IN & BEYOND THE CLASSROOM

" In every academic discipline, writing assignments can help students master new material, formulate and clarify ideas, demonstrate creativity, and develop critical thinking skills."

                                                                                               from:  Tools for Teaching (2nd ed.) 2009, p 305

 
Topic 10 -  Improving Student Writing & Speaking

Class topics:

-  Assisting students in writing better, desigining effective writing assignments,
            and evaluating students' written work
-  General Education guidelines for student writing and information literacy
-  Assisting students in developing better speaking and presentation skills

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READING PREPARATION:

For March 30th -- prepare for our class on "IMPROVING STUDENT WRITING & SPEAKING" by reviewing these readings:

• In Tools for Teaching, read chapters 34-37

• Review the following UA General Education Course Guidelines:

  • Guidelines for the Writing Component of General Education Courses:
    http://gened.oia.arizona.edu/content/writing-component

  • Guidelines for the Information Literacy Component of the University-wide General Education Program:
    http://gened.oia.arizona.edu/content/information-literacy

• Take a look at:  The University of Minnesota's online Assignment Calculator (referenced in Tools for Teaching on p 307)  http://www.lib.umn.edu/help/calculator/

• Read: Elena Berman (1996): A Short Guide to Improving Student Speaking and Writing
               (includes a section on improving students speaking skills and criteria for assessing oral presentations)
  

SUGGESTED FOLLOW UP:

• Go through the TATO online training module on student writing:  On your D2L home page, click on the link that says “self-registration," then choose the module on Assessing Student Writing.