HomePublicationsTILTed PedagogySection 3 Chapter 9: The Unessay: Making Room for Student Choice in a Writing Classroom Book MenuTILTed Pedagogy SectionsSection 1Section 2Section 3Section 4ChaptersChapter 1Chapter 2Chapter 3Chapter 4Chapter 5Chapter 6Chapter 7Chapter 8Chapter 9Chapter 10Chapter 11Chapter 12Chapter 13Chapter 14Chapter 15Chapter 16Book Resources Emily EsolaThis chapter shares a readily adaptable Unessay assignment that utilizes a Universal Design for Learning (UDL) approach. Unlike the traditional academic essay, the un-essay allows students to demonstrate their learning in alternative, and often more meaningful, forms. Along with the assignment, I cover success tips for teachers and students honed through trial and error, ideas for modifying this assignment to suit the needs of different teaching contexts and further reading on the pedagogical approaches used. Related Book ResourcesThe following resources complement the Unessay assignment described in this chapter. Success Tips for Students Take inspiration from one another. It’s OK to have a similar topic or format to other students because everyone will produce unique projects. Keep project materials organized and in one location. Create separate folders and sub-folders and use a consistent labeling style. Follow the 40/20/40 writing process: 40 percent planning, 20 percent drafting, and 40 percent revising. When you generate your first draft, you are only 60 percent of the way through the creation process—engaging in methodical revision will take your work to the next level. Show your project to as many outside audiences as you can—friends, family, roommates—who can help you spot places to increase clarity. Success Tips for Instructors On brainstorming and planning: Students need help brainstorming and narrowing their topic and format, along with room to change their minds. They benefit from seeing the choices of other classmates/previous students. Schedule frequent check-ins to guide students in narrowing their topic and format. Many students enjoy the opportunity to work individually. Some of these students may want to pair or team but do not know how to make the connection. To help, use check-ins to highlight connections between projects and possibilities for collaboration. On drafting and revising: During check-ins, remind students where they have been and where they are going, laying out the concrete steps they will take and the series of deliverables they will submit along the way. Without this structure, students can tend to regard their first draft as the “final” because of the extensive research and planning phase they went through to get there. Peer review is a valuable tool to integrate formally or informally at any moment of the process. Further Reading on Pedagogical Approach Tobin, Thomas J., and Kirsten Behling. 2018. Reach Everyone, Teach Everyone: Universal Design for Learning in Higher Education. First edition. Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. West Virginia University Press. Nilson, Linda Burzotta, and Claudia J. Stanny. 2015. Specifications Grading: Restoring Rigor, Motivating Students, and Saving Faculty Time. Stylus. Santos, Marc C. 2022. “How I Implemented Asao B. Inoue’s Labor-Based Grading and Other Antiracist Assessment Strategies.” CEA Critic: An Official Journal of the College English Association 84 (2): 160–79. Warner, John. 2019. The Writer’s Practice: Building Confidence in Your Nonfiction Writing. Illustrated edition. Penguin Books. Discussion Questions What teaching challenge is the chapter’s assignment trying to address, and how does that challenge show up in your own courses? How does the chapter’s use of the TILT framework (purpose, task, criteria) change the learning experience described, and what parallels do you see in your own teaching? What assumptions about students or learning does the chapter surface, and how might those assumptions influence assignment design? How does the assignment described in the chapter support student agency, autonomy, or choice? How does the chapter illustrate the connection between assignment design and deeper learning (e.g., critical thinking, metacognition, synthesis)? What evidence does the chapter provide that the assignment worked, and what additional evidence would you want to see? How does the chapter’s assignment align with or challenge your current beliefs about effective assessment? What aspects of the assignment design could be adapted to your discipline, and what would need to change? If you were to implement a version of this chapter’s assignment, what would be your first step—and what potential barriers would you anticipate? Share:
