Well, according to Bean, I’m on the right track.  I try to make positive comments on student writing whenever I can.  I haven’t had the opportunity yet to act as coach because I haven’t given any assignments that require revision. I  usually grade lab reports and essays on quizzes and exams.  Neither of these are revised.  When we perform a lab exercise, it’s complete.  We don’t go back and redo the experiment or revise technique or the report itself.  While the lab report itself calls for critical thinking and writing on a different level, it is generally not revised.  Any comments made are expected to be incorporated in the next lab report.  I guess that’s why I was making so many comments on their writing.  It was my only shot.  Now I try to get them to think about the concepts I want them to include by giving case studies as examples and relative articles in class for them to discuss and respond to.

Hopefully my course will be designated as writing intensive and I will have the chance to act as “coach and judge” according to Bean.  I want to be able to encourage improvement in developing their ideas and celebrate with them when they make progress.  This will make the writing process a collaborative effort between student and instructor and at the same time they can own the work that they produce.  I need to remember the purpose of me commenting is to guide them in improvement (Bean) of the paper and not to circle every grammatical error.  I must resist the urge to grade with pen in hand.  I’m sure the informal writing assignments wii help me to react to student writing without over critiquing it.  This will give my students more confidence in developing their drafts in they are not in fear of the green pen.