Integrating Writing Activities in the Science Curriculum
Michael Seery
Academic Writing Centre Presentation May 2015
Academic Writing: Our Perspective
1. Writing as a skill… to learn discipline (and as a
transferable skill)
2. Assessment of understanding (vs numerical)
3. How to integrate writing activities into curriculum
Teaching Writing Learning [discipline]
Lack of resources
Resources on how to write to learn [discipline] are rare
Obstacles
• Assignment design – what is an appropriate writing assignment?
• Progression – how can we develop writing assignments across a programme?
• Grading – how do we grade and find the time to grade?
Obstacles
• Assignment design – what is an appropriate writing assignment?
• Progression – how can we develop writing assignments across a programme?
• Grading – how do we grade and find the time to grade?
Topic Type
Topic Type Format
Explanatory Focus is on subject (e.g. student explaining a technical topic)
Persuasive Focus is on audience, and arguing a position (e.g. a research method is viable)
Expressive Focus is on the writer, and their own personal experience (e.g. learning or reflective journals)
Conceptual Hierarchy Form Definition
Listing Display of important items
Definition Explanation of a word or concept
Seriation Ordered list or description of a procedure
Classification Application of specific categories to specific data
Summary Identification of important facts/ideas in a reading
Compare/ Contrast
Listing and some analysis of similarities and differences
Analysis Breaking down complex idea into its constituent parts
Academic/ scientific arg.
Use of facts and theories to support a proposition
Examples
Classification
Essentially all simple inorganic reactions can be classified as precipitation, acid-base, or oxidation-reduction reactions. Provide a clear definition and examples for each category. Identify the basis for classification of each example.
Examples
Summary
Summarise the Bohr theory of the hydrogen atom.
Compare/Contrast
Compare and contrast the three concepts of acids and bases: Arrhenius, Brønsted-Lowry, and Lewis. What essential features do they have in common? How do they differ?
Components of a Good Assignment
1. Instructional Objective
a) Content
b) Cognitive level (ref conceptual hierarchy)
c) Rhetorical form (ref topic type)
Components of a Good Assignment
2. Audience
a) Experts (conceptualised as lecturers)
b) Scientifically-literate non-experts (conceptualised as class-mates)
c) General audience (conceptualised as friends/family members)
Components of a Good Assignment
3. Process
a) Is there a draft and review stage?
b) Is there peer review?
c) Is plagiarism check a part of process?
d) Clear deadlines and expectations
Obstacles
• Assignment design – what is an appropriate writing assignment?
• Progression – how can we develop writing assignments across a programme?
• Grading – how do we grade and find the time to grade?
Conceptual Hierarchy Form Definition
Listing Display of important items
Definition Explanation of a word or concept
Seriation Ordered list or description of a procedure
Classification Application of specific categories to specific data
Summary Identification of important facts/ideas in a reading
Compare/ Contrast
Listing and some analysis of similarities and differences
Analysis Breaking down complex idea into its constituent parts
Academic/ scientific arg.
Use of facts and theories to support a proposition
Examples (Atomic Chem)
In less than one page, list and explain the
postulates of Dalton’s atomic theory.
Conceptual hierarchy: listing
In a one page essay, summarise the Bohr theory of the atom and
show how it explains the emission spectrum of the hydrogen atom.
Conceptual hierarchy: definition, summary, analysis
In a one page essay, list the postulates of Dalton’s atomic theory and discuss how subsequent discoveries have caused these postulates to be modified. Have these modifications altered the essential content of the
theory?
Conceptual hierarchy: listing, analysis, scientific argument
1. In small groups, prepare a writing assignment, considering:
Where in the curriculum? Year 1 __ 2 __ 3 __ 4 __
Instructional Objective
Content (eg atomic theory) ______________________
Conceptual hierarchy ______________________
Rhetorical form ______________________
Audience _______________________
2. In particular considering the conceptual hierarchy, outline what preceding/succeeding assignment is needed/possible as a result of this assignment:
Obstacles
• Assignment design – what is an appropriate writing assignment?
• Progression – how can we develop writing assignments across a programme?
• Grading – how do we grade and find the time to grade?
Types of assignment
Laboratory report
Abstract Historical paper
Proposal Summary and
Review
Annotated bibliography
Resume/cover letter
Popular article
Personal journal Short in-class
summary Concept paper Microtheme
Progression
Year Skills development Conceptual understanding
Attributes Examples
1
•Reading textbooks •Understanding and reporting lab procedures
•Deepen personal understanding •Develop critical thinking
•Connection to real world
•One page summaries •Peer review •Data analysis of labs
2 •Acquaint with professional literature
•Values of science
•Associating assignments to inform experimental work
•Experimental protocols •Annotated bibs or abstracts
3 •Professional writing in the discipline
•Nature of science
•Developing CV and cover letter, professional biography
•Extended lab reports •Proposals •Technical specifications
4 •Research literature •Professional standards of style
•Scientific argument •Application to professional world
•Research thesis
1. In small groups, prepare a writing assignment, considering:
Where in the curriculum? Year 1 __ 2 __ 3 __ 4 __
Instructional Objective
Content (eg atomic theory) ______________________
Conceptual hierarchy ______________________
Rhetorical form ______________________
Audience _______________________
3. Again, reconsider your group’s writing assignment, but in this case in terms of skills development. What preceding/succeeding assignment is needed/possible as a result of this assignment?
Progression
Year Skills development Conceptual understanding
Attributes Examples
1
•Reading textbooks •Understanding and reporting lab procedures
•Deepen personal understanding •Develop critical thinking
•Connection to real world
•One page summaries •Peer review •Data analysis of labs
2 •Acquaint with professional literature
•Values of science
•Associating assignments to inform experimental work
•Experimental protocols •Annotated bibs or abstracts
3 •Professional writing in the discipline
•Nature of science
•Developing CV and cover letter, professional biography
•Extended lab reports •Proposals •Technical specifications
4 •Research literature •Professional standards of style
•Scientific argument •Application to professional world
•Research thesis
Moskovitz and Kellogg
• Lab reports do not reflect genuine professional settings
• Lack authenticity… reconsideration is necessary
• “Writing standard introductions… is a sham”
• Writing Methods for a procedure detailed in the manual
• Students do generate and evaluate DATA – lab report should focus on this
Moskovitz and Kellogg Opening statement highlighting main finding of experiment
Opening statement
Results and Evaluation
Results obtained and explanation as to their relevance. Selected to make the argument to back up the opening statement. Appropriate graphs, tables etc highlight ability to display data All on one page
Student positioned as apprentice scientist Instructor positioned as scientific readers
Obstacles
• Assignment design – what is an appropriate writing assignment?
• Progression – how can we develop writing assignments across a programme?
• Grading – how do we grade and find the time to grade?
Scalability
• Advantage of programmatic over modular approach (number of assessments per staff member, progression of
assessment)
• Year 1 versus Year 4 (type of student, type of grading)
• Reconfiguration of current assessment protocols
What is being assessed?
Are you going to assess:
– Spelling and grammar?
– Adherence to word count?
– Neatness and presentation?
– Cognitive levels (list, summarise, etc)
Making these components clear will
help student and will aid correction
Assessment approaches: Two Types
Holistic grading – 6 point criteria (see e.g.s)
• Requires explicit guidelines on assessment
Analytical grading
• A detailed rubric on various components (See eg)
See Kovac and Sherwood
Level Content Assignment Convention Organisation
6 Clear, direct, and
accurate Responsive to topic
and intention No serious grammar
errors On topic and fluent,
logical
5 Largely clear,
sometimes direct, accurate
Responsive to topic but less conscious
of intention
Minor errors (apostrophe, spelling, etc)
On topic, less fluent (e.g. connections
between sections)
4 Usually comprehensible and technically correct,
but simplistic
Reveals a very general sense of
topic, or a tendency to veer off topic,
usually returns to it
Mechanically flawed (punctuation etc) but no serious
grammar errors
Fuzzy focus, stiff in introductions and
connections, lapses in logic but a
general sense of purpose
3
2 Sometimes incomprehensible and/or inaccurate, poorly constructed.
Lacks purpose, loses a sense of assigned topic and method
Mechanically and gramatically flawed
Too little content, illogical, unfocused,
confusing 1
1. In small groups, prepare a writing assignment, considering:
Where in the curriculum? Year 1 __ 2 __ 3 __ 4 __
Instructional Objective
Content (eg atomic theory) ______________________
Conceptual hierarchy ______________________
Rhetorical form ______________________
Audience _______________________
4. What assessment criteria would you outline for this assignment?
5. If you were considering peer-review, what would you offer students as a guide for assessment?
Progressive Paper
Van Bremer and Baston http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed300312q
Summary
• Writing can be integrated in the curriculum but needs to be considered in a holistic manner by programme teams.
• Assignments should be explicitly clear on the type (rhetorical form), conceptual hierarchy, audience, process and assessment criteria.
• Assessment should be considered in light of staff and student workload. Reconfiguring current assessments (e.g. laboratory reports) is probably most feasible.
Additional Handouts
• A more in-depth discussion is available in Kovac and Sherwood, Writing across the Chemistry Curriculum, In Kevin St Library: 808.06654
• Moskowitz and Kellogg https://research.duke.edu/sites/default/files/moskovitz-05-20-11.pdf • Van Bremer and Baston
http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/ed300312q