Knipper and Duggan Article

Knipper and Duggan wrote an exceptional article, Writing to Learn Across the Curriculum: Tools for Comprehension Content Area Classes. The main focus was on incorporating writing into the classroom. I truly believe that wonderfully insightful ideas arise through writing, which can take many various forms, informal, formal, creative, reflective,etc. There is so much freedom in writing, which can be extremely beneficial for students.

As mentioned in the article it is very important to give checklists and rubrics for students to follow when writing. This gives them guidelines to follow, but also the freedom to be creative when reaching the goal. Unless the assignment is one that is complete free-writing then a student needs to have structure when given a writing assignment.  This helps to guide the student's writing, which is one of that the purposes for these grading systems.

Reflection on lessons and one's self can be best done through writing. This is where the "listen & write" strategy is extremely beneficial.  I would use this with my students throughout a lesson to open the floor for discussion.  I believe it is through discussion that students really learn material and learn.  They are able to hear other's views, which in turn opens their minds to other possibilities and thoughts on a subject.  Exploring ideas beyond the text and the lecture is where students become truly knowledgeable, and I will work to promote this style of learning in my classroom.  Ending lessons using this technique is a great method to use with the "listen & write."  I would use this in order to facilitate my students' metacognition. 

The multiple strategies mentioned in the article seem to all be great tools for any teacher to incorporate in the classroom.  The goal is to have students know how they learn and one of the best ways for this to happen, as stated in the article, is through writing and speaking.  Literacy is an important function of education that needs to be promoted in all areas, not just the language arts.