What kind of feedback will a writing instructor give my student?

All Writing Classes

Well-Trained Mind Academy writing instructors come to the classroom with years of training and experience in the discipline. While each instructor has his of her own approach to teaching, the Academy also sets school-wide standards that all instructors must meet. These standards ensure that students receive appropriate classroom guidance and feedback.

In addition to the details listed in each writing class syllabus, the following standards will be met by all Academy instructors:

• After the first two weeks of the year, the student will receive instructor feedback weekly.
• Evaluations will focus on patterns of error and success in student work. Feedback will address student understanding of the assignment, and success or failure in completion. Students will be made aware of areas that demonstrate a lack of comprehension or careful attention to detail/instruction, with emphasis on grammar and mechanics, sentence structure, organization, and content. Instructors will often mark areas for improvement but will not copy edit student submissions.
• When edits and commentary have already been given on drafts of a developed paper, the final version of the paper may not receive substantive additional feedback. Students and parents should look at all of the feedback given during the writing process.

Special Considerations

• In Preparation for Expository Writing, instructors will also focus on training students to read and follow instructions carefully.
• In Expository Writing, emphasis will also be placed on how the dynamics of group interaction can improve learning, and on the value of giving, receiving, and/or engaging in writing critique with classmates.
• In Rhetoric Writing, instructors will work with students on developing the correct voice for different readers: more formal and academic for classroom work, as opposed to the informal voice best suited to communication between friends.