Erin Workman
Writing Assessment and Response
in the Age of Digital Technologies
Theory of Writing
Students begin composing and mapping their theories of writing on the first day of class in response to the following questions:
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What is writing--the definitions, ideas, thoughts, expressions, etc.--you associate with writing?
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What makes writing good to you?
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What type of writer do you see yourself as?
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Create a list of 5-8 key terms you believe define good writing.
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Once you're satisfied with your key terms, try to map out what you've written by showing relationships between your key terms.
To the right, you can see three student theories from the first day of ENC 1102.
After students complete each major assignment, they revisit and revise their maps in light of the key terms discussed in that unit. These key terms include genre, audience, rhetorical situation, reflection, knowledge, circulation, context, and materiality.
To the right, you can see three of the students' revised theories.
Maps 1 & 2
Because I am interested in seeing what prior knowledge students are drawing on to construct their theories and how they adapt that knowledge for the first assignment, I do not respond to the first two maps.
Map 3
Students participate in an in-class activity in which they read and respond to their peers' maps. We discuss the differences they notice, and they return to their own maps to revise in light of our discussion.
Map 4
Students work in pairs to read and describe each other's maps. In particular, they focus on articulating the relationships represented on the maps, asking questions about what they do not understand, and suggesting changes based on their review.
Map 4
I also comment on students' fourth maps by asking 2-3 questions pertaining to each student's specific maps. These questions focus on the map structures, modalities, and relationships between key terms.
