Writing academic texts can be very challenging for students. At its worst, it can be perceived as an ordeal, resulting in texts are unsatisfactory to lecturers as readers and examiners. One possible reason for this, according to scholars of writing didactics, is that there is generally too little writing at university – and when there is writing, it is usually linked to an assessment and time pressure (cf. Furchner/Ruhmann/Tente 2014: 62f. for details). This can lead to students perceiving writing as an obstacle because they associate writing solely with stressful situations. How can we counteract this?
Learn to Write by Writing
A simple remedy is to create writing assignments that go beyond test performance and can be integrated into teaching practice without much extra effort. In this way, students can to gain practical writing experience – largely without pressure – and can experience writing as a tool for academic thinking and learning. Ideally, academic writing then becomes a routine for both students and teachers. It also recognizes the essential role of procedural knowledge in the acquisition of writing skills. To reduce it to a simple formula: You learn to write by writing. In this respect, the students’ developing routine in writing and drafting, which slowly becomes established through regular writing occasions, is the best preparation for the next written exam; experienced writers will ultimately produce better texts.
Creating Simple Writing Assignments
For teachers, the following aspect is of particular importance: In order to create writing occasions, it is not necessary to turn the usual teaching processes upside down; rather, it is sufficient to provide short, targeted impulses (cf. Lahm 2016: 111f.). This can be done in the form of small writing and reflection exercises, such as freewriting or creating an acrostic. In addition, students can be encouraged to write transcripts, take notes, or perhaps even keep a learning journal.
An equally simple yet effective writing prompt in the context of a classroom session is the so-called One-Minute-Paper. This exercise demonstrates that both students and lecturers benefit from regular writing opportunities: A One-Minute-Paper gives students an opportunity to reflect on the most recent seminar session or lecture, review the most important aspects, and put them into writing. Incorporating the One-Minute-Paper into a course is not only beneficial for students, but also for lecturers: It provides them with quick feedback and an overview of the student’s learning process and status. In addition, One-Minute-Texts always provide an opportunity for exchange and discussion with students: Are there any open questions? What aspects could perhaps be explored in more depth? Etc. So how does this work exactly?
The One-Minute-Paper at the End of a Course
Implementing a One-Minute-Paper in a course does not require a lot of time or material resources: All writers need is a pen and paper and a few minutes. The name of the exercise is actually a bit misleading; students should be given about three to five minutes to write a One-Minute-Text. However, a major advantage of the exercise is that it can easily be done with larger groups, whether in a lecture hall or a seminar room.
Students are (usually) asked at the end of a course to write a short, spontaneous, associative text within a given timeframe. They are asked to answer questions that can be dealt with in the allotted time and that relate to aspects such as:
- What was the topic and focus of today’s session?
- What key concepts were discussed?
- How does the topic of today’s session relate to the overall theme of the course?
- Which topics interested me most, and what would I like to work on further?
- What am I still uncertain about? What did I not understand?
The One-Minute-Paper can be adapted to a lecturer’s individual teaching and learning environment by varying the time frame of the exercise or the selection of questions. In any case, the resulting texts are not graded or assessed in any other way. In particular, if the aim is to provide honest feedback on the course, lecturers must ensure that the texts are written anonymously.
In this way, students practice spontaneous text production and written examination of the relevant learning material as freely as possible. Finally, the lecturers have the opportunity to collect the texts and use them to review their teaching; if necessary, open questions or suggestions for discussion can be taken up in the next session.
