Writing to Learn

As Professionals We’ve All Learned to Write. But What About Writing to Learn?

Do you remember when you were learning to write?

I do. I remember my older sister giving me the program/bulletin in church and helping me practice writing words, phrases, and eventually sentences in the section that had lines for taking sermon notes. I really enjoyed learning to write. I liked that everyone’s handwriting was different. I liked that words on paper had meaning. As I became a better writer through experience, I liked that what one person wrote could spark an idea or a different interpretation for someone else.

In elementary school I won penmanship and creative writing awards. In middle school I learned to write poetry, raps, and short stories. In high school, I learned to write argumentative essays.  In college, I learned to write research papers.  In grad school, I wrote literature reviews, qualitative research papers (40 pages minimum ☹), and a master’s thesis. In my professional career, I learned to write training courses, general business communications and now social media articles (still learning this as I type).

I’VE DONE A LOT OF WRITING.

When I think back on all the things I learned to write, it becomes clear to me that I learned a tremendous amount by writing. Writing helps us process information. It helps us flush out our ideas. It provides a forum for creativity. It can help us organize and operate within structure. It offers opportunities to question, clarify and formulate.

Researchers and practitioners agree that writing strongly correlates to improved critical thinking and learning. It’s no wonder that so many learning assignments require writing as the vehicle by which we demonstrate our grasp of concepts.

According to the WAC Clearinghouse, writing-to-learn prompts are usually, “short, impromptu, or otherwise informal and low-stakes writing tasks that help (learners) think through key concepts or ideas presented in a course. Often, these writing tasks are limited to less than five minutes.” They can be as simple as having your team read a new tax law, audit standard, or HR regulation, and then writing a summary of their key takeaways.

The fact that writing-to-learn prompts are more about the process than the product has appeal. You don’t have to be a great writer to reap the benefits. As an L&D professional, I’m constantly looking for opportunities to engage learners without needlessly exposing their insecurities (like not being a good writer or public speaker), and simultaneously pushing them to higher levels of learning. Writing-to-learn assignments provide both.

As a leader, when you assign learning, consider incorporating accountability into those assignments via short low stakes writing assignments. Too often, we set up discussion opportunities so that we can really dig into significant issues but fail to require that the participants bring something to the table. Writing-to-learn prompts can prevent discussion facilitators from having to “pull teeth” for participation. They help to ensure that when you call on a learner, they are ready with something to contribute. It also provides an opportunity for more introverted learners to organize their thoughts before they are called on.

My clients tell me they want more critical thinking. They tell me they’re short on time. They tell me that discussion groups sometimes privilege extroverts. They tell me they want more accountability for the learning opportunities they provide their teams. Writing-to-learn activities check all these boxes. Give them a try!

Citation : https://wac.colostate.edu/repository/resources/teaching/intro/wtl/wtlactivities/#wtl_b