Fr. Raymond Schroth points out in "Why Johnny Can't Write" some saddening observations about the lack of writing assignments in college classes, particularly among education and business majors. Today my very own education and psychology students will be reading here, and I hope they click the link to Father Schroth. With only a modicum of appropriate grumbling, my students have been writing each week a paper at least three pages in length integrating class lectures and discussions, textbook, and then going beyond and finding outside reference. By midterms, in addition to other assignments, they will have written at least 18 pages and received a great deal of feedback, and I have gained a great deal of satisfaction learning from their insights.
Good writing can't be separated from reading and critical thinking. I suspect if you were to ask a large group of people what "critical thinking" meant, you might obtain answers suggesting that it involves disputing the opinions of others, justifying your own positions, or correcting factual mistakes or omissions. These are indeed part of critical thinking--but this highly advanced cognitive skill is much, much more. Benjamin Bloom, educator from the University of Chicago, is known for his work in exploring the meaning of critical thinking. He created six different domains: Knowledge, Comprehension, Application, Analysis, Synthesis, and Evaluation. Knowing these helps teachers and writers--and, in this new age--bloggers, too.
Perhaps many of us focus on the Knowledge and Evaluation domains when we put on our critical thinking caps. Bloom noted that the Knowledge domain was the most basic, as memorization of important facts is necessary for creativity in any intellectual endeavor. The Knowledge domain can include any intellectual activity involving memorizing, listing, reviewing, defining, identifying, naming, or matching. Although important, Bloom classified these skills as lower order thinking.
The Evaluation domain is one that frequently is part of debates, verdicts, recommendations, reports, or giving of opinions. The kind of higher order skills involved in this domain may include judging, deciding, disputing, criticizing, defending, or justifying. We may find many of these processes going on in classrooms, broadcast and print journalism (especially editorials), and giving responses to others on the Internet, especially via the response capabilities within on-line journalism.
Bloom's four other domains of "critical" thinking extend the concept beyond factual accuracy or ideological/argumentative engagement by expanding the definition of critical thinking itself and offering specific activities that can lead to better dialog as well as greater depth in intellectual inquiry. For example, in the Comprehension domain one shows that one fully understands a belief, position, or situation by paraphrase, explanation, or summary. Perhaps all "disputations" might begin with this kind of critical thinking in order to show that there is mutual awareness of what is being discussed.
From my own experiences as a reader, teacher, and blogger, I believe Bloom's domains of Application, Analysis, and Synthesis are not used as frequently as the others and that these offer us tremendous potential in the classroom or in the writing of books, articles, or Internet blogs. For example, the Application domain asks us to take one idea or concept and apply it to a new situation, to extend a discussion by giving an illustration, or to construct a proposed solution to a dilemma, quandry, or crisis.
The Synthesis domain suggests integrating different viewpoints, hypothesizing new ideas, modifying what has been done or thought in the past when taking into account new developments or circumstances, or creating new options or possibilities. The Analysis domain asks us to distinguish between different situations, classify existing ideas (often in a new manner), or compare the similarities and differences in people or events without making an evaluative judgment.
Many of these same thoughts of Benjamin Bloom are distilled in Mortimer Adler's classic How To Read A Book I hope Benjamin Bloom's ideas will be of interest and be an inspiration toward better writing, and hope students and others will visit Father Schroth's series "How to Succeed in College," where I have been learning, among other things, how to be a better teacher.
William Van Ornum
At my community college, each class, even Biology, was required to have at least one paper assignment. From that college's standpoint, writing is a life skill and many occupations out there require report and memo writing. The college wanted to prepare us for bigger and better institutions, as well. I am forever grateful to this requirement. I have always been a decent writer, in my eyes, and I feel like I have done nothing but improve in my college career.
Now that I am attending Marist College, I am writing at least one paper a week, depending on the coursework. At first, when Dr. Van Ornum told us that we had to write a weekly research paper, I was extremely nervous. You see, even though I have written many papers here at Marist already, I have never received them back!! I am dying to know how well I did on certain papers that are now lost. With Dr. Van Ornum though, I get weekly feedback and I feel that I am increasingly perfecting the craft. These assignments aren't just helping me in his class, but in others as well. I am taking the skills that I am learning and applying them to my Research Methods class and my Ethics class.
Since I have been practicing so much writing, I am coming to find that the process of writing a paper goes by A LOT faster. I am also starting to memorize how to properly cite in APA format without having to look at a reference book or by using a citation machine online; it is starting to just come naturally!
Also, for Research Methods, I must write a 15-20 page paper and I feel like that will be a piece of cake now! Once you get passionate with a subject, it just flows out of you and you may come to find that you write MORE than you need to instead of less.
Writing weekly is also a challenge in terms of time. So with these assignments, you also receive a lesson in time management, which is another valuable skill to have not only in terms of career, but life in general!
So with much sincerity, THANK YOU Dr. V for pushing us with writing! It really does pay off and will continue to in our futures.
From personal experience (both having attended a university and then later, being employed by one to help with grading writing assignments), it seems that it's not just a lack of writing assignments. Frequently, with the exception of professors working in a field where quality of writing is absolutely essential and/or where it would be odd to think that you could get away with bad writing (so, basically, wih the exception of political science, english/lit, philosophy professors), I've found that most academics are pretty terrible writers. Some of it has to do with getting tangled up in the sometimes impossible jargon particular to their field, some (really, too often) professors get critical thinking and writing confuse with cleaving to one particular interpretation (the professor who puts much more value in whether provide an opinion similar to their own rather than in how you write) but often times (and this is especially true of professors of Business, Education and a number of the hard sciences), the professor simply cannot write themselves, cannot judge writing, and, frankly, isn't even interested in it.
It's refreshing to hear from college students who are enjoying their studies and who appreciate the value of education, including the development of good writing skills. If I were your teacher, I'd give you A's just on the basis of your positive attitudes.
Good luck with your studies! :)
This is not the case at other higher education institutions. Class enrollment is growing and many of my academic friends report that they are requiring fewer essays. How can they be expected to grade essays in courses with fifty or more students?
I agree that all ideas should be considered and that a rational, unemotional approach should be used when writing in any form - online, or in class. That being said, new ideas or a hegelian type of synthesis does not always produce thoughtful response and often such as a dialectic presuppose a world view that is at odds with more measured and reasoned theology. So there is no need to assume that this is a superior way of analysing the world.
Presuming that progress occurs through "new" ideas or a conception of man via new science can often hinder true thought and true vision of the world and human nature as much as it has the potential to inform that vision.
At Marist, I have done hundreds of writing assignments. With each paper I write, I learn something new, from information on the topic to new vocabulary. With these larger class sizes, it is impossible for professors to assign more writing assignments, thus preventing students from learning more about new subjects, as well as regarding their own writing styles.
Unfortunately, not all of my fellow Marist students see the importance of writing and studying. In response to Father Schroth's article, I would like to point out that I am one of those students who does study the "appropriate" amount, and I complete every reading assignment as thoroughly as possible. What I've noticed at Marist is that many students do not see the importance of learning-they're mostly focused on the grade. Interestingly enough, these students do relatively well in their classes. I joke around with my friends and say that Marist students have to try to get an A, and they also have to try to fail. However, when it comes to a B, it seems students can do next to nothing and still receive that grade.
I believe both sides are at fault-the students for not caring enough about their learning to excel, as well as the schools for perhaps pushing "perfection" as much as they do. At Marist, it's all about ratings-it's about being the best out of everyone. Maybe students aren't given the grades they deserve because schools are so concerned with making a name for themselves, but at the same time students are not inclined to do anything about it.
I think that Father Schroth makes a valid argument for certain situations. There are certainly some schools and some professors who do not do enough to help their students develop their writing skills, but we need to be careful not to paint with a broad brush. Some students do put forth the effort and as a result, become very capable critical thinkers.
I liked your column, and both your and Fr. Schroth's pieces give me pause.
Maybe I should not be surprised. Culturally, we seem to have grown impatient with any process that we perceive to ''slow us down''. Reading slows us down. Re-reading for deeper understanding and synthesis slows us down. Being forced to clarify our thoughts by reducing them to writing slows us down. Perhaps we resist slowing down because that might require us to check our logic, sort out inconsistencies, or, perhaps worse, look in the mirror. We don't seem to like to do that and tend to use our busy-ness as an excuse to avoid it.
I think there may be a connection between the trends you and Fr. Schroth highlight and either (or both) of the following trends:
- the diminution of civility in the public square we've experienced in the last couple of decades (We don't pause long enough to consider other views with thoughtfulness and charity. We fight about superficial points, rather than debate the actual merits of each disagreement. Maybe we don't want to think that hard. We just want to "win".)
- the weakening of (at least) the US Catholic community as exhibited by, for example, long -term declines in mass attendance, in sacramental participation, in enrollment figures for religious education for children etc ... (Many of us don't actually know our faith because we've not taken the time to study and learn it.)
Maybe you'll accept this as an invitation to comment further on my premise at some future point.
At any rate, I say thank you for forcing your students not only to think but also to articulate their thoughts clearly. As for the reading end of things, you have virtually guaranteed that I will continue a practice I started a few years ago of forcing ''Mommy Picks'' on my school age kids every so often - good length biographies or historical fiction at their reading levels from various periods in time (including a few saint bios). They typically offer up initial resistance, but ultimately can't help getting sucked into the story.
Susan M.
Susan, glad you mentioned the need for "study" of the faith. Would be great if more college students/adults knew about, just read, or could be guided through the great "classic" Catholic writers. When I waited for Mass in Rome with the Pope in the papal apartment chapel, I noted that all of the works of the 36 "Doctors of the Church" (Augustine, Catherine, Teresa, Ignatius, etc.) were bound as a set in several large bookcases in the papal library. Can't think of a better curriculum!
As a teacher of psychology, I don't get the opportunity to teach on this subject, but I did teach a course in Rome listed under psych/religion. The texts were Thomas Merton, "Seven Storey Mountain," Henrin Nouwen, "Clowning Around in Rome," and William James "Varieties of Religious Experience." These books were well-received. bill
B students-make so much money that they can eat out at the best restauranrs every night?
See #9,
bvo
Thanks to you and Padre Schroth for the excellent posts, and to the college students above. Since writing skills are declining across our society, America could take the lead with a regular column or blog that focuses on the ned to improve such skills. Perhaps a commentary on great prose could be inserted. It would then become an inspiration for students, teachers, and others who want to maintain excellence in writing.
There is an intimate connection between writing and thinking, but you are over-thinking a simpler problem: it has nothing to do with pedagogy.
College students need to be able to write before they get to college. Colleges can't make them do what they don't know how to do. But, although college is WAY too late to teach them how to write, it is still the place to fix this problem. Fr. Schroth puts his finger on it when he observes that education is a popular major in which one can take a degree “… without doing much writing at all.” Precisley.
Education is a popular major because education majors do not (and have not for generations) had to write much. Consequently, elementary and secondary school teachers do not write; do not value writing; do not write well; do not know how to teach writing; and therefore, do not teach writing. Then, they send their students to college where they are still not asked to write because college teachers - even if they know how to write - fill their classes by not requiring much writng. As Frank Zappa used to say (in a slightly different context) it “...rots yer heart, rots yer brain, rots yer guts…cucaracha.”
Many colleges now have "writing centers" or "proofreading centers" where students can turn for help with papers BEFORE they turn them in. (I don't recall this service ever being available when I was in school; in fact, we were supposed to do all the work ourselves.) This gives lots of evidence to what you are saying about students coming to college and not being prepared.
best, bill
Nice idea. I ain't da one ta do it cuz I'm just a journeyman in dis from Chicago; but good writing falls under the umbrealla of culture and perhaps AMERICA's Culture Editor Jim Martin SJ scans the blogs. The British Catholic magazine THE TABLET has a crossword each week so maybe there is a way to make an entertaining little spot regularly on "language and writing"? NYT also has regular online features on style, usage, and writing. I would hope, however, that the disucssions on writing not reach the level of detail as those on translations of the Liturgy! best, bill
Please note that my name is Gabriel. Thank you.
That's what I would have thought, too, but a recent N.Y. Times story raises some questions about this. Here's how it begins: ''Taking a test is not just a passive mechanism for assessing how much people know, according to new research. It actually helps people learn, and it works better than a number of other studying techniques.''
See ''To Really Learn, Quit Studying and Take a Test,'' http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/21/science/21memory.html
I think there might be a difference between learning how to think and learning facts or how to play an instrument or golf.
Vic, (#17) I actually disagree with your take on the amount of writing Education majors take part in. Maybe it's because I attend a school whose Education major is considered to be Psychology/Special Education, but I personally have had to write many papers in college. These papers focused not only on my own opinions but on my analysis of the opinions of others, problem solving, understanding past circumstances in the education system and creating solutions to aspects that do not work well, and comparing and contrasting information. Many of the Analysis, Synthesis, and Application components which seemed to be lacking in my High School education have not been lacking since I've been at college, fulfilling my Psychology/Special Education requirements. Maybe this is a new occurrence after generations of Education majors not having to write very much, but I believe it is extremely important for teachers to understand the importance of writing and make sure to pass that on to their students.
It's unfortunate that larger schools do not give the same opportunities for their students to write papers because it is too difficult for the professors to read 150 papers. This allows me to realize how fortunate it was of me to pick a smaller school where the professors will be able to take the time to read my papers and give me feedback.
Writing is so important to me, and is really where I have learned the most.
Although writing consumes a good part of my week I know in my field of psychology that it will be a lifelong skill that will follow me. I find it sad that many of the bigger university’s neglect their students writing pieces and grade them easily when handed in.
I really hope our education system turns it around soon because too many children are being overlooked
Christine in post #31 brought up an excellent point that our technological culture may be to blame for many problems in writing. According to a blog I recently read entitled Texting Affects Student Writing: R U Concerned?,"64% of teens admit that they incorporate, often accidentally, at least some informal writing styles used in personal electronic communication into their writing for school. (Some 25% have used emoticons in their school writing; 50% have used informal punctuation and grammar; 38% have used text shortcuts such as "LOL" meaning "laugh out loud". (http://gnovisjournal.org/blog/text-based-short-hand-affecting-teens-writing-r-u-concerned)" Students nowadays need to make a distinction between social uses of communication, such as texting and Facebook chatting, and academic writing. I didn't mean to write a novel on the topic, but I do have strong feelings on the importance of writing in every day life.
Furthermore, I do believe that there out of Bloom’s six levels, that knowledge and evaluation questions, assignments are more prevalent. Diversity in questions, activities and assignments will make the students more interested and eager to learn. By not highlighting the middle four levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy chart, students that excel at those types of questions will never get the chance to shine in a classroom environment. Additionally, students in some classrooms are labeled as either below grade level or above grade level. Students are either being pushed to far or not challenged enough. In order for students to learn, they need to feel a little uncomfortable when first presented with a problem or a question and as they work their way though it alone or in a group, they generate answers or solutions that would satisfy the question or the problem. It is imperative for teachers to teach to their students’ zone of proximal development. Therefore the middle questions that reside under the categories of Comprehension, Application, Analysis, and Synthesis should be incorporated more in classrooms of all levels all over the nation.
Swain, S., (1998). Studying teachers’ transformations: reflection as methodology. Clearing House. 78(1), 28-34.
I agree with you that people tend to use Knowledge and Evaluation, from Blooms Taxonomy, most frequently when writing essays. I think that most students feel more comfortable stating the facts that they have just learned (Knowledge) and taking about one specific issue or topic. I think that it is important to use Application, Analysis, and Synthesis as well. I especially think that in most papers and such that anyone writes they should include Synthesis because that integrates different viewpoints and ideas, and it allows the writer to put their spin on the idea or topic they have chosen to write about instead of just listing facts. I think that it is important for college students to keep this in mind when writing assignment because when incorporating a topic that has been previously discussed into the new lesson because it really shows that you understand all the topics learned throughout the year.
Although I am not a big fan of writing papers, I feel that if we did have more practice with it and did it more regularly then we would have a more positive attitude about it. One thing that I learned in some of my education classes is that we have to have a positive attitude towards what we are teaching so that the students do as well. I worry that there will eventually be a perpetuating cycle of negative attitudes toward writing and not being able to write well.
In this article a good point is made in that most people only use the lowest and highest stages of Bloom’s taxonomy; knowledge and evaluation. After reading the explanations of this I agree with this observation and it makes me as a future teacher keep this in mind so that when the time comes for me to plan lessons using Bloom’s Taxonomy I will try to incorporate those middle levels more. Since people most frequently use the knowledge and evaluation levels, I wonder if many people only focus on the evaluation level for only a select number of topics, less than they would if they were focusing on a level a little lower. I also believe that if the middle levels were used more people would then become more proficient on topics as well in a larger number of areas.