Responding to Student Writing

You'll need to provide written feedback on papers throughout the semester to help students revise their work. The quality and effectiveness of your feedback depends on its depth, specificity, and comprehensiveness.

You only need to provide substantial commentary on major papers. Doing so takes a lot of time and attention. You can provide brief comments on smaller projects, but conserve your energy for first drafts of papers like the rhetorical analysis and research paper. Some teachers burn themselves out halfway through the semester by trying to comment extensively on everything.

Think of your written feedback as an additional and crucial mode of instruction. Whether you teach online or face-to-face, your comments contribute to a student's overall learning experience. Constructive feedback written in a supportive but honest tone helps students find meaning in their work, and it encourages them to put in their best effort on revisions. Meanwhile, perfunctory or judgmental comments may prompt students to give up.

HOCs, LOCs, and Minimal Marking

You should focus more of your attention on higher order concerns (HOCs). These include a paper's main purpose and argument, thesis, claims and evidence, structure and organization, and focus and cohesion. Our prime goal as teachers is to help students improve on the fronts. Lower order concerns (LOCs) include grammar, punctuation, and formatting. While important, these issues can often preoccupy students as well as teachers. It's easy to focus exclusively on these issues because they're the easiest to point out and comment on.

Focus on clarity and purpose when you focus on LOCs. Some grammatical and punctuation errors can lead to confusion, while others are only superficial. Concentrate on errors that actually make it difficult to understand what a student is trying to say in their writing. I's not our job as teachers to mark every single typo or punctuation error. Instead, we need to look for patterns of error and address those. Research has shown that students can only understand and learn to revise for 1-2 LOCs per paper. More than that, and they begin to feel overwhelmed.

You may need to focus on the same 2-3 LOCs with one student for an entire semester. They might revise their papers once you point out these errors, but learning to identify them on their own, and to anticipate these errors, takes more time. Don't get frustrated if a student keeps making the same mistake on different papers--especially if you're working with multilingual or international students. The language acquisition process is graduate and often unpredictable. Furthermore, some research has shown that students learn less about language conventions and grammar from overt correction, but more so through reading and imitation of other writers.

It's best to see your role as a teacher as an informer. Our job is to help students become better writers on HOCs and LOCs. While we should do our best to isolate patterns of errors and help students overcome them, we shouldn't give into pressure to correct and penalize for punctuation errors.

Many teachers use minimal marking to facilitate critical thinking when it comes to LOCs. For example: Instead of commenting extensively on comma splices, a teacher might write a single comment to a student in the margins that explains comma splices and/or fused sentences, with a link to a Writing Center handout or other resource. After that point, the teacher only highlights 3-5 instances of comma splices in the paper. The instructor then adds an end comment advising the student to review the rest of their paper to make sure they've addressed the issue. This strategy not only helps students become more independent, it also saves you a great deal of time. Everyone wins.

Anatomy of a Comment

Best practices for written feedback include at least three substantive comments throughout the paper on different issues the student needs to revise. When you identify a weakness, tie your comment to a specific instance in the paper. Begin your comment by making an observation about what you think the student has tried to accomplish. Next, state how the attempt seems to go astray. Briefly explain a principle about effective writing that they should focus on. Then pose a question or two that can help them reframe their perspective or approach. Finally, close with a concrete recommendation. For example, if you need a student to elaborate on a claim or provide more evidence, say exactly that and indicate whether you think a few sentences will address the problem, or if they'll need to add an entire paragraph or more. Many instructors find it helpful to end their comment with a link or two with more information. In summary:

• Point out a strength or weakness.
• Explain a concept and its importance.
• Illustrate it with an example.
• Post a question to prompt thought/revision.
• Outline specific steps for improvement.
• Provide a link to more information.

The links you provide can direct students to the Purdue University OWL, resources in your LMS, or other readings they can access online. Try to give URLs to the exact resource you want them to read. For example, include a link to Purdue OWL's specific page on citation, rather than the home page. This may seem like coddling, but we've found students are more likely to benefit from the links when they go straight to the appropriate place.

Beyond these basic elements, you can add a few brief comments throughout the paper pointing out what a student has done well. A student might make a convincing point you hadn't considered before, or they may phrase an argument in a unique way. It's important to reinforce students when they do well.

At the end of the paper, you should write a 3-4 sentence paragraph that summarizes your feedback and that outlines future steps. It also helps to estimate how much time they'll need to devote to the revision. As a general rule, think about how much time you would need to complete the revisions you want, and double it.

The overall tone of your comments can have a big impact on students. You may become frustrated with some people who don't seem to read your assignment guidelines, or who make arguments you find ideologically troubling. No matter what, try to avoid negative or judgmental language. Even objective comments like "You don't have a thesis" may seem terse in written form. Remember that students will read your comments in and outside of class, and you won't always have the chance to immediately clarify yourself.

Try to frame your tone with this circumstance in mind. Instead of writing, "You don't have a thesis," consider writing, "I can't find your thesis," or "I'm not sure where your thesis appears." This may seem weakly phrase, but if you follow the steps to provide a full comment, it will be clear to the student that they need to develop a clear thesis.

Effective Feedback Process

Commenting on papers can feel like an overwhelming process at first. Some simple strategies exist to make the load more manageable. Let's begin at the beginning and walk through the process of an experienced teacher once they've received their first stack of papers.

First, let's hope you used an effective LMS to collect assignments. Google Classroom provides one of the most effective means of collecting papers. If you're still collecting hard copies of papers and providing feedback with a pen, you should give serious thought to going digital. It will improve the legibility of your comments, save you time, and increase student success as well as satisfaction. Learning how to provide feedback electronically will make you an overall  more effective teacher.

So you open a folder containing 22 files. Preview your papers before you dive in. It may seem superficial, but efficient teachers often take some time eye-balling the length and quality of papers before they begin grading. Some teachers like to begin commenting on the shorter papers first. Not only does this task whittle down the stack, but shorter papers tend to require the most global feedback. Students who submit papers far shorter than the required length usually struggled with some major aspect of the assignment that you can clarify. It's usually best to write a few sentences encouraging them to submit a complete draft, give them a deadline extension, suggest they re-read the assignment, and encourage them to meet with you.

A few papers may exceed the length requirement substantially. These students may be over-achievers who expect a significant degree of feedback. They may have written excellent papers, and it will take more time and attention to find ways for them to improve. You can either begin with these papers, or save them for the end of your grading cycle.

Almost no teacher tries to grade all of their papers in a single day. Many of us split the grading into 2-hour chunks over the course of several days. Many of us start to lose energy and focus after 2 hours of grading, and need to move on to another task. You may want to grade only four papers at a time. If you want grade more papers in a single night, then give yourself a break after every four papers. Eat something. Go to the gym. Take a shower. Do something that will recharge and reinvigorate you.

Effective teachers always skim through papers first before they begin commenting. They only comment on lower order concerns like grammar, style, and punctuation if they see a pattern of issues. Even if a student has made multiple kinds of errors, research has found their grammar doesn't improve when all of their mistakes are pointed out. They learn best when a single pattern is isolated and explained, and they're shown how to proof their papers for that issue. 

You should only spend 15-20 minutes maximum on each paper. Many teachers use a stop watch or egg-timer to keep them on track and focused. You can set alerts at 10-minute intervals to stay focused and alert.

It's okay to skip a paper and come back to it later. You might begin reading a draft and find that it presents a particular challenge that you don't feel ready to address. Allow yourself to "sleep" on that paper and come back to it later. Some papers might even prompt you to ask for advice from other teachers or the WPA. Don't let that disrupt your routine. Take a short break and move on to the next paper in your stack.

Making template comments can save you a lot of time. Many teachers keep a separate file with comments on recurring issues such as thesis statements, quotation formatting, topic sentences, citation, and grammar issues. These template comments explain these concepts clearly. You can paste them where needed and tweak them for each student paper.

In Summary:

• Limit yourself to 15-20 minutes per paper.
• Skim the paper before commenting.
• Only provide 3-4 substantial comments and one end comment.
• Focus on higher order concerns.
• Balance "correction" with encouragement.
• Avoid negative language, overt criticism, or judgment of effort.
• Provide questions and suggestions that guide content revision.

After You Comment

Teachers often wonder if students even read their comments. This is a legitimate concern, but it's one you can anticipate. After you finish grading, reserve half of class for students to read and respond to your comments. You could even devote an entire class day to revision and reflection. If you're using Google Classroom, return your comments to students digitally. Have them spend 15 minutes reading and reflecting on your comments.

Next, ask students to discuss their comments in groups. You may not want them to share private grade information, but you can ask them to write summaries and responses to your comments, and share those with each other. Then you can have class discussion where you look at any patterns that emerge from your comments. You can end by requiring students to write brief revision plans to guide their next steps. 

This class format also allows time for students to ask questions and seek clarification for comments they didn't understand. When you build time for reflection and comment into your actual class time, it alleviates the common problems that teachers face after providing feedback. Many students may feel reluctant to visit during office hours, or even email their instructors about comments or grades. But they will ask questions if you make it part of your classroom procedures.

Steps for Evaluating Papers (adapted from Ferris 2007)

• Read the paper through the entire way without marking anything.
• Decide where to begin. Revisit the assignment goals and course rubric. What are the most important 1-2 aspects of the assignment that the student is struggling to meet? These are usually global (argument, reasoning, organizational).
• Move to local issues (quotation format, grammar & punctuation, etc).
• Resist commenting on surface-level glitches and focus on consistent errors that either impede your understanding or will be likely to earn mark-downs from other professors.
• Remember that 1-1 conferences are a crucial supplement to written feedback. You can show some concepts more easily than explain them.
• Keep a running list of issues that affect a majority of students in the class. Devote “mini-units” to these issues.

Other Tips:

• Don't procrastinate. Start grading papers after the deadlines. Try to return drafts within 1-2 weeks.
• Use online tools (Google, Tracked Changes, etc) and template comments to speed your grading.
• Develop a rubric specific to your guidelines. Focus on your grading criteria.
• Preview your batch of papers for ones that will take more time.
• Begin with shorter papers or ones where students clearly misread the assignment. Do not provide overly substantial feedback on incomplete drafts.
• Do not try to grade all papers in one sitting. Break them into chunks. Some instructors like to grade in large batches. Others prefer small batches. Still others alternate. (A couple of papers between meetings can whittle your stack down.)
• Avoid grading when tired.

Writing teachers often feel a great deal of pressure to address everything they may find lacking in student drafts. We all tend to feel discouraged when a student improves a little, but not as much as we hoped. We even worry about how other professors will view their writing after composition. Will we be judged as "poor teachers" because a student leaves our course still making comma splices and small mistakes with formatting?

These anxieties plague novice and veteran teachers alike. Remember, our job isn't to produce perfect writers. Our feedback and instruction should help them become better ones. If we help students overcome a handful of challenges, then we've succeeded. They'll need to continue their growth as writers after their time with you.

Lesson Plans & Activities

Planning a lesson can often feel like an overwhelming task. Teachers feel the need to fill the entire class time with lively discussion. However, meaningful class plans often combine a number of different formats: short lecture, groupwork, class discussion, peer review, free-writing, and writing time.

Divide your time into 15 minute chunks. Even if you've assigned a substantial reading, you can't expect students to remain engaged in open discussion for an entire class. 

Groupwork Ideas for Early Semester

You've assigned students one or more articles. Give three different sets of questions out to small groups and have them brainstorm answers. The questions should ideally prompt them to revisit the readings and look for locations to discuss. Students can then share their answers with each other. Call on the groups to report.

Have students search the Internet for an image or video that somehow connects with that day's topic. Then prompt groups to explain the online artifact and what it illustrates.

Give students sample paragraphs to edit and work on. These passages can focus on introductions, thesis statements, conclusions, or aspects of style and grammar. For example, some teachers give students purposefully wordy or problematic passages and invite groups to see who can do the best job of revision. The most effective editing activities are focused on illustrating a specific aspect of style or grammar that you introduce and model before beginning the group activity.

Source evaluation workshops. Assemble a list of different publication venues and websites. Distribute the list to the class. Ask each group to evaluate the usefulness of a different source or two. Then have them report to their results to the class.

Writing Activities:

Have students write short, descriptive paragraphs tide to an early assignment. They can then share their work on the projector screen for feedback. You can do the same for to have students practice summary, paraphrase, or integrating quotations and citations.




Have students collaboratively write summaries

Have students collaboratively edit sample sentences or paragraphs.

Give students stacks of CVs, resumes, or paper introductions and have them sort them according to best, good, and least effective.

Cahoots.