Hi, Rosanne,
I have taught several literature courses (all with a fairly heavy writing component) using TBL, and I find it a wonderful method to help students learn to think differently about writing. I taught first-year writing for many years before I discovered the method, and now I wish I could go back in time and re-design those courses…
I find that the decision-driven nature of TBL tasks is perfect for teaching writing because that’s really what it is about—making effective choices. Students typically haven’t thought about writing from that perspective before, so it’s useful as a way of framing tasks and giving them a strategic approach to their own work. It also gives them a tool for evaluating and assessing writing, which is essential to their development as critical thinkers and as writers. Finally, approaching writing as a decision-driven exercise allows you to remind them (repeatedly) that it isn’t just a talent—it’s a craft that can be honed through skill development.
With all that in mind, here are some assignments and tasks that I have used in my classrooms with great success.
· Team task: Here’s a claim. Which of the following quotes/paraphrases from a primary text would serve as the BEST evidence to support this claim? (Choices A-E)
· Team task: Here’s a writing prompt. Which of the following would be the most effective thesis to address this prompt? (Choices A-E) Note: I have also done a variation on this later in the semester where I give teams the writing prompt and ask them to write a thesis statement in response. They write up their statements and then they vote for the one that they think is most effective, for a bonus point on their essays. I don’t do this early in the semester because if the teams haven’t bonded yet, one student in each team will take over the writing and the other students will let that happen. If you do it with teams that are bonded and functioning well, it will actually function as a decision-making exercise.
· Team task: Here’s a writing prompt and three/four/five very short essays or excerpts from essays (written by students—who are not in this class) that were written in response to it. Rank them from most to least effective and be prepared to defend your reasoning.
· Team task: Here are the paragraphs from an essay written (by a student—not in this class) in response to this prompt. Put the paragraphs in the order in which you believe they should go to create a coherent argument. This is great for teaching them the function of the parts of an essay and the importance of transitions. It is much harder for them than you think it will be. Teams usually can spot the introductory and concluding paragraph—which gives you an opportunity to talk about the functions of those—but often they struggle to put the body paragraphs in order. That’s a great opportunity for talking about choices and strategies that build coherence in an essay.
· Individual tasks for ongoing practice: Students regularly prepare for class by writing short, informal responses to what they have read for homework. Typically my prompts for those tasks take the form of “Given X (what you read), defend or refute the following claim: Y.” This provides writing practice and reinforces the idea of writing as decision-making. I grade some of these for quality, some of them merely for completion.
Best of luck with TBL!
Regards,
Billie
Billie Bennett Franchini, Ph. D.
Assistant Director
Institute for Teaching, Learning and Academic Leadership
University at Albany
LI-069
Albany, NY 12222
518-442-4850
From: Team-Based Learning [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Rosanne Pagano
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 5:14 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: TBL in the college writing classroom
I'm new to the list and TBL and wondering if you can direct me to resources on adapting TBL for the prose writing classroom.
A quick check of journal articles and book titles so far has come up dry. I'm also eager to hear from other writing faculty who share my interest in TBL. I teach academically advanced high school seniors as well as adults and traditional-age college students for whom writing is a struggle.
Many thanks!
Rosanne V. Pagano, MJ, MAPP
assistant professor, writing program
Alaska Pacific University
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