Tips On Making Writing Assignments Interesting For Students
When you were preparing yourself to become a teacher, you never realized that the toughest part of your job would be teaching students how to write good papers. They will have to complete essays for all courses when they get into college or university, so it’s your job to prepare them for the upcoming challenges. As soon as you assign the first paper, you’ll notice that your students are bored by the mere idea of academic writing. You have to make a lot of effort to turn that negative attitude into enthusiasm.
The following tips will help you assign more inspiring projects and guide your students towards improvement of their writing skills.
Think about their Interests and understand their Weaknesses
This is the first thing you need to do: inform yourself about the types of assignments your students have been working on before you stepped on stage as their teacher. You don’t want to impose challenges they have no idea how to deal with. If you notice that some of your students lack basic skills, you should focus on fixing the gaps before proceeding any further.
Did you know that the classrooms in many schools across the USA are overcrowded? If you have a student coming from such a school, you shouldn’t blame him for the lack of decent writing skills. Talk to the students and help them discover their true interest in writing. Tell them to write about things that interest them. That’s how they will understand that assignments can be really fun!
Show Samples!
How could your students know how to write a perfect paper if you don’t show them how it’s supposed to look like? For example, if you assign an analytical essay on World War II, you should offer a unique sample that would inspire them to dig deeper into the topic. If you cannot find the perfect example, you can easily get it from a top-quality writing service reviewed on sites like Essaywolves.com.
Your instructions on form and style won’t achieve great results. A sample, on the other hand, will be a practical presentation of your explanations.
Focus on the Process, not the Results!
A study showed that students commonly misunderstand or ignore the comments their teachers provide on the final version of a paper. When they already get a grade, thinking about the things that would have made a difference is pointless. If you really want to help them deliver better results, then you should focus on the process of completion.
Discuss the guidelines, provide useful resources, and make comments on the early drafts. Explain what your students should do during the prewriting, writing, and post-writing stages. Help them understand the type of project you are assigning and tell them to feel free to ask questions.
Allow them to Work in Teams
When students join forces to work on an academic project, everyone contributes with ideas and resources. Team projects have another important benefit: they take much less time to grade than individual papers. Be smart and don’t create weak and strong teams; combine the students to give each team an equal chance to deliver a successful result.
Allow them to Showcase their Uniqueness!
Do not put your students in a frame. No matter what instructions and samples you provide, they should always be allowed to be creative when crafting a writing assignment. Allow them to be who they are, and you’ll be surprised with the enthusiasm they will show!