I really like the CRAFT system because it is a nice, simple checklist that can dramatically improve any basic writing assignment. I view the context piece as related to how we help students activate their background knowledge and give them the "key" to thinking about the assignment in the right way. Providing context gives students the proper framework for their mind to be working in, it helps channel their energies.
The "R," student role is also important to explicitly note. By creating assignments that give students an identity, a specific type of voice, we create assignments that are student centered and that help push students to imagine the perspectives of others (and I know there is a Common Core Standard for that somewhere....). Instructing students to create a product for a specific audience, the "A" of CRAFT, creates assignments that are more relevant to real world thinking. Students know that later in life they will be drafting reports or creating pitches for people with specific positions and points of view, not for a teacher. I think that specifying an audience for an assignment also intuitively will help students' reading skills: as they practice how to write for different audiences, I believe they will learn how to pick up on the intended audiences of written pieces that they read.
I think that I've had an understanding about what makes an assignment engaging and what makes it busy work, but reading about the CRAFT system has helped me narrow it down and has given me a forward way to achieve creating valuable assignments.
I also wrote about the CRAFT design. I think it really stood out as the most crucial part of creating effective writing assignments. I also saw that it connected to UbD. One way that stuck out to me was in the type of questions posed. For example with the math writing assignment the answer was given and was counter intuitive the job for the students was to explain the reasoning of why that is so. This is closely aligned to the idea of understanding in UbD that they will struggle with a concept which is possible a misconception and define the reasoning and correct answers for themselves.
ReplyDeleteI also liked your idea about how writing for different audiences can teach students to understand the audience as they read. This is something I've learned in my other class as well that students learn to read more meaningfully if they know how to think like writers as well. Nice ideas!
Paige,
ReplyDeleteI agree with you that CRAFT was a very important part of this reading. I was surprised that professor Kraus didn't tell us about it when we were writing an assessment for our unit plans in SED406 last semester. I think its a great system that guides a teacher when designing an assessment. Assessments need to meaningful and they need to extract the best possible work from our students while still challenging them. I think CRAFT is a good guideline to put in our teacher's toolbox for the future.
Also: I want to know why you chose the picture you included in this blog post. What does it represent? I'm curious. :)
ReplyDeleteThe cartoon is supposed to represent the importance of perspective; all the individuals see something different but without the context of knowing its an elephant they would have never known
DeletePaige,
ReplyDeleteThis was a really great post. I really enjoyed how you referenced previous readings in your discussion of the CRAFT assignment. Thank you for illuminating how this CRAFT assignment aligns well with UbD, and I think it is a great idea to start with the topic first. Also, I like how you said that by providing context would act as a "key" to access background information. I think CRAFT writing assignments are a great way to enthuse students to do the work.