Writing across the curriculum

WRITING ACROSS THE CURRICULUM

Writing is a Threshold Skill

Writing is a fundamental professional skill.... writing is a

ticket to professional opportunity, while poorly written job applications are a figurative

kiss of death. ~Gaston Caperton

President of the National Commission on Writing for America's Families, Schools, and Colleges

Writing Goes Beyond the Classroom

90% of employers cite writing

and critical

thinking as “very important” for

success

But, only

16% of new hires have

excellent

written commu

n-ication skills

And, only

28% of new hires have

excellent critical thinking

skills (The

Partnership for 21st Century Skills)

“A third of

workers fail to meet the

writing require-ments of their jobs” (College Board’s National

Commission on Writing)

3.1 BILLION

The Annual Cost of Writing

Deficiencies in the Workplace:

Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) is…

Examining standard

practices of good

academic research

and writing across all disciplines

Developing written

communication and critical thinking skills

Incorporating Writing to Learn and Writing in

the Disciplines

WHAT IS WRITING TO LEARN?

Using writing to examine complex thoughts and to develop critical thinking

skills.

Writing In the Discipline (WID) is …

…researching and writing in ways that are specific to a particular field of study.

Transferrable Skills

Metacognitive

Awareness

Contextual Clues

Textual Intelligence

Identification of

Audience

Writing Goals within Disciplines

Investigation of

Opposing Sides

Knowledge of the

DisciplineIndependent

Learning

Research Strategies

within Disciplines

What is Metacognition? An awareness of one’s own knowledge—what one does and

doesn’t know—and one’s ability to understand, control, and manipulate one’s cognitive processes (Meichenbaum, 1985).

Knowing when and where to use particular strategies for learning and problem solving as well as how and why to use specific strategies. 

The ability to use prior knowledge to plan a strategy for approaching a learning task, take necessary steps to problem solve, reflect on and evaluate results, and modify one’s approach as needed.

21st Century LiteraciesAcademic Literacy:

• Read & Think Critically• Comprehend varying modes

of information• Find, evaluate, incorporate, &

acknowledge sources• Identify, evaluate, & present

arguments• Paraphrase & Summarize• Write expository prose• Present information visually• Develop one’s own voice• Work collaboratively• Develop problem-solving

skills• Participate in intellectual

dialogue• Use technology effectively

• Self-advocate

Workplace Literacy:• Design, evaluate, and manage

one’s own work• Frame, investigate, and solve

problems• Collaborate strategically• Communicate effectively• Find, analyze, & use

information• Develop new products & ideas

Journal: WAC Questions?

Take a few minutes to think about the information we have discussed today such as WAC, WID, and metacognition.

In your notes, write down your impressions of this information

Does this course sound different from what you expected?

Do you have follow-up questions about this material?

What are those questions?

ACADEMIC DISCIPLINES

What are Disciplines?

Discipline is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a “branch of learning or scholarly instruction.”

Disciplines = Branches of knowledge which are . . .Academic = liberal or classical rather than technical or vocational

Major Umbrella Disciplines Include…

Humanities

Social Sciences

Natural Sciences

Applied Fields

History Languages Literature Performing Arts Philosophy Religion Visual Arts

ARTS & HUMANITIES

SOCIAL SCIENCES Anthropology Communication

Studies Economics Geography

Library & Information Science

Military Science Political Science Psychology Sociology

NATURAL SCIENCES Astronomy Biology Chemistry Environmental Studies Mathematics Physics

APPLIED FIELDS Business Criminal Justice Education Engineering Health Sciences Law Public Administration

A Disciplinary Field Shares…

a community of scholars

a tradition or history of inquiry

a mode of inquiry that defines how

data is collected and interpreted

the existence of a

communications network

Discourse Communities

When groups of scholars share a cluster of interests, methods of study, and norms of communication, we say that they

participate in a discourse community.

Dialogue in each discipline is based on types of evidence and methods of analysis that scholars in that discipline privilege.

In order for your research to contribute to the dialog of a community of scholars you should observe the standards of that discipline.

Maintain Disciplinary Standards

Common Issues Methods of Research

Technical Terms

Primary Resources and

Scholarly Secondary Resources

Build on the work of other

scholarsStyles of

Communication

Journal: Understanding Disciplinarity

In your notes, and in your own words, write a brief description of the four academic disciplines mentioned in the previous section.

Humanities Social Sciences Natural Sciences Applied Fields

Next, list your current class schedule. How might you classify the courses you’re taking in terms of these four categories? For each class, write for a few minutes about what characteristics of the course cause it to fit into the category you’ve chosen.

BibliographyCaperton, Gaston.College Board’s National Commission on Writing.Miller-Cochran, Susan, Roy Stamper, and Stacey Cochran. An Insider’s Guide to Academic Writing: A Rhetoric and Reader. New York: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2016.Partnership for 21st Century Skills.Ruszkiewicz, John J. and Jay T. Dolmage. How to Write Anything: A Guide and Reference, 2nd ed. NY: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2012.