Writing Instruction for Success in College and in the Workplace

Discover an innovative, evidence-based method for preparing students for the demands of college writing called Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW). The goal of SSW is to help students become independent learners who understand the value of strategies and can apply them flexibly in future courses and the workplace. The text provides genre-based strategies for rhetorical analysis, planning, evaluation and revision, critical reading of sources, and synthesis of sources that are part of college composition and applicable across contexts and course assignments. Equally important to the SSW approach is that students learn metacognitive strategies for goal setting, task management, progress monitoring, and reflection. Instructional methods include discussion of model essays, think-aloud modeling of strategies, collaborative writing, peer review and self-evaluation, and reflective journaling.

Book Features:

• Integrates three critical components: strategies for critical reading and writing, metacognitive strategies to help students take control of their learning, and pedagogical strategies.
• Provides research-based approaches for teaching developmental writing courses, first-year composition, summer bridge programs, and first-year seminars.
• Offers thorough explanations of the strategies and instructional methods, with practical examples and support materials for instructors.
• Based on two years of design research and three experimental studies which found significant positive effects on writing quality and motivation with college students in developmental writing courses.

Charles A. MacArthur is a professor emeritus in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. Zoi A. Philippakos is an associate professor in literacy education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

“The book is a resource across levels and content disciplines—a gem, easily readable in one or two sittings. It is likely readers will keep the text close at hand for planning and implementing effective writing instruction, which will offer greater access to success and learning for all students.”

—Teachers College Record

“I cannot say enough good things about this book, and I think it represents a milestone not only in the teaching method it presents but in the translation of the highest quality research into a usable text that both informs teaching practice and also provides a foundation for future research that aims at understanding the writing of adults who are academically underprepared for the writing demands of higher education.”
—From the Foreword by Dolores Perin, professor emerita, Teachers College, Columbia University

“Too many college students are not college-ready writers. This book provides a powerful solution to this problem, offering methods that will help students think more deeply about what they write and how they can make it better.”
—Steve Graham, Regents and Warner Professor, Arizona State University

“This is a book like no other. It’s a compendium of research-based strategies, methods, and examples in support of adult writing improvement. I have no doubt that it will become a mainstay text wherever educators and adult learners alike envision the development of writerly proficiencies.”
—Jill Fitzgerald, research professor and professor emerita, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Contents

Foreword Dolores Perin  ix

Preface  xi
Development of the Supporting Strategic Writers Program  xii
Organization of Our Book  xiii
Conclusion  xiv

Part I. Introduction to Supporting Strategic Writers

1.  Addressing Challenges in Postsecondary Education: The Genesis of Supporting Strategic Writers and Research Findings  3
Developmental Writing  4
College Expectations  5
Supporting Strategic Writers Project  6
Research on Supporting Strategic Writers  7
Conclusion  9

2.  Core Instructional Components of Supporting Strategic Writers  11
Core Principles of Strategy Instruction  12
Writing Strategies  13
Metacognition and Motivation  20
Pedagogical Methods  22
Instructional Sequence: A Strategy for Teaching Strategies  24
Conclusion  26

Part II. SSW WRITING STRATEGIES

3.  Planning and Drafting for Argumentative Writing Without Sources  31
Explanation and Modeling of the Strategy  32
Collaborative Practice  45
Guided Practice  46
Conclusion  47

4.  Evaluating and Revising for Argumentative Writing Without Sources  49
Strategies for Evaluation and Revision  49
Introduction to a New Genre  50
Preparation for Peer Review  50
Peer Review and Revision  55
Reflection  55
Conclusion  56

5.  Challenges of Writing Using Sources; Summary-Response  59
SSW Strategies for Writing Using Sources  60
Instruction Following the Strategy for Teaching Strategies  61
Connecting Summary-Response to Writing Essays With Sources  74
Conclusion  74

6.  Integrating Ideas From Sources in an Essay  77
Sequence of Assignments  77
Introduction to Writing Using Sources  78
Integrate Ideas From Sources With Your Own Ideas  78
Plan Your Essay: Organize Ideas With the Argument Go  82
Draft the Essay  83
Further Assignments  84
Selecting Sources  85
Conclusion  86

Part III. A Look To The Future

7.  Addressing Challenges in Implementation and Problem-Solving  91
Challenges With the Use of Cognitive Strategies  91
Institutional Organizational Structures  97
End of Semester Reflection  98
Conclusion  98

8.  Extending the Strategies to Other Genres and Other Courses  101
Adapting Strategies to Genres Across Courses  101
Examples of Applying the SSW Strategies in Other Courses  102
Concluding Thoughts  105

References  107

Index  115

About the Authors  119