In keeping with the distinction made
between writing to learn and writing to communicate, we can think of response to
student writing in terms of the differences between these two modes. When
completing writing to learn, students are engaged in exploring and testing
ideas. Teachers can chose a simple method for giving credit and even use writing
to learn as part of class discussions instead of as a submitted assignment. The
student completes the writing and even receives credit for it, but not
necessarily with comments from the teacher. The effect of writing to learn comes
in trying out various ideas, and this can prove valuable whether the teacher
responds or not. Another way of trying this is to decide on responding to some
assignments for writing to learn, using others for class discussion, and still
others for students to share and respond to in small groups.
More formal assignments that call for
writing to communicate can then be reserved for fuller teacher response and
grading. Providing a handout explaining grading criteria may actually reduce the
amount of time spent on grading because then teachers can point students to
their strengths and weaknesses through reference to the criteria handout.
* Sample handouts on grading criteria.
General Hints
1. Suit your response to the purpose of the assignment.
Will the paper be revised? If so, you may want to do more
thorough commentary. If not, you may want to offer more general advice or
concentrate on one difficult problem.
2. Use praise.
Describe even small successes so they will be consciously
repeated.
3. Make your comments specific; avoid ?template? remarks
like ?this is confusing." Try to explain what you mean. It is better to choose
one or two areas to discuss in detail rather than go over too many areas
briefly.
4. Use general guidelines for grades or a checklist that
you can review with the class and that goes back with the paper.
If You Are Pressed For Time. . .
Scan the paper for clues to thesis and focus: are there many very short paragraphs? is there a common emphasis in the first and last
paragraphs? is there a lack of integration of quoted/paraphrased sources?
If your scan reveals problems, you can stop right there,
make a comment that relates to the problems, and return the paper for reworking
(depending on your purpose).
What Can You Say If the Problem Is . . .
FOCUS
Encourage an avoidance of over general or irrelevant
material in the opening.
Suggest working toward being specific and lively in the
opening.
COHERENCE AND/OR CLARITY
Ask the student to say out loud what was meant and then
write it down.
ECONOMY OF EXPRESSION
Avoid inflated, filler words.
Avoid repeating words in a sentence.
Avoid the passive voice (with some exceptions).
EMPHASIS
Check to see if the important ideas occur in the main
clauses of sentences or in the beginnings/endings of sentences and/or
paragraphs.
What About Grammar
If you are reading papers that clearly need proofreading,
you can:
- return the papers and ask for proofreading
- incorporate mechanics into your grading criteria
- try editing for ?publication? in class
- suggest (or use) a grammar and style handbook
- mark a sample page or several errors that follow a
pattern
- encourage the use of
spell-check and grammar check
- have students create a ?never again? notebook and list
their problems there.
High Stakes and Low
Stakes Grading
Peter Elbow makes a helpful distinction
for non-writing faculty when it comes to responding to student writing. He
emphasizes a continuum between high stakes (most responding) and low stakes
(least responding), with intermediate points along the way:
Zero response (lowest stakes)
Here students are told honestly that
more writing is required than the teacher has time to respond to. Such writing
can be used for class discussions and small group work, but it is made clear
that the teacher won?t read or respond to it.
Minimal, nonverbal, noncritical response
Here the writing is seen by the teacher,
but effective writing is simply underlined or checked by the teacher.
Supportive response - no criticism
Simple praise or positive reinforcement
is offered by the teacher in a marginal note like ?this is a good approach to
your topic.?
Descriptive or observational response
This kind of response allows the teacher
to simply describe the writing so that the student can see it as a reader
does.
Minimal, nonverbal critical response
Use a different kind of marking system,
like wavy lines instead of straight lines, to point out passages that are
unclear or problematic.
Critical response, explanations, advice
(highest stakes)
Minimal grading on low-stakes writing
might include:
Scale with three levels -
strong/satisfactory/weak
Scale with two levels - pass/fail or
satisfactory/no credit
Scale with on level - acceptable
because turned in
Another idea for minimal grading on
high-stakes writing might include offering a contract. In this form of grading,
students are told that if they complete certain assignments with specific
characteristics, they can count on a particular grade.
For the full text of Elbow?s discussion,
see ?High stakes and low stakes in assigning and responding to writing? (5-13)
and ?Grading student writing: Making it simpler, fairer, clearer? (
127-140) from Writing to Learn: Strategies for Assigning and Responding to
Writing Across the Disciplines. Eds. Mary Deane Sorcinelli, Peter Elbow (San
Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1997).
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Writing and Rhetoric
Program .
Hobart and William Smith Colleges .
Geneva, NY 14456 .
Phone 315-781-3351
. Fax 315-781-3862
