Unit 1.1: Introduction to Writing to Learn

In this first module, we will outline the foundations of writing to learn, what it entails, and start exploring it as a unique tool and strategy that facilitates and cultivates conceptual change and understanding.

Unit Objective

• Characterize and describe writing to learn as a powerful tool in the STEM classroom.

Upon completion of this unit, you will be able to:

• Recognize the centrality of writing as a tool and process in active learning.

• Distinguish writing-to-learn from learning-to-write activities.

What is Writing to Learn?

Writing to learn is an effective way for students to gain a deeper understanding of STEM topics. This form of active learning encourages students to engage with the material and their unique thought processes, in that learners are continuously stimulated to critically reflect and be perceptive and communicative of what they’re learning, how they’re doing so, and pinpoint areas where they might need guidance to grasp a certain concept and successfully demonstrate their understanding.

Research-based Evidence

Mason and Boscolo (2000) elucidated the influence of writing on learning gains and students’ conceptual understanding in fourth-grade science class. The writing-to-learn activities were incorporated into a lesson on photosynthesis, whereby students responded to a set of pre-and post-instruction questions on plant nutrition and growth, as well as post-instruction questions that gauged metacognitive awareness, e.g., “Has changing your previous ideas been easy or difficult and what made it easy or difficult for you” (p. 206). The study successfully signified that students who engaged in the writing activities were able to reflect on their existing knowledge about scientific phenomena and express their developed conceptions and consequent questions on the topic. Furthermore, they demonstrated better understanding of the topic and showed significantly higher results than the control group on the measures employed.

The results of the study also revealed that students expressed a higher level of metacognitive awareness when they were equipped with the tools to become aware of their personal learning progression and reflect on their initial and newly formed or developed conceptions. Thus, findings delineated the fundamental role of writing in stimulating the organization and construction of knowledge as students are empowered to continuously reflect on their thinking processes and ideas on the topic at hand.

How is it different from learning to write?

Writing to learn closely entwines with learning to write, however it encompasses its unique strategies and learning gains. Both may overlap on myriad occasions, especially in regard to enhancing writing, language and communication skills.

While the writing activities involved may encourage learners to improve their writing skills, they do not necessarily entail the process writing stages the teacher and student typically go through to produce an end product (Knipper & Duggan, 2006). This is a notable difference seeing as the process piece may be cumbersome and is often time-consuming. Hence, writing to learn activities do not necessitate a process piece that will be revised and redrafted.

Writing-to-learn strategies can be appealing to students due to their informal, impromptu nature, as opposed to traditional writing assignments which can elicit feelings of anxiety and concern about quality of writing. Teachers may also be drawn to carry out the low-stakes assignments to ‘trick’ learners into fostering their communication and writing skills while actively processing content knowledge.

Activity: Journal Entry

I would like you to reflect on your understanding of writing to learn. In general, how much in-class writing do you have your students do? How have the mini-lecture and video you watched in this unit supported your understanding or challenged it? In what ways can this tool promote your teaching methods and approaches? What are your concerns about incorporating it into your instruction?

Click here to start your journaling exercise: Journal entry

Links

Ready to move forward to the next unit? Access the unit here! Unit 1.2

Want to go back to the home page of this course? Visit Writing-to-learn in Teaching STEM for Understanding