The NCTE, in 2008 their research-based policy brief Writing Now, argues that authentic writing “affirms the importance of collaboration” with peers at all stages of the writing process (4-5). Authentic writing, or writing that is meaningful to students and approximates as closely as possible real-world writing tasks, is necessary in the first-year writing classroom in order to gain student interest and to adequately prepare students for writing beyond the composition course. According the the NCTE, working collaboratively with peers at multiple stages of the writing process “enables students to develop a strong sense of audience as well as a more fully developed understanding of voice”(5).

My work with FITT advisors, including Hunter’s Director of Assessment Meredith Reitman, has shown me that collaboration is most useful in the stages of planning and revising a piece of writing, while brainstorming and composing initial drafts is best done individually (CITE).

Works Cited

NCTE. Writing Now: A Policy Research Brief. Urbana: NCTE, 2008. Web.