Moving Essay Writing into the Classroom
Philosophy professor Lily Abadal argues that we shouldn't eliminate the essay assignment, but we should "radically redesign how it's taught." In her case, that includes moving all of the writing for a research-based essay into her class sessions. Abadal offers a viable scaffolded in-class writing model that embraces slow thinking and an iterative writing process.
This is what good writing looks like: It is a genuine struggle with ideas. It models that big questions don’t deserve fast, easy answers. Yes, it requires a substantial amount of class time. I use about 30 minutes every other week to devote to these exercises. I’ve developed a single workbook for my philosophy courses that outlines all these steps—including space to write and then reflect on their progress between sessions. From my own experience, I can say it is all working quite well.