Expository writing prompts that merely get students to write
are a luxury those of us serious about teaching writing cannot
afford. The academic year simply does not have enough hours for
teachers to give assignments that have only one curricular aim.
Savvy writing teachers design formal
prompts so that the prompts themselves instruct
students in aspects of the writing process.
Writing process revelations
Good expository prompts reveal two specific aspects of the writing
process to students:
1. Good formal prompts say where to start.
Rather than focus entirely on what should be included in the
final writing product, writing prompts for beginning writers should
indicate how to initiate the writing process for that particular
assignment.
Novice writers rarely know how to begin a writing task. Writing
cannot be extracted from a vacuum. It must come from the writer's
knowledge, experience, and thought.
A prompt must help students to identify a knowledge
base for writing. In some cases, a prompt instructs students
to activate knowledge about material previously studied in class.
In other cases, the prompt suggests new material to view, read,
or discuss with peers.
2. Good prompts indicate appropriateness.
The writing process is a lengthy series of choices.
Until students develop a sense of which choices are appropriate
in various public contexts, expository prompts need to tell them
what is appropriate.
Teachers have a tendency to define appropriateness in terms of
things like unacceptable sources or use of first person. It is
far more important to specify topics and language
that are appropriate in a specific situation and, if necessary,
to identify those that are not appropriate.
For example, an adult education program mandated all students
write a "reflective piece" about their classes each
week. As her reflective piece, one adult woman student submitted
her fantasy about having sex with her male instructor. That would
probably not have happened had the assignment specified appropriate
topics for reflection within the context of the course.
Instruction in appropriate publication choices is particularly
important in the 21st century when inappropriate digital content
can have negative repercussions for years.
