Writing with Certainty in the Disciplines: Sentence Confidence (about 30 min)

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Assignment by Daniel Libertz‌, Bedford New Scholar 2018

Background

This activity addresses two things: 1. It allows students to bring in their own major into the writing classroom, and hopefully allows them to see that writing is a knowledge-making asset for all ways of knowing, and 2. It addresses an important quality of academic writing: communicating certainty.

Sometimes, students are too certain in their writing, trying to will their way toward knowledge rather than write their way there, typically by using words like: really, very, clearly, obviously. Or, sentences become overloaded to fit in information that needs to be expanded upon (e.g., “This will make students be more aware of insensitive behaviors towards depression and hopefully make an effort to challenge the entertainment industry’s money making ploy that simultaneously exacerbates preexisting stigmas.”). Sometimes, also, they are not certain enough and need to be more direct and confident about what they know.

Having students try to find sentences in published writing that is on a spectrum of certainty and uncertainty helps them think about how they communicate confidently—whether they are certain or unsure. Being purposefully uncertain, for instance, is different from being unconfidently certain.

Instructions

The lesson before this lesson, for homework, have students select a text from another class (preferably their major, if they are declared) and ask them to find two sentences: One sentence that, to them, feels like the writer is communicating certainty, and a second sentence that, to them, they feel communicates that the writer is not completely sure about what they are communicating. Have them write a rationale for their choosing those sentences, typically they might point to specific word choice, sentence structure, rhetorical devices.

In class, build a discussion around what moves writers make to signal certainty or uncertainty (example question: “what aspects of the sentences you chose made you think they were attempting to appear certain or uncertain? Let’s list them up on the board”). Another tact is to have them share their work with a partner before having a large group discussion. Could also use this time to talk about different conventions of different disciplines, and why those conventions might exist (e.g., more statistical writing has to include qualified statements [or should] when dealing with samples that cannot be generalized to broader populations).

Finally, after the class has finished a list characteristics of what communicates certainty and uncertainty and why, have them look at their previous writing (or a peer’s for a peer review set-up) to note sentences that could stand to be more certain or less certain at the level of word choice or syntax. Ask them to revise one sentence, and to be ready to explain why they made changes. If time, have a few people share.

Here are the sorts of things that come up when I do this activity

• writing things like ‘really’ actually makes someone sound less certain
• adding a clause that qualifies a statement may make writing feel more uncertain but it also might be a confident argumentative move that anticipates and acknowledges counter-claims
• adding sentences that admit lack of complete knowledge or need for more research can add credibility to a writer
• a punchy simple sentence can feel much more certain than a wordy, modifier-laden sentence trying to do the same work)