Why Writing Matters
| |||||
Why Writing Matters in Elementary Education/Early Childhood/Special Education
- Writing helps to clarify and extend understanding of course topics
- Writing supports learning
- Writing is used to communicate with colleagues, administrators, parents, and students; teachers write a multitude of documents for different audiences and purposes
- Writing is a reflection of a teacher's knowledge
- Research papers
- Academic papers
- Assessment reports
- Student case studies
- Journal responses to prompts
- Quickwrites
- Autobiographies (narrative with reflection on how experiences influence beliefs and practices)
- Reflections (includes analysis of planning; analysis of student learning; analysis of teaching)
- Rationales
- Critiques
- Activity plans/lesson plans
- Graduate level inquiry projects
- Depth of thought
- Use of professional literature to support, back up, and inform what is written
- Grammar, syntax, semantics, and verb tense used in ways that are appropriate to the genre
- Correct spelling
- Effective organization; use of headings and subheadings to organize content
- Clear, understandable language
- Evidence student has clearly read the assignment and includes all the necessary components
- Evidence student has carefully worked through stages in the writing process as appropriate; revision and editing are key
Appropriate Types of Evidence & Support
- Professional journals (not idea magazines)
- Proper citation of sources used in writing
- Full explanation of ideas
- Specific examples and reasons to support claims
- Use APA citation format (MLA may be acceptable in some courses; check with instructor)
- Understand different types of sources and how/why citation formats differ
- Properly reference ALL sources used when writing
- Learn how to use electronic bibliography/reference generators
Please pay special attention to the following areas of difficulty:
- quoting
- citing sources
- following directions on the assignment
- shifts in verb tense
- clarity
- differences between bibliography and reference page
Back to Why Writing Matters at SVSU