After reading both the article and Chapter 8 I found that they both stressed the importance of educators requiring or including writing in all subject areas. Writing is a great way for students to process what they have learned through reading and lectures. Students can use their writing as a review or to help them process the new information they have just taken in. Incorporating writing into all subject also allows teachers to determine what students know and understand and what students may not have full knowledge of. What really stuck out to me about the chapter and the article is the different techniques and tools that could be used to incorporate writing into different subjects. I believe that it is the teachers responsibility to teach students how to use several of these techniques. I also believe that down the line the teacher should allow students to select which technique works best for them and allow students to display their knowledge in that form.
When is it appropriate to let students select their writing technique of choice and when should the teacher make the decision?
When requiring students to include writing in other subject areas such as math and science should you grade them on grammar and punctuation or allow them to write freely?
Hi Chiatne, my favorite part of your post: "Writing is a great way for students to process what they have learned through reading and lectures. Students can use their writing as a review or to help them process the new information they have just taken in. Incorporating writing into all subject also allows teachers to determine what students know and understand and what students may not have full knowledge of. What really stuck out to me about the chapter and the article is the different techniques and tools that could be used to incorporate writing into different subjects. I believe that it is the teachers responsibility to teach students how to use several of these techniques." At the same time, I found myself wanted to hear why you think writing is "a great way to process" information. Let me encourage you to point to places in the text to validate your thinking, or just expound by offering personal experiences, something to give your reader a bit more to bite into. That said, you're dead on and I'll shoot at your second question, since I feel at home with it. I'd say grammar and punc for math and science could be important but if you want it to be, but the content is most likely what you want students to grasp and writing then becomes just a tool for meaning-making. I'd let them take risks, write informally, aim for understanding before the technical side of writing. My two cents. Dr. B
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