Middle Tennessee State University
The following information was adapted from the book Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to
Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom by John C. Bean. (Available in
the LT&ITC library.)
The Power of Writing
Writing across the curriculum is a teaching tool/method that has proven to be successful in engaging
students and in developing their critical thinking skills. This movement has been sweeping across
higher education in America for over a decade. However, it has yet to be adapted in every
classroom.
Trying a new teaching technique can be time consuming and challenging. Sometimes it is hard to
know where to start when you are considering utilization of a new technique such as instituting
writing projects. With a little planning, higher order writing projects can be adapted to fit with any
curriculum, whether it is math, physics, or history.
When students are challenged to research, read, formulate a hypothesis, and analyze data, it helps
them develop critical thinking skills that are needed in society. Listed below are several ideas that
can be used to formulate writing projects in any discipline.
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Design your course with critical thinking / writing projects in mind
The course should be project or assignment driven instead of lecture and text centered
Develop an agenda that creates classroom discussions using open-ended questions
Include short writing exercises as well as more lengthy ones
Encourage students to write, read, revise, read, and revise until their paper speaks clearly of
their intention
For research papers, offer a deadline for first draft reviews and a deadline for final versions
– writing is a process and when treated as such, students will deliver a better final product
Tie in the writing project with your student learning objectives – what do I want the
students to learn from this project?
Incorporate a blog or wiki into the project – have students post their writings on a blog or
wiki (depending on the project) and have peers review it and offer suggestions (or if using a
wiki, peers can make corrections to paper)
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Present a problem(s) that is open-ended and does not have a definitive right or wrong
answer
o It should require research and evidence to justify the student’s stance
o The problem should be investigative – with the purpose of evaluating collected
information and forming an opinion based on evidence
Develop a rubric for grading
These are just a few suggestions for starting writing projects in your classroom. For more
information, contact the LT&ITC at 615-494-7671 or by e-mail at ltanditc@mtsu.edu. Also, the book
Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the
Classroom is available in the LT&ITC library.
106 Peck Hall, Box 231∙ Murfreesboro, TN 37132 ∙ 615-494-7671 ∙ ltanditc@mtsu.edu ∙ www.mtsu.edu/~ltanditc