Students assume that my research essays are giant hurdle-clearing exercises, as though I’m intentionally putting obstacles in their way that they must clear.
Good research is not an arbitrary impediment to a good essay.
Instead, it helps students generate better arguments than they would have made otherwise.
Outside reading isn’t a hurdle. It’s a trampoline.
You can reinforce this principle in three ways.
- Ask students to apply the reading assignment to a new situation. No piece of writing is infinite. Authors can’t address every implication and application of their arguments. Ask your students to do some of that follow-up work. They’ll see that the writing is not an end in itself. It helped them come up with ideas for how to do better work.
- Draw attention to how your reading assignments use sources. Let your students see how the best writers in your field draw inspiration from what they read. If they can see how professionals use reading generatively, they’ll also have an idea of how to do it.
- Model reading’s generative power in the class. Highlight places where you’ve used outside sources to come up with new ideas about the topic you’re covering in class. There will be plenty of situations to demonstrate how you have used the reading content to make new connections or applications.