Low-stakes Writing and Feedback
Low-stakes writing is informal, exploratory writing. It helps to develop critical thinking and exploration of ideas and concepts. It is usually not graded but may occasionally be graded and feedback may be provided as well. Low-stakes writing is usually done during class, but can also be assigned outside of class, such as with reading reflections. Low-stakes writing works best when it is purposeful and integrated with tutorial goals.
While low-stakes writing is a required part of W courses (PHIL 100W and PHIL 120W), it is by no means limited to W courses or to courses that feature essays. Low-stakes writing is used across every discipline, and can be particularly effective in quantitative courses such as math and logic.
Kinds of Low-Stakes Writing
There are different kinds of low stakes writing, for example, quickwrites, free writes, one-minute papers, micro-themes, concept maps, double note taking, sample questions, journals, correspondence writing etc. Most of the in-class writing in philosophy courses centres on quickwrites and one-minute papers, but do not feel limited to these types.
Quickwrites are short pieces of writing (usually 3 - 5 minutes) where students are asked to respond to a question or explore an idea.
One-minute papers or exit slips are short (1 minute) quickwrites in which a particular question is posed and students write a short answer. One-minute papers are usually used to gather feedback or to note questions students have at the end of a tutorial.
Double note taking is an exercise that replicates the sort of thoughtful notation you make when you read an article. A student divides a piece of paper in half. On the left-hand side, the student takes down notes, and on the right side the student writes any critical reflections or questions about the notes. This is a good activity to model early in the semester when discussing how to read philosophy articles.
Incorporating Low-Stakes Writing Into Tutorial
There are many ways to incorporate low-stakes writing in a tutorial. However you use low-stakes writing, it should be integrated with your course goals and not be an "add on". Here are some ways you can use low-stakes writing in your tutorial.
Generating discussion. It can be hard for students to walk in to a tutorial and have something to say right away for a discussion. Using a low-stakes assignment that asks students a question or invites them to reflect upon a statement relevant to the discussion topic will help generate ideas that can be used in a discussion. This works well for both large group discussions and small group discussions. For small group discussions, a low-stakes assignment can be a prelude to discussion questions.
Summarizing discussion or a debate. Having students identify some of the key issues from the discussion and then writing down their position is an ideal way to end a discussion. Not only does this reinforce the key points of the discussion, it allows students to explore their ideas. It also gives students who didn't contribute to the discussion a chance to voice their views.
Exploring essay topics. A low-stakes exercise inviting students to write on the essay topic can be helpful in getting students thinking about the topic well in advance of its due date. For example, you might have students summarize the position they are asked to take a stand on, and then write a few sentences about what stand they would currently take and why.
Close reading of a text. Select a key passage from a text that is in-line with your tutorial goals. Have students work in pairs or in small groups to complete a double note-taking exercise. A large group discussion is then useful to collate the points and address the questions and/or criticisms. (Note: you will need to model the double note-taking process.)
Checking for understanding. Pose a question or ask students to explain a statement/theory/concept. Be sure to collect these and provide feedback to the group in the next tutorial.
Preparing for an exam. This is similar to checking for understanding, but also focuses on the features of a good exam answer. For example, for a short answer/short essay question you might do this: 1) Review the features of good answers. 2) Give students 5 - 10 minutes to write their answer. 3) Look at (as a group) a sample answer (that you've written) that addresses the requirements of a good answer. 4) Have students do a self-assessment of their answers. For example, have them comment on their strengths and weaknesses and/or have them give the answer a score. You can collect them and give general group feedback the next tutorial.
Developing objection & response skills. There are a number of variations to this exercise. You can provide students with a claim/position and have them write an objection, or you can provide them with an objection and have them write a response. You can also have students take a stand on a position, exchange quickwrites and write an objection to their peer's position, and then exchange again and have students write a response (or you can just stop at the objection stage).
Checking for questions. A couple of minutes before the end of tutorial, ask students to write down one thing they're still confused about (if anything). Have them hand in their "exit slips" when they leave. A variation on this is to have students write down one key point from that day's tutorial.
Soliciting feedback. Have students take a few minutes at the end of tutorial to jot down what they like about tutorial and what they want to see more of. Collect these and report back to the students the following week. This a great way to get tutorial feedback, and should be done at least once during the semester, around week 5.
Tips on Using Low-Stakes Writing
Students will readily go along with non-standard activities (anything that isn't lecturing) but they need to feel that they will be free from humiliation and embarrassment. They also need to see that the activity has a clear sense of purpose and is related to the tutorial. With these points in mind, here are some tips for using low-takes:
- Limit the time and provide indicators. Let students know in advance the time limit (for example, 4- 5 minutes) and give them a "heads up" when the time is almost over. For example, you might say, "there's about 30 seconds left" or "you should be working on finishing your thought". When the time has ended, you might say, "we're at 5 minutes, so finish up the sentence you're working on." This is not an exam situation - it's okay if some students are still writing after the time is up to finish up a sentence or two.
- Let students know in advance who will read the writing. It's fine to have students hand in their writing or exchange with another student, but you need to let students know--before they start writing--who will be reading the writing.
- Make the writing prompt visible. Put the prompt on an overhead or on the board. Some students will want to refer to it as they write.
- Create a quiet space for writing.
- Reassure students of your expectations. Low-stakes writing is thinking in progress, and is therefore often messy (both content-wise and syntactically). This is fine and is to be expected. Let students know that you don't expect essay-style prose. In fact, for your first low-stakes, it's helpful to model your expectations. For example, you might say to your students as a demonstration, "Okay. I'm supposed to be writing on whether or not I have a mind. Do I have a mind? I think so. But why?..."
- Return low-stakes writing in a timely manner. If you collect low-stakes during a tutorial, strive to return the assignments the following tutorial.
Providing Feedback on Low-Stakes Writing
Not all writing needs to be collected and read, and not all writing that is collected and read requires feedback (although it's always a good idea to acknowledge that you've read it, for example by initialing the writing). Feedback can be provided on individual assignments, or collected and presented as a whole to the tutorial. Whether or not you collect it and provide feedback will depend on your goals for a particular piece of writing.
When you do provide feedback on low-stakes writing, it shouldn't take very long - perhaps 15 minutes during an office hour for three tutorials' worth of assignments.
Two easy (and efficient) methods of providing feedback for low-stakes assignments are the checkmark plus/minus system, and the straight/wavy line system. Whichever system you use (or if you invent one of your own), be sure to explain it to your students and remind them of it throughout the semester.
Checkmark plus/minus system
In this system, you use a set of checkmarks to indicate the overall quality of the work. This system works best with sample exam questions or when capturing effort. You can modify the meaning of the plus and minus indictors to suit your needs (just be consistent and let students know what it means).
Straight and wavy line system
In this system, you use two styles of lines to indicate strengths and weaknesses. As with the checkmark system, it is up to the student to determine what is strong or problematic. Note that both of these systems can also be used when providing feedback on essays.
