AI and Writing: The Critical Role of Human Judgment
Willy A Renandya, 14 Sep 2024
The process writing approach, comprising planning, translating, and reviewing, has been a cornerstone of writing instruction for decades.
However, with the advent of AI technology, it’s time to reassess our priorities. While AI tools can effectively support the planning and translating stages, the reviewing process remains crucial for developing quality writing.
AI tools can significantly support the planning and translating stages. For instance, AI-powered brainstorming tools can facilitate idea generation, text generation tools can assist with outlining and organizing thoughts, and language processing tools can help with sentence structure and grammar.
However, the reviewing process requires human nuance and critical thinking. It involves revising content for clarity and coherence, editing for grammar, punctuation, and syntax, and polishing tone, style, and voice.
These tasks demand a deep understanding of context, audience, and purpose – skills that AI tools currently cannot replicate.
By emphasizing the reviewing process, teachers can help students develop critical thinking and analytical skills, refine their writing style and voice, enhance reader engagement and understanding, and cultivate attention to detail and precision.
Effective pedagogical strategies can facilitate this process. For example:
- Peer review workshops: Pair students to exchange drafts and provide constructive feedback using guided review protocols.
- Self-assessment checklists: Encourage students to reflect on their writing using criteria-based checklists.
- Revision conferences: Hold one-on-one meetings with students to discuss revision goals and strategies.
- Editing stations: Set up stations focused on specific editing skills, such as grammar or punctuation, and have students rotate through them.
- Writer’s circles: Establish small groups for students to share and discuss their writing, fostering a sense of community and support.
In addition, teachers can model reviewing techniques by sharing their own writing processes, using think-aloud protocols, and demonstrating how to revise and edit. By doing so, teachers can help students understand the value of reviewing and develop a growth mindset towards writing.
To prioritize reviewing, teachers can allocate more class time for these activities, provide targeted feedback on content, structure, and style, encourage multiple drafts and revisions, and use AI tools strategically to support planning and translating, freeing up time for reviewing.
In conclusion, while AI tools can enhance planning and translating, the reviewing process remains essential for producing high-quality writing. By shifting focus to reviewing and implementing effective pedagogical strategies, writing teachers can help students develop the critical thinking, analytical, and creative skills necessary for effective communication.
It’s time to rebalance our writing instruction to prioritize the reviewing process and empower students to refine and polish their draft essays.
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