Writing Across the
Curriculum (WAC) at
Sojourner Douglass College
Faculty and Staff Session Two
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Session Facilitators:
Dr. Judith Smith
Mrs. Janice Williams
Overarching Question
How can we Assist the Adult Learner
at Sojourner Douglass College
in Mastering Writing Skills While
Developing Critical Thinking Skills?
Approach for
Implementation
Design and Implement a College-wide
Writing Across the Curriculum
Initiative that Integrates
Critical Thinking Skills and Meets the
Unique Needs of the Students at
Sojourner Douglass College.
Session Two Goals
• Provide a Liaison between Writing Skills addressed
in the Common Core State Standards and the
Writing and Thinking Skills addressed in the
General Education Core Competencies and Major
Content Courses
• Critique Course Syllabi for Writing Assignments that
Incorporate Critical Thinking Skills
• Recommend Writing Tasks that Promote Thinking
and Learning
The Brain and Writing
Kolb’s
Learning
Style Phase
Zull’s
Neural
Networks
Suggested
Writing
Assignment
Revisit: Writing Across the
Curriculum (WAC) is a Process that
• Infuses writing throughout the curriculum for
various purposes;
• Fosters and demonstrates learning in a variety of
disciplines or courses;
• Encourages critical thinking and learning;
• Uses multiple ways to prepare students for a
variety of contexts.
WAC Has Two Major Categories
Writing-to-Learn
Writing-to-Demonstrate-Knowledge
Writing-To-Learn…
• Fosters critical thinking that requires analysis,
application and other higher order thinking skills;
• Uses short or informal writing tasks to help
students think through key concepts or ideas;
• Uses journals, logs, responses to questions,
summaries, free writing, and other writing
assignments to learn ideas and concepts.
•
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Science_WAC_2_3_264454_7.pdf
Sensory Cortex
Concrete Experience
•
•
•
•
Watch a Film
View a Demonstration
Play a Game
Conduct Field
Observation
(David Kolb’s Learning Style Inventory,
1985)
Non-Graded Writing
Personal writing that records
observations, thoughts, and
feelings during the initial
experience and raise
questions and expresses
puzzlement
(James Zull, Art of Changing the Brain, 2002)
Temporal Integrative Cortex
Reflective Observation
Learners consider the
concepts and issues
after reading, listening
to lectures, participating
in class discussions,
and hearing different
points of view.
Personal Exploratory Writing
*Journal entries that connect new
material to personal experiences
and precious knowledge;
*Personal pieces based on
autobiographical experiences with
a topic or concept;
*Personal reflective papers that
encourage questioning, openended approach rather than
thesis-with–support writing.
Writing-To-Demonstrate
Knowledge
• Students synthesize information and explain their
understanding of concepts and ideas.
• Students write for an audience with a specific
purpose.
• Students use inquiry-based writing to connect
with real-world experiences.
http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/Science_WAC_2_3_264454_7.pdf
Frontal Integrative Cortex
Abstract Conceptualization Formal Academic Writing
Learners try to achieve abstract
understanding of the concepts
and issues by mastering and
internalizing their components
and seeing the relationship
between new material and other
concepts and issues.
Thesis-based analyses and
arguments written in an
impersonal and
dispassionate tone, targeted
for a critical and informed
audience, based on closely
investigated knowledge, and
intended to reinforce or
challenge concepts.
Motor Cortex
Active Experimentation
Learners actively use the new
concepts to solve problems by
applying them to new situations.
Position Papers
(Based on cases that use the new
concepts)
Write-ups of a student’s
laboratory or field research using
the concepts;
Proposals applying new concepts
and knowledge to solve real-world
problems;
Creative pieces demonstrating
understanding of new materials.
Conclusion: The Relationship
Between Thinking and Writing
• Informal exploratory writing in an expressive mode:
journals, in-class free writes though letters, reflections,
electronic postings to class discussion board, reading
responses
• Closed-form thesis-governed academic or professional
writing: analysis, arguments, proposals, research reports.
• Writing Alternative genres and styles: Open-form personal
Essays reflections, blogs, posters, experimental pieces,
dialogs, interviews, articles, pamphlets, white papers,
opinion-editorials (op-ed) pieces. web pages, multimodal
projects
John Bean, Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical
Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 2011.
Table-Top Discussions
• Working across the disciplines, review
existing syllabi for evidence of a balance
or mix of assignments that affect the four
areas (cortex) of the brain – Sensory,
Temporal, Frontal, Motor;
• Record recommendations for assignments
to include in the context of the course;
• Share findings and recommendations with
the larger group.
Update of WAC at SDC
• Design and Implement an Assessment and
Evaluation Model (Winter 2013)
√ Use WEAVE to Organize and House the Initiative
(Google Docs)
√ Determine Goals, Objectives, Inputs, Timelines, and
Expected Outcomes
√ Identify Faculty Representatives from each
Department (Winter 2013)
–Help coordinate the initiative across all sites
–Serve as Liaison to the Departments
–Provide Faculty Support and Professional Development
Update for WAC at SDC
√ Review English Composition I, Communication
Skills I, and Reading Comprehension Syllabi (Winter
2013)
– Select core Writing-to-Learn Strategies and
Rubrics to Pilot (Winter 2013)
– Revise Syllabi (Winter 2013)
_____________
√ Review Determine resources and needs of the
Writing Center to Support WAC across all
campuses;
√ Provide WAC professional development to Writing
Center Tutors on providing assistance to faculty
Department Representatives
Sign the Interest Sheet to Serve as a
Writing Across the Curriculum
Department Representative.