Modeling
“[I]t is a universal rule of life that we should wish to copy what we approve in others. It is for this reason that musicians take the voices of their teachers, painters the works of their predecessors, and [farmers] the principles of agriculture which have been proved in practice, as models for their imitation. In fact, we may note that the elementary study of every branch of learning is directed by reference to some definite standard that is placed before the learner. We must, in fact, either be like or unlike those who have proved their excellence.”
–Quintilian, Book X, Institutes of Oratory
One way to help students improve writing is to provide models of finished products. Definitions of good writing abound and can vary considerably from discipline to discipline and from one professor to another. Models clarify what you, as a representative of your academic discipline, consider the qualities of good writing. However, providing models requires some preparation and thought. First, you have to find appropriate and useful models. Next, you have to decide how you will use them in your classroom.
Finding Good Models
Produce models yourself. Since it is good practice to try out your own writing assignments, you might produce models specifically for your class, use your published work, or work in progress. One goal of a writing instructor is to demystify the writing process. Students should understand that even very good writers labor over content, style, organization, readability, and so on. When you provide a sample of your own writing, students can query you about your choices and your finished product.
Find published work by professional writers meant for a professional audience. The best examples will be those most like what you want students to aim for. The only caveat is that they should be models of good writing since not all published work is exemplary. It is also helpful if they are short and not so complicated that they seem unattainable to students.
Photocopy exemplary student writing. When you come across an example of student writing that is particularly well-written, you can share it with other students. However, avoid using negative examples, as most students will hesitate to give permission if they know you plan to use student writing to exemplify poor writing–and not telling them of your intent would be unfair. Furthermore, students will learn as much from positive as from negative analysis. No piece of writing, your own included, is so perfect that constructive criticism cannot be aimed at it. It’s best to ask all students to sign a release form at the beginning of the semester granting permission to use their work for teaching purposes. Note that if you wish to quote their work in an article on teaching, you’ll need specific permission.
Keep a file of models from previous semesters. Sometimes it is easier for students to provide honest criticism if they know their peers have not written the model you are examining. It is still best to keep these as mainly positive examples, lest students feel you may single their work out as well. While using examples from past classes does not give you the license to be harsh or to ridicule, you can be a bit more frank in your assessment.
Using Models in the Classroom
You can integrate models into teaching with several methods. You can provide the model in numerous ways: photocopies, an overhead projector, or electronically through PowerPoint, on the web, or with file-sharing software on a Local Area Network. Electronic versions are best if you want students to be able to write on or manipulate the text. If you use an overhead projector, be sure to have a transparency marker available.
Evaluate the paper locally. Discuss specific parts of the paper such as an especially good technique or phrase, transition sentence, topic sentence, heading, thesis statement, and so on. This technique is especially useful if your students need to work on a specific skill. For example, if they are struggling with transition sentences, you can provide several successful transition sentences as models. For each example describe your reaction, explain what you like and dislike, and discuss how and why the writing fulfills your expectations.
It’s not enough simply to show models. Students need to work with models and discuss them to be able to transfer their abstract understanding of the model’s features into their own writing. While you can lecture on the qualities you endorse or admire, it is far more effective to engage students actively in evaluation and analysis through class discussion and peer response groups.
Below are two general approaches to the analysis and evaluation of models:
Evaluate globally. Consider the document’s overall effectiveness in relation to rhetorical purpose, audience, style, and presentation (i.e., grammar, format, organization). You can demonstrate how you evaluate writing (or how you grade) by describing your thoughts as you read the paper aloud. Or you can ask students to describe their own reactions and the reasons behind them.
Evaluate locally. Consider specific parts of the paper such as transition or topic sentences, the thesis, headings, paragraph structure, and so on. Local evaluation helps students work on a specific skill. For example, when you are disappointed by the introductions your students produce, provide several exemplary introductory paragraphs for discussion. Or sort students into peer response groups and ask them to evaluate. By working collaboratively, they will hear how readers can have different but similar reactions, and they will learn from each other.
If you do decide to use a student’s paper as a model, you should have him or her sign a Student Contract.
Additional Resources
“Imitation,” in Silva Rhetoricae (rhetoric.byu.edu) 1996-2004, Gideon O. Burton, Brigham Young University.
Edward P. J. Corbett’s Classical Rhetoric for the Modern Student, 3rd. ed. NY: Oxford U P 1990.
Holt, Rinehart, and Winston maintains a model bank for common types of documents.
Annotated models for technical writing (reports, correspondence, instructions, resumes) can be found in Austin Community College’s Online Technical Writing textbook by David A. McMurrey.
