrect.
Abstract writing
Purpose: To focus thoughts and summarize ideas; to reinforce course readings; to develop critical
thinking skills
Procedure: Remove any identifying marks from a paper (e.g., title, author’s name, abstract, journal
reference, reference list) and have students read the paper and write an abstract.
Example: Read the following journal article and write an abstract for it, summarizing the main points
of the author(s) in your own words. Remember to identify the main thesis, the data collecting
procedure, the findings, and the conclusions in your abstract.
One‑sentence summaries
Purpose: To reinforce class concepts; to gauge students’ comprehension of the lecture; to involve
students in summarizing material; to highlight defining features of a concept
Procedure: At the end of class, identify a particular concept discussed in class and have students
summarize it in one sentence. Alternatively, do not give them a particular concept; simply ask them to
summarize the lecture in one sentence, picking the most salient points. Tell students that a one-
sentence summary should answer the 5 Ws (who, what, when, where, why).
Example: Write a one-sentence summary (using the 5 Ws) about Fink’s Model of Active Learning,
which we discussed in class today.
Headlines
Purpose: To retain and explain concepts; to summarize key concepts
Procedure: After discussing a concept or event, have students write newspaper-style headlines
summarizing it. This activity may be particularly appropriate in a discussion on research, controversial
issues, or historical developments.
Example: Write a headline that summarizes our class on high-stakes versus low-stakes writing.
Directed paraphrasing
Purpose: To personalize ideas; to explain concepts; to develop critical thinking
Procedure: Students are asked to write about a particular concept taught in class in their own words. A
variation of this would be to have students paraphrase as if they were explaining concepts to a
particular audience (e.g., an industry leader; an elected government official, etc.).
Example: In your own words, write what the difference is between high-stakes and low-stakes writing
as if you were explaining it to a first-year undergraduate student.
Application cards
Purpose: To develop critical thinking; to explain and apply concepts; to retain concepts
Procedure: Distribute 3x5 cards to your students. Have them write a real-world application for a
theory, principle or procedure they have learned about in class on the card and either submit them to
you or share them with one another. The small card is optional – using lined paper is fine too — but the
card indicates to the students that they should be concise.
Example: A colleague in your field is interested in learning more about using writing as an effective
learning tool. Explain to this colleague how to run a writing exercise that you plan to use in your
classroom.
Explain a concept
Purpose: To explain concepts; to retain concepts
Procedure: Have students explain a concept recently introduced by the reading or lecture. You can
change the audience to someone who would be more or less familiar with the field, depending on your
goals for student articulation of knowledge.
Example: Explain “Newtonian fluid” to a peer who was absent, or in a letter to your parents.
Journals
Purpose: To personalize ideas; to retain concepts; to explore concepts
Procedure: Students write in a journal on a regular basis about particular concepts learned in class. The
writing can be open-ended (write about a certain aspect of a course for a certain length of time) or
guided (students respond to content-specific questions developed by you).
Example: Identify and discuss your ideas on three significant concepts that stood out to you from this
week’s readings.
Memory matrix
Purpose: To retain concepts; to personalize ideas; to explain concepts.
Procedure: Students complete a two-dimensional diagram for which the instructor has provided labels.
Having information laid out visually can help students to prepare for a test or see how different
concepts fit together.
Example: Based on the readings for today, fill in the following matrix:
Course concept
Description
Examples from the
readings
Course concept
Description
Examples from the
readings
Resources
CTE teaching tips
Responding to Writing Assignments: Managing the Paper Load
Writing as a Learning Tool
Other resources
Angelo, T. A. and Cross, P. K. (1993). Classroom assessment techniques (2nd ed.). San
Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.
Anson, C. (2015). Crossing thresholds: What’s to know about writing across the curriculum.
Naming What We Know: Threshold Concepts of Writing Studies. Eds. Adler-Kassner, V. and
Wardle, E. 203-219. Utah State University Press.
Bean, J. (2001). Engaging ideas: The professor's guide to integrating writing, critical thinking,
and active learning in the classroom. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass Publishers.
Dyment, J., and O’Connell, T. (2010). The quality of reflection in student journals: A review of
limiting and enabling factors. Innovative Higher Education, 35(4), 233-244.
Enns, C., Cho, M., & Karimidorabati, S. (2014). Using writing as a learning tool in engineering
courses. Teaching Innovation Projects, 4(2).
Herteis, E. M. and Wright, W. A., Eds. (1992). Learning through writing: A compendium of
assignments and techniques. Halifax: Office of Instructional Development and Learning.
Hudd, S. S., Smart, R. A., and Delohery, A. W. (2011). My understanding has grown, my
perspective has switched: Linking informal writing to learning goals. Teaching Sociology, 39(2),
179-189.
Reynolds, J. A., Thaiss, C., Katkin, W., & Thompson, R. J. (2012). Writing-to-learn in
undergraduate science education: A community-based, conceptually driven approach. CBE - Life
Sciences Education, 11(1), 17-25.
Sorcinelli, M. D. and Elbow, P., Eds. (1997). Writing to learn: Strategies for assigning and
responding to writing across the disciplines. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass Inc.