Teaching Writing with the ABT Method: Short Writing Assignments for Critical Thinking and Communication 

In all academic disciplines, students need writing skills to communicate with others and to practice writing as an embodied act of critical thinking. However, writing, the teaching of writing, and the assessment of writing can be laborious or feel out of reach for classes already packed with content. This workshop offers faculty a concise and compelling writing method that can be practiced and assessed during class time. The ABT method, “And, But, Therefore,” can be used at any part of the writing process and offers a manageable way for instructors to incorporate writing in their discipline. Sometimes referred to as the elevator pitch method, Randy Olson argues this strategy is a powerful and productive way to describe one’s writing project in a single sentence using dynamism and clarity.  

This workshop will offer a rationale for and explanation of the ABT method, demonstrate its uses, and provide ways to assess student writing. Attendees are asked to bring a course syllabus or writing assignment in which they might use the ABT method.

Facilitator: Kathleen Leuschen*, Emory University

*Our guest presenters are candidates for a position as Assistant Director of Writing Across the Curriculum. We encourage members of the University community to attend all three sessions. For questions about these guest workshops or other TWW events and programming, please email wac@umn.edu.