Welcome to Critical Writing: Implementing Instructional Fundamentals 5 (IIF5).

Click here to register for IIF5

This micro-credential awards a graduate half-credit for demonstrating proficiency in the instructional practice of engaging students in critical writing for the purpose of summarizing, organizing, clarifying, defending, refuting, analyzing, dissecting, connecting and expanding on ideas or concepts. Evidence of proficiency must be demonstrated in three areas: Knowledge, Implementation, and Reflection.

Participants may engage with resources and activities described below at their own pace throughout the course term. All are advised to refer to key dates and deadlines for submission and to plan their learning activities within these constraints.

To submit evidence*, link to this Google Form.

Objective: After engaging with the curated resources from the WSWSU Fundamental Five companion site, demonstrate your proficiency in knowledge about engaging students in critical writing by submitting evidence of your critical engagement with at least two curated resources on the webpage linked above and its subpages.

Proficient knowledge in critical writing as an instructional practice includes:

• Identifying why "critical writing " is a high yield instructional practice
• Identifying key strategies for engaging students in critical writing (e.g., similarities/differences, 10% summaries, outlining key points with support, etc.)
• Understanding how to design writing prompts to engage different levels of cognitive complexity in critical writing
• Understanding how to design lessons to include opportunities to write critically
• Analyzing how to address the needs of struggling and diverse students through strategic supports for writing critically

Recommended Evidence Types (choose one or more):

• Critical writing response(s) (your own) to curated resources with specific references to text or video
• Notes from face-to-face workshops or book study discussions on critical writing
• Resource Annotation (e.g., insightful comments on digital stickies)
• Video Annotation ( through time coded notes, or use VideoAnt)

Scoring Rubric (link)

Objective: Demonstrate your proficiency in engaging students in critical writing as an instructional practice by submitting evidence of the following:

1. your use of key strategies for effectively engaging students in critical writing
2. instructional coaching, mentoring, or peer observation cycle on your use of critical writing practices in your classroom (pre-obs, observation & debrief).

Proficient implementation of critical writing as an instructional practice includes:

• Applying strategies to maximize efficacy of critical writing, such as,
  • Teaching and having students practice summarizing their learning in writing with clarity and organization
  • Designing writing prompts to engage different levels of cognitive complexity
  • Using strategies to teach and practice critical writing for a variety of purposes (e.g., organizing, clarifying, defending, refuting, analyzing, dissecting, connecting and expanding on ideas or concepts) with different types of knowledge (personal, popular culture, academic, etc.)
• Analyzing how to group students for different purposes for engaging in writing (like abilities, diverse abilities, etc.)
• Creating a plan for using strategies to support struggling and diverse students in engaging in critical writing

Recommended Evidence Types:

1. For demonstrating use of key strategies for making critical writing effective...
   • Pictures (jpg); gathered into sequence on Google Slides
     • annotation on images or on Google slides pointing out key components of best practice
       • bonus: refer to resources in your annotation
   • Video of you delivering critical writing prompts and monitoring students (3 examples)
     • bonus: include clips demonstrating different strategies for improving efficacy of critical writing for student learning
   • Description or artifacts detailing how you design writing prompts and use critical writing within lesson plans for specific purposes
   • Description or artifacts detailing how you support diverse and struggling learners in engaging in critical writing
2. For coach/mentor/peer observation cycle
   • [link to guidelines/templates, coming soon]
   • pre-observation email or meeting agenda
   • observation notes (dated, signed)
   • post-observation meeting notes (dated, signed)

Scoring Rubric (link)

Objective: Demonstrate your proficiency in reflective practice by sharing a reflection on your growth and/or mastery of engaging students in "critical writing," and evaluate the practice for impacting student learning using student reflections.

Proficient reflective practice in engaging students in critical writing includes:

• Evaluating the quality and effectiveness for student learning of engaging students in critical writing
• Evaluating the quality and effectiveness of specific strategies for improving the teaching efficacy of how you engage students in critical writing
• Analyzing student reflections for evidence of how critical writing impacts their learning

Recommended Evidence Types:

• Teacher's Written or Video Reflection discussing the strengths and challenges of engaging students in critical writing
  • refer to specific examples of your practice
  • discuss your growth in implementing strategies for maximizing teaching efficacy of critical writing
• Student Written, Video or Audio Reflections describing how they respond to your use of critical writing in relation to their learning in your classroom
  • prompt and refer to examples of how they feel, what they do, and how they learn when you engage them in critical writing

Scoring Rubric (link)