Fifty easy-to-deploy active learning exercises for teaching academic writing in any field

The Pocket Instructor: Writing offers fifty practical exercises for teaching students the core elements of successful academic writing. The exercises—created by faculty from a broad range of disciplines and institutions—are organized along the arc of a writing project, from brainstorming and asking analytical questions to drafting, revising, and sharing work with audiences outside traditional academia. They present students with engaging intellectual challenges to work through together, arriving at generalizable lessons that transfer well across the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences.

Students will learn to articulate a thoughtful question, develop a persuasive thesis, analyze complex evidence, and engage responsibly with sources. The Pocket Instructor: Writing offers teachers concrete ideas about how to cultivate habits of radical revision and create a classroom community with an ethos of trust where students learn to give meaningful feedback. Written for both novice and veteran instructors, this essential guide will benefit faculty in any field who hope to improve student writing in their courses.

Key features:
• Exercises by experienced faculty from a wide range of disciplines and institutions
• Step-by-step instructions with instructor insights for each exercise
• A “Writing Lexicon” for terms such as motive, thesis, analysis, evidence, and method
• Guidance for avoiding plagiarism
• Index and cross-references to aid in course planning

Amanda Irwin Wilkins is director of the Princeton Writing Program. Keith Shaw is a former associate director with the Princeton Writing Program and now directs Princeton’s programs for transfers, veterans, and nontraditional students.