Charles A. MacArthur, Zoi A. Philippakos
Foreword by: Dolores Perin
Publication Date: December 22, 2023
Pages: 144
Series: Language and Literacy Series
Discover an innovative, evidence-based method for preparing students for the demands of college writing called Supporting Strategic Writers (SSW). The goal of SSW is to help students become independent learners who understand the value of strategies and can apply them flexibly in future courses and the workplace. The text provides genre-based strategies for rhetorical analysis, planning, evaluation and revision, critical reading of sources, and synthesis of sources that are part of college composition and applicable across contexts and course assignments. Equally important to the SSW approach is that students learn metacognitive strategies for goal setting, task management, progress monitoring, and reflection. Instructional methods include discussion of model essays, think-aloud modeling of strategies, collaborative writing, peer review and self-evaluation, and reflective journaling.
Book Features:
Charles A. MacArthur is a professor emeritus in the School of Education at the University of Delaware. Zoi A. Philippakos is an associate professor in literacy education at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
“The book is a resource across levels and content disciplines—a gem, easily readable in one or two sittings. It is likely readers will keep the text close at hand for planning and implementing effective writing instruction, which will offer greater access to success and learning for all students.”
—Teachers College Record
“I cannot say enough good things about this book, and I think it represents a milestone not only in the teaching method it presents but in the translation of the highest quality research into a usable text that both informs teaching practice and also provides a foundation for future research that aims at understanding the writing of adults who are academically underprepared for the writing demands of higher education.”
—From the Foreword by Dolores Perin, professor emerita, Teachers College, Columbia University
“Too many college students are not college-ready writers. This book provides a powerful solution to this problem, offering methods that will help students think more deeply about what they write and how they can make it better.”
—Steve Graham, Regents and Warner Professor, Arizona State University
“This is a book like no other. It’s a compendium of research-based strategies, methods, and examples in support of adult writing improvement. I have no doubt that it will become a mainstay text wherever educators and adult learners alike envision the development of writerly proficiencies.”
—Jill Fitzgerald, research professor and professor emerita, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Contents
Foreword Dolores Perin ix
Preface xi
Development of the Supporting Strategic Writers Program xii
Organization of Our Book xiii
Conclusion xiv
Part I. Introduction to Supporting Strategic Writers
1. Addressing Challenges in Postsecondary Education: The Genesis of Supporting Strategic Writers and Research Findings 3
Developmental Writing 4
College Expectations 5
Supporting Strategic Writers Project 6
Research on Supporting Strategic Writers 7
Conclusion 9
2. Core Instructional Components of Supporting Strategic Writers 11
Core Principles of Strategy Instruction 12
Writing Strategies 13
Metacognition and Motivation 20
Pedagogical Methods 22
Instructional Sequence: A Strategy for Teaching Strategies 24
Conclusion 26
Part II. SSW WRITING STRATEGIES
3. Planning and Drafting for Argumentative Writing Without Sources 31
Explanation and Modeling of the Strategy 32
Collaborative Practice 45
Guided Practice 46
Conclusion 47
4. Evaluating and Revising for Argumentative Writing Without Sources 49
Strategies for Evaluation and Revision 49
Introduction to a New Genre 50
Preparation for Peer Review 50
Peer Review and Revision 55
Reflection 55
Conclusion 56
5. Challenges of Writing Using Sources; Summary-Response 59
SSW Strategies for Writing Using Sources 60
Instruction Following the Strategy for Teaching Strategies 61
Connecting Summary-Response to Writing Essays With Sources 74
Conclusion 74
6. Integrating Ideas From Sources in an Essay 77
Sequence of Assignments 77
Introduction to Writing Using Sources 78
Integrate Ideas From Sources With Your Own Ideas 78
Plan Your Essay: Organize Ideas With the Argument Go 82
Draft the Essay 83
Further Assignments 84
Selecting Sources 85
Conclusion 86
Part III. A Look To The Future
7. Addressing Challenges in Implementation and Problem-Solving 91
Challenges With the Use of Cognitive Strategies 91
Institutional Organizational Structures 97
End of Semester Reflection 98
Conclusion 98
8. Extending the Strategies to Other Genres and Other Courses 101
Adapting Strategies to Genres Across Courses 101
Examples of Applying the SSW Strategies in Other Courses 102
Concluding Thoughts 105
References 107
Index 115
About the Authors 119
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