Initial Publication Date: August 21, 2008

Some General Principles for Teaching Academic Writing in the Disciplines

1. Take an inventory of course goals (often stated in syllabus as learning outcomes)

subject matter goals--essential concepts and knowledge
critical thinking goals—disciplinary processes of inquiry, critical reading, writing, and argument
other goals set by the professor or connected to departmental or general-education/core outcomes

2. Design critical thinking problems connected to your course goals.

Problems should require students to use course knowledge while helping them learn disciplinary ways of thinking, analyzing, and arguing
Problems should engage student interest and promote inquiry
Highest level of critical thinking typically comes from "messy," "ill-structured," or open-ended problems with no algorithmically attained "right answer"—problems that lead to a claim with supporting arguments.

3. Develop a repertoire of ways to give critical thinking problems to students

Thought provokers for exploratory writing (in-class freewrites; journal entries; one-page "thinking pieces"; other kinds of informal, non-graded writing)
Tasks for small-group problem solving or opening questions for a whole-class discussion
Short (2-3 page) assignments or even shorter (one-paragraph) microtheme assignments.
Longer, formal writing assignments or as options for research paper topics
Essay exam questions or practice exam questions

4. Think of writing assignments as a crucial part of course design

"Reverse engineer" your course by designing the final assignment first (principle of "backward design")
Create earlier assignments that develop the skills needed for the final assignment (sometimes called "scaffolding assignments")
Consider breaking longer assignments into stages
Consider adding informal non-graded writing to help students explore ideas and promote learning

5. When assigning formal writing, treat writing as a process

Create a rhetorical context for assignments giving students a sense of audience, purpose, and genre (Give students a "RAFT"—see next page of this handout)
Emphasize exploration, reflective research, good talking, multiple perspectives
Encourage imperfect first drafts
Stress substantial revision reflecting increased complexity and elaboration of thought and increased awareness of readers' needs
Where possible, allow rewrites; write comments that encourage revision and that emphasize the higher order concerns of ideas, thought content, organization, and development
Consider instituting peer review workshops
Encourage the value of a writing center for all writers

6. Develop clear scoring criteria and give them to students in advance