Response Writing

I'd like to write about Response Writing. Have you ever thought about how writing helps students learn? It's true. 

"Writing is thinking. Writing, in fact, is the most disciplined form of thinking. It allows us to be precise, to stand back and examine what we have thought, to see what our words really mean, to see if they stand up to our own critical eye, make sense, will be understood by somebody else." Murray, D. Writing to Learn. 

Writing allows students time to think without interruptions and to consider new information on their own. Consider these suggestions to prompt students to scaffold their learning rather than evaluate it:

1. have students write about what was clear and/or confusing to them during the lesson
2. have students apply new info to a new time, place, or context
3. pose a controversial question related to new info and have students write their opinion

I used Response Writing in my Honors Geometry classes during the first two weeks of this semester. We did an activity in which students had to describe pictures using terms we had just learned without using their hands. Their partner had to draw the picture based solely on what was described. After the activity, students wrote reflections on the activity - what made the activity difficult? Did my partner use the correct vocabulary? Did I understand the terms my partner used? etc.  A few days later, we repeated the activity with different pictures. Again, students were asked to reflect on the experience. Their reflections showed the students built on their previous knowledge and were much more successful the second time around.

Let everyone know how you use Response Writing to help students increase their understanding in your content area.