My goal as an educator is to foster a collaborative space for students to develop their skills as writers, researchers, and critical thinkers.
On the first day of class, I am focused on introducing students to portfolio assessment and making a good first impression just as they might be (or about surviving the class). Not knowing their background or experience with writing, my only intention is to either continue or create an inviting learning experience. I want to create a safe space for all students to share their thoughts and to write in their own language (Royster). I do this by sharing my thoughts and positionality.
I wonder where a student's concern or anxiety could come from - imagining their inner saboteur tugging at that unfortunate learning experience that deterred their confidence. Rather than entering a class intended to broaden their experience as writers while exploring their interests, they feel stuck, entering a subject matter they must pass. By clearly establishing what I value to students on the first day, student-centered learning, and portfolio evaluation, I hope their mind shifts to thinking about how they can take control of their own learning. With various contexts woven into each unit, students will have opportunities to express their ideas and learn to listen attentively and respectfully to the ideas of others (Jarratt).
I start each first day introducing the final project because the portfolio outlines the entire course and establishes a new standard that previous writing courses may not have. The substance of a student's writing and their takeaways from an assignment are the grading criteria, not a final exam. It allows students a different way to demonstrate meeting the WPA Outcomes statement by relating their work to (reflections of) their learning process and experiences. I want students to understand their control over how they participate in this class, but Rome wasn't built in a night.
This approach may not come easy to students. Through the metacognitive work (reflections), students express the goals they set for themselves and how they met them for instructors to measure (Yancey). The growth the portfolio intends to showcase comes from a student's engagement with all parts of the writing process. As Peter Elbow points out, the most effective way to improve is through regular freewriting exercises.
By dedicating in-class time to practicing writing, students can engage the writing process with smaller writing assignments that scaffold to their respective units (e.g., a creative nonfiction writing exercise to prepare students for the major assignment for creative nonfiction). These mini or minor writings prepare students for major assignments during the class by building on lessons throughout a unit. In fact, I dedicate many days throughout the semester to explore the writing process.
During my undergraduate career, I spent time as a tutor at the University Writing Center (UWC). It was during this time I learned the importance of process, especially concerning student feedback. Methods used in these appointments, such as having students read their own work aloud, mark up their own work, and reflect on the assignment and their writing, are just as applicable to the classroom to give students good summative and formative feedback.