The Writing Process

Group of Angels from Correge, Corregio

Scholars: Improve your writing by reflecting on the following key points, whether you are reviewing your own writing, a peer's writing, and whether you are working alone or collaborating in a group.

• Identify the critical content of the essay--sections that need improvement and sections that are done well.
• Someone in your group should emerge as a leader to organize the group in ways that will produce the best results/feedback about the content that you are examining.
• Take time to preview the content of your peer's paper before offering advice. Read the essay quietly and write comments in the margins.
• Review the new content (the literature that your peer is writing about), if necessary, to ensure that you offer correct advice.
• As you read, take time to "chunk" the essay by focussing on different sections. Determine which sections are most successful and which sections have room for improvement.
• Help peers process (figure out) and elaborate on the content. If you see a section of your peer's paper that could use more elaboration, for example, write a note in the margin.
• Help peers record/cite excellent sections of the texts that they are analyzing to demonstrate their knowledge of why these parts are effective. Make sure the information that they have included in their essay is truly representative of the text, and not a misreading.
• Help peers reflect on what they are learning through collaboration.
• Take time to review the content of the text with your peer if he/she is confused or has questions.
• As you work with your peers in the group, decide on the best way to organize your discussion so that you practice your knowledge (what you know) and deepen your understanding. Maybe assign roles. Perhaps you decide that one student focus on elaboration; one student focus on mechanics and grammar; one student focus on structure and organization, etc.
• Remind one another of any homework assignments that could assist all of you in your discussion.
• Help peers recognize similarities and differences among peer papers, as well as the texts we have read/examined in this class.
• Help your peers examine their reasoning for including a quote. Help them to think more logically.
• Help peers by relaying how you practice skills, strategies, and processes that you have found successful in writing your own essays.
• Help students revise their knowledge. If they have interpreted something from the literature in a way that you think could use improvement, gently advise them.
• Help students to think more deeply about the materials that they are examining. This is called building upon cognitive complexity. Also think of ways to organize your group that will help build upon all of your skills of cognitive complexity.
• Hypothesize about ways that the writing process in this class could be improved. 
• Remember to use the resources and guidelines that I have provided for you (rubrics, handouts, website posts) as you challenge yourself to learn from cognitively complex tasks.