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Low-stakes writing is ungraded or carries little weight in
grading. For example, you might average grades for all low-stakes
assignments into one homework grade; or you might grade using a simple P/F or +/-
scale. Low-stakes writing is assigned to provide students with ample
writing practice in preparation for higher-stakes
assignments. Often, this kind of writing serves as a form on
"invention," that is, a method for developing a topic or for thinking
up a topic.
Additionally, the more writing students do,
the more opportunities they have to reflect, both on the course content
and on the writing process itself. Reflection aids in thinking
through a topic or an argument and leads to growth in critical thinking
skills and, in turn, writing skills. Furthermore, low-stakes writing
can soothe the anxious writer or motivate the reluctant writer.
Although
low-stakes writing is often not graded, or graded minimally, it is most
helpful if accompanied by some form of feedback. Short comments
can be made by a responsive reader (for example, marginal questions
that respond to the content or evidence, or checkmarks next to errors
that interfere with comprehension).Or a rubric can be designed to guide
reading and response. The reader/responder does not have to be the
instructor; graders or peers can be helpful, and you can even get students to do self-assessment.
The
key to using low stakes writing is to remember that all feedback, to be
useful, does not have to come from the instructor; however, it does
have to be (1) specific and detailed; (2) honest; and (3)
tactful. The most useful feedback will be based in some way upon
expectations for the assignment clarified by the instructor, which is
why a good written assignment and frequent class discussion of the
assignment are helpful.
Responses to student writing can come in a number of forms, including:
Above
all, students need to learn to edit their own work and to take some
time to draft and revise, even if they are writing a short or quick
piece.
All the above-listed forms of response help
students achieve independence as writers. However, students need
to understand that (1) ungraded responses are not comprehensive reviews
of everything that needs to be done to improve a draft; and (2) they
hold ultimate responsibility for changes. Some things a reviewer
(including an instructor) suggests might be inadequate or even wrong,
or one change they make because of a reviewer's suggestion might make
further changes necessary.
Instructor/grader responses.
Responses from an authority figure such as an instructor or grader can
be oral or written, in the form of a rubric or comments on a
text. When a grade does not have to be assigned, instructors can
concentrate on focusing student attention on improvement or on urging
students to reflect. In other words, comments can be more
general. For example, rather than point out specific errors in
logic or punctuation, the instructor can let the student know he/she
needs to concentrate on those areas. Pointing out one or two
errors as examples should be sufficient. Instructors, however, need to
be cautioned not to center their responses too much on errors in the
early stages of the writing process.
If students are to feel that revision should be deep and meaningful,
they should concentrate on ideas, content, argument first, and
instructors should encourage this in their comments.
University Writing Center responses.
University Writing Center consultants are trained to promote active and
independent learning; consultants stress procedural knowledge and model
or facilitate good writing habits. They have time (up to 45
minutes a session) to provide writers with individualized attention.
Self-assessment and Peer responses.
For both of these, you can provide a range of guidance. So, for
example, if you wish to be fairly specific in your guidance, provide a
list of open-ended questions ( heuristics) or a checklist that asks if students are meeting specific criteria. Even your grading rubric can serve this function. On the other end of the spectrum, ask students to write peer response
essays which specify a document's strengths and weaknesses. In the
latter case, the reviewer has to make more decisions about what
features to critique and how to weight them.Critiques can be written or
oral; they can be done in class or as homework. Computer-aided
techniques such as Calibrated Peer Review (CPR) can be quite effective as well.
Suggestions for Responding to Low-Stakes Writing
It
is helpful to model the response process, which can be done by
discussing a paper in class or by showing written peer
responses. Stress being specific, honest, and tactful. If
a reviewer wants to say a writer's style is "wordy," he or she should
be able to quote, and even discuss, a wordy passage. Consider
which terms you use that might need clarification: are you sure all
students agree on what is meant by a thesis statement or by
organization? Sometimes class activities can clarify terms. Students
can learn time-management skills if some class time is devoted to a
critiquing session well before a final draft is due. However, some
students inevitably come to such a class unprepared. Decide on a
strategy. One of the best is to group the students with no draft
and assign them to help each other come up with thesis sentences or
even first drafts. Likewise, group together students who bring
only a very rough draft or outline, separate from those who bring a
more polished draft. Remind them that the most prepared students
will get the most useful feedback.
Some forms of low-stakes writing include:
Journals.
A good place to encourage fluency in thought or writing. Unlike a diary
writer, who simply records events, a journal writer interprets or
analyzes and thus engages in critical thinking. Dialogue journals
encourage conversation between a reader (the instructor or peers) and a
writer; the reader responds to the journal's content with brief
marginal notes (or notes made in an adjacent column reserved for the
reader), and the writer then responds to those comments (often in
another column).
Freewriting, Brainstorming, Visualizing, and other Invention Techniques.
Llike journals, these invention techniques promote fluency but are most
often used in the "invention" or "discovery" stage of the writing
process, when writers are trying to think up or develop ideas. They are
especially helpful to blocked or anxious writers.
Mini essays. These
provide opportunities for students to write on very short topics in a
way that will help them practice skills such as close reading or
developing content in writing.
Peer responses.
A specific form of mini essay, the peer response aks students to
comment upon each other's writing; peer responses can take other forms
as well, such as a checklist or email message. Generally, they are
useful not only for developing writing skills but also editing skills.
Furthermore, they provide a means by which you can clarify your
expectations of good writing.
Additional ResourcesBean, John, Dean Drenk, and F. D. Lee. "Microtheme Strategies for Developing Cognitive Skills" in New Directions for Teaching and Learning in All Disciplines 12. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 1982.
Smith, Ray. " Sequenced Microthemes: A Great Deal of Thinking for Your Students, and Relatively Little Grading for You."
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Responding to Student Writing 
