Question, Research, Experiment, and Write

In an article submitted by the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory, researchers are concerned that below average scores for student writing assessments needs to be addressed.  For example in Oregon only 34% of eigth graders in 2004 achieved standards for the writing assessment.  Fortunately, teachers across the area are being informed of a program that may help students achieve better scores.  WAC, otherwise known as writing across the curriculum, incorporates different writing skills into each subject area in different ways.  However, why do we need to pay so much attention to writing now?  Railsback, the author of this article, proclaims:  less time is spent on writing, we have low writing scores, there are new standards for written communication across disciplines, we have limited teacher preparation, there are new tests for graduation and college admission that requires writing, the inadequate preparations for college writing, and the demands of the changing workforce.

Though there appears to be no shortage of anecdotal evidence of program successes—from improving writing scores to helping students make richer connections across subject areas—few high-quality quantitative studies of writing across the curriculum currently exist. The enormous variety among programs, not to mention the number of variables likely to affect student writing and learning, present serious obstacles to designing valid, large-scale studies of WAC’s effects.  (Railsback, Jennifer.  Writing to Learn, Learning to Write:  Revisiting Writing Across the Curriculum in Northwest Secondary Schools.  Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.  Dec. 2004.)

Although there is no hard evidence proving the benefits of WAC there are school systems that are gradually improving by implementing this program.  in fact a study conducted by Bangert-Drowns, Hurley, and Wilkinson in 2004 concluded that secondary students achieved and gained more from subject material by writing about it.  However, they found the adverse affect for middle school students and related this to the developmental difference between the age groups.

While some writing activities may indeed be a good match for more print-oriented students who already have strong reading and writing skills for their grade level, it’s possible that these same activities could limit subject-area learning for students who perform better in other ways. Writing activities that are poorly designed or that ask students to do more than they are developmentally ready for may also have a negative impact on learning. (Railsback, Jennifer.  Writing to Learn, Learning to Write:  Revisiting Writing Across the Curriculum in Northwest Secondary Schools.  Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory.  Dec. 2004.)

Although many educators and researchers alike tend to focus on the benefits of WAC it is also important to consider the draw backs.  Firstly we need to remember there are different learners.  Not every student can learn from reading and writing, some may need a hands on experiment in order to learn anything, while another may only need to read something.  yet another factor that we must consider is the writing level of our students.  If they are already struggling with their writing skills imagine giving that student a writing assignment in math, a subject they excel in.  This assignment may hinder their ability to fully understand the material because they are so concerned about the writing process that they completely loose focus on the content.  Even thought there are enormous benefits that I think outweigh the negatives, WAC is a program that can help students become better and more powerful writers.  It is a tool that can never be replaced or taken away, once you can express yourself and your knowledge you begin to understand the world around you better a little at a time.