Reading & Writing in the Disciplines by David Rothman and Jilani Warsi

Summary

The transcript emphasizes the symbiotic relationship between reading and writing, highlighting that both are fundamentally about engaging with ideas. It underscores the importance of clear communication in writing and the necessity of reading to fuel the creative process. The discussion advocates for an integrative approach in education, where students are encouraged to not only comprehend texts but also respond to them, fostering a deeper understanding and personal investment in the material. The conversation also touches on the value of summary and response writing in college classes and the significance of students developing their own voice alongside critical reading skills.

Takeaways

• 📚 Reading and writing are both about processing ideas, with reading being the intake and writing being the output.
• 💡 Writing is about expressing ideas clearly in a one-way communication, without the immediate feedback present in spoken interactions.
• 🔗 The link between reading and writing is strong, as reading provides the ideas that writing expresses.
• 📈 Prolific writers are often also compulsive readers, indicating that reading fuels the ideas for writing.
• 📝 The classroom should integrate reading and writing to help students understand their interconnectedness.
• 📑 Traditional reading classes often miss opportunities for deeper engagement by stopping at comprehension questions.
• 📝 Summary and response writing are becoming more prevalent in education, as they require students to engage with the text on a deeper level.
• 🎓 College writing often involves summary and response, making it crucial for students to develop these skills early.
• 📋 Summary writing is a powerful tool for assessing reading comprehension, as it requires understanding of the original text.
• 🤔 Encouraging students to add their own voice to summaries and responses helps them take ownership of their writing and ideas.
• 📖 Writing assignments can motivate deeper reading and reflection, as students are more likely to engage with material they know they will write about.

Q & A

Why are reading and writing considered integrated skills?

Reading and writing are integrated because they both involve processing and expressing ideas. Reading is about receiving ideas, while writing is about producing them. Both skills require a deep engagement with content, and strong writers often develop their ideas from what they read.

What is the significance of clear communication in writing?

Clear communication in writing is essential because writing is a one-way form of communication. The reader cannot ask for clarification, so the writer must ensure their ideas are expressed precisely and clearly to avoid misunderstandings.

Why is it important for students to engage in both reading and writing in the classroom?

Engaging in both reading and writing helps students take ownership of ideas and enhance comprehension. Writing about what they read allows students to express their own viewpoints, making the learning experience more interactive and reflective.

How do traditional reading classes miss opportunities for deeper engagement?

Traditional reading classes often rely on comprehension questions, which don't encourage students to take ownership of the ideas in the text. Instead of just answering questions, students could benefit from summarizing and responding to the reading material, allowing for more personal engagement and critical thinking.

What role does summary and response writing play in college-level assignments?

Summary and response writing is a fundamental skill in college, especially in early-level classes. It allows students to demonstrate understanding of the material and incorporate their own perspectives, helping them develop critical thinking and analytical skills.

Why is summary writing considered a good test of reading comprehension?

Summary writing tests reading comprehension because it requires students to identify and clearly express the main ideas and supporting details of a text. If the summary is inaccurate, it shows that the student did not fully understand the original material.

How can writing assignments motivate deeper reading?

Writing assignments motivate deeper reading because students know they will need to use the ideas from the reading in their writing. This encourages them to pay closer attention to the text and engage with it actively, rather than passively answering multiple-choice questions.

Why do students often struggle with bringing their own voice into response papers?

Students often feel intimidated by the expertise of the authors they read, believing that only experts have the right to express strong opinions. This mindset can prevent them from adding their own voice to response papers, even when instructors encourage personal reflection.

What is the purpose of integrating group discussions in reading and writing assignments?

Group discussions help students generate ideas and deepen their understanding of the text. By discussing the material with peers, they can explore different perspectives, which makes their writing assignments more thoughtful and reflective.

How did the instructor address the issue of students summarizing instead of responding in writing assignments?

The instructor addressed this issue by explaining to the class that a response paper is not meant to be a summary. The students were told that the instructor already knew the content of the text and was interested in hearing their personal reactions and reflections, encouraging them to find and express their own voice.

Outlines

00:00

📚 The Integration of Reading and Writing

This paragraph discusses the interconnected nature of reading and writing, emphasizing that both are fundamentally about the exchange of ideas. Reading is described as the intake of ideas, while writing is the expression of them. The speaker stresses the importance of clarity in writing to ensure effective one-way communication with the reader. The paragraph also highlights the correlation between reading and writing, suggesting that prolific writers are often avid readers, drawing ideas from their extensive reading. The speaker advocates for an integrative approach in the classroom to help students recognize the link between these skills and to develop their ability to respond to texts through summary and response writing. This approach is seen as more organic and natural, encouraging students to take ownership of the ideas they encounter in their readings.

05:01

💭 Encouraging Student Voice in Writing

The second paragraph continues the discussion on the importance of integrating reading and writing by focusing on the need to encourage students to find their own voice in their writing. The speaker challenges the notion that only experts should contribute to discussions, arguing that students should be given the opportunity to reflect on and respond to the ideas they read about. The paragraph describes an integrative approach to teaching where reading materials are used as a springboard for group discussions and writing assignments that require students to synthesize ideas and express their own thoughts. The speaker shares an example of using an autobiography in the classroom and how a writing assignment prompted students to go beyond summarizing to reflect and connect the content to their own experiences. This approach not only motivates students to engage more deeply with the reading material but also helps them develop their writing skills by finding their unique voice.

Keywords

💡Reading

Reading is described as the process of receiving ideas from written texts. In the context of the video, it is the act of engaging with content and extracting meaning, which is foundational for understanding any written material. The script emphasizes that reading is not just a passive activity but an essential skill that feeds into the process of writing by providing the raw material of ideas.

💡Writing

Writing is portrayed as the output process of producing ideas, which is a form of one-way communication where clarity is paramount. The video underscores that effective writing involves conveying thoughts in a precise and understandable manner, which is crucial for ensuring that the reader can follow the author's line of reasoning without the benefit of immediate interaction.

💡Ideas

Ideas are the central theme of both reading and writing, as they represent the mental constructs that are exchanged between authors and readers. The video highlights that whether one is reading to absorb ideas or writing to express them, the core purpose is the transmission and reception of these intellectual constructs.

💡Integration

Integration refers to the interconnectedness of reading and writing skills. The video argues for a holistic approach to teaching these skills, where reading is not just about comprehension but also about preparing for writing, and writing is not just about expression but also about demonstrating understanding. This concept is exemplified by the script's discussion of how reading informs writing and vice versa.

💡Compulsive Readers

Compulsive readers are individuals who are driven to read extensively, which the video suggests is a characteristic of many successful writers. The script implies that reading voraciously is a prerequisite for writing effectively, as it provides the necessary exposure to ideas and styles that can be incorporated into one's own writing.

💡Summary Writing

Summary writing is a technique where the writer condenses the main points of a text into a shorter form. The video discusses how summary writing is not only a common academic task but also a critical skill that tests a student's reading comprehension. It is used as a tool to ensure that students have understood the material before they attempt to add their own insights.

💡Response Writing

Response writing involves the reader's reaction to a text, often including personal reflections and connections to the content. The video emphasizes the importance of this type of writing in developing a student's voice and critical thinking skills, as it moves beyond mere summarization to include personal interpretation and analysis.

💡Active Reading

Active reading is the process of engaging deeply with a text, where the reader is actively questioning, analyzing, and synthesizing the material. The video suggests that this approach to reading is more effective than passively answering multiple-choice questions, as it encourages a deeper level of understanding and prepares students for the task of writing.

💡Comprehension Questions

Comprehension questions are used in traditional reading classes to test students' understanding of a text. The video critiques this method as being insufficient for truly engaging with the material, as it does not require students to take ownership of the ideas or to express their understanding in a personal and meaningful way.

💡Own Voice

Own voice refers to the personal perspective and unique viewpoint that a writer brings to their writing. The video discusses the importance of encouraging students to find and express their own voice, rather than merely summarizing or echoing the ideas of others. This is seen as a critical step in developing independent and confident writers.

Highlights

Reading and writing are integrated because both are about ideas.

Writing is a one-way communication, where clarity is essential because the reader cannot ask questions.

Most prolific writers are also compulsive readers because they gather ideas from reading.

Integrating reading and writing in the classroom helps students realize their connection.

Traditional reading classrooms often focus on comprehension questions, missing opportunities for deeper engagement.

Summary and response writing is becoming more common in college classes.

Summary writing tests reading comprehension effectively because it shows understanding of the main ideas.

Summarization is essential for students to hone before college writing assignments.

Students should feel empowered to express their voice in writing, not just summarize experts.

Group discussions in reading sessions help students formulate their own ideas for writing.

Writing assignments motivate deeper reading and active engagement with texts.

A Cambodian woman’s autobiography used in the classroom highlights her journey from prostitution to activism.

Students are encouraged to provide original reflections, not just summaries, in response papers.

Giving students the opportunity to respond helps them find their voice in writing.

Reflection papers help students improve their writing skills by connecting with the material on a personal level.

Transcripts

reading is input writing is output but

they're both about ideas okay in one

year receiving ideas and the other

you're producing ideas but they are

integrated because no matter what you

are writing a research paper long paper

a short paper a summary a report a

reflection paper you know a response

paper they're all about ideas writing in

particular is about saying what you mean

and saying it in a very clear way

because it's a one-way communication the

reader is not there to ask you excuse me

I didn't follow this paragraph what did

you mean by that that happens in a

speech and you say excuse me I beg your

pardon I'm sorry I'm sorry I didn't get

you you don't have that luxury when you

write and and reading is the same we're

reading whatever you're reading is

written by somebody so that's also the

art of writing is right there some some

author who was expressing his or her

ideas main idea supported my details in

all there you will also notice that most

prolific writers also happened to be

compulsive readers okay and it's not a

coincidence there's a reason why where

do you get ideas from not from a vacuum

you have to read you have to read

research papers you have to read the

newspaper you have to keep yourself

informed so all of these things you know

give us more reason to integrate these

two skills in the classroom when they

teach and for the students to realize

that there's a definite link between

reading and writing they don't exist in

isolation

we are by nature reactive creatures we

we react to stimulus to stimuli and you

know in traditional reading classrooms

you would have often uh you'd have a

reading you'd have liked pre reading

questions to discuss and then you do the

reading and then after the reading you

might answer some multiple-choice

questions but it just seemed just

complete you're you're you're not taking

any ownership of any of the ideas in the

reading you're just showing that you

understood the reading by answering you

know these comprehension questions it's

it's a waste of a wonderful opportunity

because you've invested a certain amount

of time trying to engage the reader in

the content and then you just leave it

there with a few you know comprehension

questions so why not continue by

reacting to the text in a number of

different ways through summary and

through response and so that's what

we're seeing more and more the trend

towards summary response writing and I

think there's no coincidence that most

of college writing is summary response

writing

most college writing in the 100 level

classes and to hundreds and and and

Beyond really involve summary and

response writing you're taking a

psychology class you'll be asked to read

an article or a a bunch of articles and

to compare them you'll be asked to give

a summary and perhaps to give a response

to bring in your own POV so that's the

type of writing that you do across the

curriculum so it's very important that

students have this opportunity in

developmental classes to hone this skill

there could be nothing more integrated

than writing a summary I recently served

at the university level I was served on

a reading council the University wants

to develop a new prototype of a reading

test multiple-choice we talked about

summary writing which is summative

assessment that's you know it's

performance is observables they're in

writing on paper and you can see if the

student got the main idea and supporting

detailed immediate details or not I was

shot by some of the responses and

reaction I got from these reading

experts another saying but isn't that

writing summaries writing isn't it and I

said they are very conveniently

overlooking the fact that a summary is

such a good test of your reading

comprehension how do you write a summary

without understanding the original text

so if you are way off it's clear that

you are a weak reader you did not

comprehend what you read and so that's

even you know more power to the students

and the faculty to teach them the art of

summarization and I want to add to that

you know I love what you're saying about

summary writing because it seems to be

the key it really is the key because

that's what they're doing in their in

their college classes but you know also

to add the response part because I think

a lot of our students feel like okay I

can summarize what the experts said in

the article but they feel intimidated to

bring in their own voice because they

are the developmental reader televised

writer and the person who wrote the

article is the expert and this is

something that we want to we want to

dispel this myth that only the experts

should have a voice on it

think on a matter so giving them a

chance to summarize as as professor

works he said but also giving them the

chance to read their own voice to

reflect talk about what what is what is

this what this person said what does

this remind me of how can i connect it

to something else I've experienced or

read and then they're taking sort of

back to the idea of taking ownership of

their writing and and that's why it's so

important to integrate reading of

writing because here you're reacting to

someone else's ideas you're showing you

understand someone else's ideas but

you're bringing in your POV and that

works beautiful with an integrative

approach yeah it's more organic it's

very natural it's not artificial right

you're not creating something from a

vacuum the reading materials are there

they're reading hands-on you know group

discussions you break them up into small

groups they're reading you give them a

set of questions they have to answer to

there's a lot of discussion and then

whatever ideas they get out of those

sessions small sessions now there's a

writing assignment and there they can

relate to it well we talked about it I

learned this of that they have a list of

things new ideas and they try to just

synthesize and put it together and try

to give it their own voice so writing

assignment also serves as a motivator

for the for doing a deeper reading

because when a student knows that

they're going to have to compare two

readings in a writing assignment that's

coming up and you know the same week or

the next week there's another there's

another motivator to pay attention to

the ideas in the reading as we call

active reading um I don't think you know

having a set of eight or ten multiple

choice questions always serves as a

motivator

whereas writing usually does we're using

an autobiography of a woman a Cambodian

woman who was very tragic sad and very

intense because she was sold into

prostitution at the age of six and now

she is an international celebrity she

has a foundation and nonprofit

organization Somali mom org and she

helps young young girls in Cambodia in

to start a new life she has her own

Center she goes and and rescues them

from the brothels and then she teaches

them life skills he is sewing or making

a quilt she's been to the u.s. also so

we're reading the autobiography

together a study guide this is another

defining moment if you will for me as a

teacher I give them a short writing

assignment and we they have to write a

response paper okay and I want to hear

their voice there are independent

thoughts like okay what did you think or

how do you feel about this can you

relate to these experiences and what I

end up getting from them

because they're weak writers of course

is a summary of the chapter so only want

this am I gonna that's why I accept you

know what we need to talk about this so

I addressed the whole class and it was

very interesting because you know even

though you had given clear instructions

you think they would have their voice

and they said well we just thought you

wanted to respond so yeah but when I say

a response paper I'm not asking for a

summary and and and why are you telling

me something that I already know I have

read this autobiography I put together

the study guide I'm interested in your

voice and something has to be said about

that from a cycle psychological

perspective students by doing that so

now they have made that you know leap

rather than it's just summarizing or

reading and regurgitating they know that

a reflection has to be original has to

be there thought they may relate to some

of the issues of themes in the

autobiography but they have to find

their own voice and that helps them

improve their writing skill so I'm

getting those papers and it has been

great since then