Material Detail
Free writing
An article: Freewriting: A Means of Teaching Critical Thinking to College Freshmen
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More about this material
- Material Type:
- Open (Access) Journal-Article
- Date Added to MERLOT:
- May 5, 2009
- Date Modified in MERLOT:
- July 16, 2022
- Author:
- Wendy Major, Capital Community College Foundation
- Submitter:
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Barbra Bied Sperling
Catherine Wolf (Faculty)
I have used freewriting exercises in my freshmen classes in the past, although not lately. As Ms. Major asserts, few freshmen are comfortable freewriting due the introspection required. Ms. Major's article is well-documented and informative.
Technical Remarks:
Ms. Major's perspective on the topic is not revealed until the very end of her work, whereby she informs the reader she is a new teacher. When she shifts from the scholarly sentence structure of the essay, in the form of quotes to support her thesis, she loses credibility. Instead of continuing her "voice" and presenting herself as a professional educator, albieit a new one, she used colloquialisms and casual language typically used by the young people she refers to within her exposition. In terms of accuracy and thorough documentation, her work is excellent. And, she supports her thesis well.