“My Understanding Has Grown, My Perspective Has Switched”

Abstract

The use of informal writing is common in sociology. This article presents one model for integrating informal written work with learning goals through a theoretical framework known as concentric thinking. More commonly referred to as “the PTA model” because of the series of cognitive tasks it promotes—prioritization, translation, and analogy (PTA)—concentric thinking practiced through PTA provides a basis for structuring students’ informal writing over the course of a semester. The authors present data in which students use PTA to assess their journal entries as text at the end of the semester. The students’ informal responses to their own writing demonstrate the achievement of an important course goal—the development of sociological mindfulness—while they also reveal a deeper understanding of the important features of written work. The authors conclude that when informal writing is purposefully linked to a set of thinking goals and learning outcomes that are necessary to complete formal course requirements, it can serve as a powerful teaching tool to enhance both thinking and the ability to convey thoughts in writing. Structured in this way, informal written work can enable us to observe and assess changes in students’ learning that would otherwise remain invisible, and it can alter our pedagogy in fundamental ways.

A writing-intensive course improves biology undergraduates' perception and confidence of their abilities to read scientific literature and communicate science

“…For example, if students misinterpreted a figure in the primary scientific paper on which they were writing a NYT-style summary, they were able to clarify this during the discussion and correct it in their summary. Additionally, a higher frequency of writing, in this case on a weekly basis, has been shown to improve both writing skills and thinking, serving dual pedagogical purposes (14).…”

Writing in the Sociology Curriculum

“…Given the small number of introductory-level courses included in our sample, it is impossible to know whether these patterns reflect wider practices, but if they do, we see this as a positive reflection on the discipline. Carefully constructed informal writing can help inexperienced students gain confidence and skills and prepare them for more formal writing (Bean 2011;Hudd et al 2011). When writing is scaffolded in this way, it becomes a powerful means to achieve student learning at all levels (Massengill 2011).…”

“…Expressive writing is reflective and feeling-based; journals or reflection papers are examples. Although transactional writing is the predominant form of writing in academia, teachers have increasingly come to see the value of expressive writing such as journals or free-writing to enhance students' learning (Bean 2011;Hudd, Smart, and Delohery 2011;Reinertsen and Wells 1993;Roth 1985;Schools Council [Great Britain] and Britton 1975). Finally, poetic writing is language as art.…”

Private Journals versus Public Blogs

“…Precision and mastery are not the goals in this style of writing. Subsequently, lowstakes writing has been shown to bolster fluency, confidence, creativity, organization, and risk taking by compelling students to find their own language for difficult concepts in the course (Hudd, Smart, and Delohery 2011;Pearson 2010), which is linked to greater comprehension and retention of new ideas (Svinicki and McKeachie 2011).…”