Active Learning in the Writing Center
I facilitate an Online Writing Center. One strategy I have found effective in engaging students in active learning to help them develop key skills are workshops that include interactive practice activities. For example, we have workshops on paraphrasing and writing thesis statements that include activities that invite students to work together to create paraphrases of a passage by working through the steps for writing a paraphrase. Students share their ideas and ask questions.
I would appreciate additional suggestions for including more acitve learning opportunities in the Writing Center.
Hi Michael,
I am sure students can really relate to this exercise. This is an awesome way to get students interested in writing.
Patricia Scales
When I taught English classes to culinary students, we used comparisons to how they approach food and plating. We discussed three levels of interaction: do I like this? why? how can I fix it OR how can I use that good technique somewhere else? We then brought that same approach to writing. Sometimes we looked at published pieces by excellent authors, sometimes their own work.
When I worked at the Writing Center, we had similar worksheets/examples available. There, and in my classroom, after we'd complete some relevant examples, I would always have the students then extend those ideas to their own work. It's sometimes much easier to critique others' work than your own! So, if we were discussing comma splices, for example, we'd go over the relevant rule(s), look for them on the worksheet, and then move on to the student's essay. This also prepares them to edit their work without help from peers.
Hi Alice,
A lot of our students are very creative and intelligent. Students will amaze you what they can do if given the opportunity. They can create some IMPRESSIVE documents.
Patricia
My students enjoy group work. One project they enjoy is getting in groups and making flyers for phone etiquette. They come up with great ideas and do a great job designing them.
Hi Alice,
Students tend to enjoy group work, and it is amazing the presentation package they put together. Some students are very talented, gifted and creative.
Patricia
My students love learning and working in groups. I usually give my students topics and they break up into small groups. After their work is completed they give presentations.
During peer reviews I give the students a copy of my grading rubric and tell them they are grading the essays. Amazing some of the detailed and insightful responses they provide.
Hi Hilary,
This is a super way for students to learn effective writing. Critiquing the work of others allow students to figure out how to fix mistakes.
Patricia
That is a great idea! I take poorly written paragraphs from previous classes and have my current classes read and rewrite them.
Hi Christi,
Awesome! Great skill sets are tested here. The activity is fun, and I am sure the students get the drift.
Patricia
I teach English classes, including Foundations, and I put a lot of effort into creating an active learning environment. One of the activities I do with my classes is to take old student essays and cut the sentences out in strips. Then, I give the students the strips of paper, mixed up, and three boxes, representing three body paragraphs. It is then up to the students to unravel the "puzzle" by deciding where the strips of paper belong to make the paper and paragraphs make sense. This activity tests organization, coherence, unity, topic sentences, and the discovery of one thesis sentence. The key: use short papers.
Hi Lori,
Super activity to promote active writing. Some instructors let students choose a topic of interest and make small segments of the writing due to reach the end result.
Patricia
