Chapter Two: “Building Experience and Confidence in Writing Science”

AAAS Member Community https://members.aaas.org/communities/community-home

Forum for AAAS members that covers all topics brought up by members. Good example of a site that enables scientists and students to see ways in which members address a science-literate audience on topics of interest across specialties. A good way for newer scientists to engage in informal writing that adheres to standards of civil discourse on controversial topics. 

Balgopal, Meena, Casper, Anne Marie, Wallace, Allison, Laybourn, Paul, Brisch, Ellen (2018). Writing Matters: Writing-to-Learn Activities Increase Undergraduate Performance in Cell Biology . BioScience, Vol. 68, No. 6, 445-54.

Study that demonstrates improved student performance in biology courses that use extensive writing-to-learn assignments. One of several articles on related topics by Balgopal et al. with similar conclusions re: writing to learn.

Bean, J. C. (2011). Engaging Ideas: The Professor’s Guide to Integrating Writing, Critical Thinking, and Active Learning in the Classroom (2nd Edition). Jossey-Bass.

Now-classic text that teaches teachers ways to use writing successfully for learning in classes across disciplines, including STEM.

Duran, L. B., & Duran, E, “The 5E instructional model: A learning cycle approach for inquiry-based science teaching”, The Science Education Review, 3(2), 49-58, 2004.

From the Abstract: “The implementation of inquiry-based teaching is a major theme in national science education reform documents such as ‘Project 2061: Science for All Americans’ (Rutherford & Alhgren, 1990) and the ‘National Science Education Standards’ (NRC, 1996) These reports argue that inquiry needs to be a central strategy of all science curricula… Although there are several variations of learning cycles, the one that is highlighted in this manuscript as a method to support inquiry-based teaching is the 5E Instructional Model (Bybee & Landes, 1990). The use of this model in several science education professional development programs is also addressed.”

Gioia, Theodore (2019). The Midlife Crisis of the American Restaurant Review. Los Angeles Review of Books, Dec. 31, 2019. https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/midlife-crisis-american-restaurant-review/?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Not on a typical STEM topic, this article describes how the prevalence of Yelp and Trip Advisor reviews on restaurants is forcing professional restaurant reviewers to change—and giving them the freedom to explore other ideas and styles relevant to this evolving genre. Note the divisive comments to the article as another example of writers’ accessibility to publication. Also relevant to Chs 1, 4, and 8 of WSTFC.

Glynn, S. M., & Muth, K. D. (1994). Reading and writing to learn science: Achieving scientific literacy. Journal of Research in Science Teaching, 31(9), 1057–1073. https://doi.org/10.1002/tea.3660310915

Stone, A. (2018). “Writing as a Mediator for Conceptual Change: A Targeted Activity to Help Students Uncover Their Misconceptions in an Introductory Physics Class.” Double Helix, Vol 6.

Both articles exemplify principles described in Chapter Two and the rhetorical approach used throughout WSTFC. Articles reinforce the concepts underlying the teaching methods described in the Instructor’s Guide for WSTFC.

Graves, Roger, and Theresa Hyland, eds. (2017). Writing Assignments Across University Disciplines. Trafford.

Describes, classifies, and analyzes writing assignments given in a range of disciplines in Canadian universities. Individual chapters focus on engineering and life sciences fields in specific universities. Chapters indicate the range and extent of writing assigned in these disciplines.

Lang, J. M. (2016). Small teaching: everyday lessons from the science of learning. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass & Pfeiffer.

Darby, F., and J. Lang. 2019. Small Teaching Online: Applying Learning Science in Online Classes. Jossey Bass.

Lang and Darby/Lang give many examples of writing- and speaking-rich activities based on similar “active learning” principles such as those that inspire Chapter Two of WSTFC.

Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL). (2019, May 17). Retrieved from https://www.aacu.org/pkal.

Project Kaleidoscope (PKAL) is AAC&U’s center of STEM higher education reform dedicated to empowering STEM faculty, including those from underrepresented groups, to graduate more students in STEM fields who are competitively trained and liberally educated.

Moon, Alena, Eleni Zotos, Solaire Finkenstaedt-Quinn, Anne Ruggles Gere, and Ginger Shultz (2018). Investigation of the role of writing-to-learn in promoting student understanding of light–matter interactions. Chem. Educ. Res. Pract.,2018,19, 807—818.

From the abstract: “Results from a three-tiered assessment show that WTL students significantly improved in their explanations of the concept of spectroscopic transitions and their overall confidence in their understanding. Analysis of their writing, follow-up interviews, and feedback served to explain the changes observed on the pre-post assessment.

Mynlieff, M., Manogaran, A., St. Maurice, M., Eddinger, T. (2014) Writing Assignments with a Metacognitive Component Enhance Learning in a Large Introductory Biology Course. CBE – Life Sciences Education, Vol. 13, No. 2 (Summer 2014): 311-321.

From the Abstract: Writing assignments, including note taking and written recall, should enhance retention of knowledge, whereas analytical writing tasks with metacognitive aspects should enhance higher-order thinking. In this study, we assessed how certain writing-intensive “interventions,” such as written exam corrections and peer-reviewed writing assignments using Calibrated Peer Review and including a metacognitive component, improve student learning….These changes offer significant student learning benefits with minimal additional effort by the instructors.

Reynolds, J. A., Thaiss, C., Katkin, W., & Thompson, R. J., Jr (2012). Writing-to-learn in undergraduate science education: a community-based, conceptually driven approach. CBE life sciences education, 11(1), 17–25. https://www.lifescied.org/doi/pdf/10.1187/cbe.11-08-0064

Describes a system for designing and assessing writing-to-learn techniques in STEM teaching. Provides multi-step model for accurate assessment of the impact of WTL on student learning.