Low-stakes writing: Writing to learn, not learning to write (edutopia.org) - A CLS paper by Satrih

“Low-stakes writing: Writing to learn, not learning to write” is a new inquiry-based cognitive learning strategy that can be observed on edutopia.org. It focuses on students’ freedom of expressing thoughts, feelings, and ideas without worrying about grades. It also emphasizes the originality of writings produced by encouraging students to believe their own capability in writing. It is designed to prepare students for a higher writing quality, which means this strategy is applicable for elementary to secondary high school students. Bruning, Schraw, and Norby (2011) noted that “More than 8 in 10 believed that knowing how to write well should be required for high school graduation (p. 288).” All subjects require writing activities. Hence, we should understand writing in a general sense, as Bruning et al. (2011) explained, “writing can take many forms. Novels, letters to the editor, poetry, and grocery lists are all forms of writing (p. 289).”

In this strategy, students are not judged by grades. They are judged for their willingness to complete the assignment regardless of being correct or incorrect. It makes them feel more comfortable in writing whatever they have in mind or get from their surroundings especially from friends through conversations. They are trained to perform their capability to understand and to solve a problem. It also takes benefits from peer reviews, by which students can produce self-reflective writings and make revisions, all by their own thinking process. Even though science subjects are known to be always exact in defining things, teachers do not have to be the only source for finding a definition. Instead of being receivers, students can be proposers. A visualization combined with an open question can be the starting point for students to write a definition. It allows a process of cognition to continually occur not only for a short-term memory but more importantly for students’ long-term memory as Bruning et al. (2011) wrote that “Cognitive processes interact continually in working memory and long-term memory as writers think about their goals, search for ideas and vocabulary, and evaluate and review text they have written (p. 291).”

The fact that a writing process results in a long-term memory is wonderful. Banikowski (1999) said that “memory is the only evidence that something or anything has been learned.” Related, Bruning et al. (2011) explained that a writing product as an “external storage”, which is a non-existent device in speaking. It allows multiple recalling and retrieving. It makes writing a powerful tool to maintain a memory and a solid proof of an accomplished learning process, no matter for how many years. Willis (2006) illustrated that when the teacher shows a visual media and assigns the students to write what they see and think about it in their own language, their brains work more optimally by sending information to the long-term memory through many lanes.

Furthermore, Bruning et al. (2011) also said that “Writing can be a useful learning tool in math, science, social studies, and other classrooms, but its effectiveness varies according to how writing assignments are structured (p. 305).” This tells us that it is not about the writing per se, but the way we make use of it to situate a cognitive process to occur in learning. Older learning strategies might have always viewed writing as a subject to be learned, but in this “Low-stakes writing: Writing to learn, not learning to write”, writing has to be viewed as a media for learning. I personally got something like a fresh air or an enlightenment when I first learned that writing is a tool. Everything can be hard or easy, depending on how we see it. This should be the message that anyone can understand easily and clearly about this new model of writing strategy.

Instead of competing, students are situated in a form of a collaborative learning by having conversations about the topic problem given. They are situated to learn something from each other by giving and receiving feedback, by being impressed with or inspired by their classmates’ works, and by then, they can be more motivated to do better. The strong and the weak students help each other because they are not told to compete with each other, they are not promised any best grade for doing the best. They are told to collaborate, to not being bothered by grades, to believe that there is no such thing as a bad or good judgment. There is only a will to write what they think about the topic problem and what they want people to see in their writing regardless of perfection and imperfection. In this kind of a situated learning, as Bruning et al. (2011) wrote, students are a literacy community where writing is used as a media for learning and building communication. As a community, they discuss with each other about their plans, listening to each other’s opinions or concerns, reflecting on themselves for what they have written and have not, and trying to make improvements. Students do all these actions to improve their writing.

When it comes to teachers’ feedback, students are not going to get discouraging comments on the mistakes they make but rather, they are challenged with open questions to allow them to do a further exploration so that the independent learning continue to develop. Bruning et al. (2011) listed the following characteristics of effective strategies to teach writing as a learning tool:

· Have students write frequently.

· Create an informal, supportive climate for writing.

· Emphasize prewriting strategies.

· Stress knowledge transforming, not knowledge telling.

· Encourage students to develop productive revision strategies.

· Take advantage of technology.

· Keep grammar and language mechanics in perspective.

All of the above are implemented in “Low-stakes writing: Writing to learn, not learning to write” strategy. That is why I am personally thinking of applying it in my classrooms. Since it is a low stakes writing, it should not be difficult for secondary high school students. Students should know that they are not assigned to write. Instead, they just need or want to learn something by means of writing.

References

• Anonymous. (2016). Low-stakes writing: Writing to learn, not learning to write. University Park Campus School: Edutopia. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/practice/low-stakes-writing-writing-learn-not-learning-write

• Banikowski, Alison K. (1999). Strategies to enhance memory based on brain-research. Focus on Exceptional Children, 32(2), 1-22

• Bruning, R. H., Schraw, G. J., & Ronning, R. R. (2011). Cognitive psychology and instruction. Prentice-Hall, Inc., One Lake Street, Upper Saddle River, NJ 07458.

• Willis, M.D., J. (2006). Research-based strategies to ignite student learning: Insights from a neurologist and classroom teacher. Virginia: ASCD

#writing #WriteToLearn #learn