Top TA Complaints About Sudent Writing

TAs often hold student writing in low regard. Sometimes, however, the problem with student writing is a problem with how students have been taught. Here are four common complaints about student writing and their teaching remedies:

“My students don’t know grammar or the meaning of words.”

Grammatical inconsistencies and language misuse create a frustrating reading experience. All is not lost, however. You can help students improve their writing. Point out patterns of grammatical or sentence-structure errors in their work, and encourage them to write clearly and simply (which they often confuse with “simplistically”). Refer them to on-campus tutoring for help with these issues, and tell them you’ll expect improvement in the revision or in the next assignment.

We’ll discuss more strategies for dealing with imperfect writing skills and using writing campus writing resources in Responding to Student Writing.