CHAPTER 5
What Kinds of Practice and Feedback Enhance Learning?
When Practice Does Not Make Perfect …
I teach a public policy course to juniors, and I believe strong communication skills are essential to moving up the ranks in the public sector. As a result, I require my students to write frequently. The three papers I assign focus on the different types of writing my students will potentially do: a policy briefing, a persuasive memo to their boss, and an editorial for a newspaper. I had expected the students’ writing on these assignments to be at least decent because all of our students are required to take two writing courses in their first year. Then, when I saw the serious problems in their first papers, I thought at least I could help them ...
