Taking Responsibility Coach Writing Partner (Select when editing and proofreading)

Responsibility is fostered when writers are encouraged to

recognize their own role in learning;
act on the understanding that learning is shared among the writer and others—students, instructors, and the institution, as well as those engaged in the questions and/or fields in which the writer is interested; and
engage and incorporate the ideas of others, giving credit to those ideas by using appropriate attribution.
“Habits of Mind” in Frameworks for Success in Postsecondary Writing

Striving for accuracy
Check it again! Always doing your best. Setting high standards. Checking and finding ways to improve constantly.

What does a ballerina, a baker, a game designer, and a plumber have in common? They all focus on craftsmanship and take the time to refine their products. Too often we think of accuracy and precision as the end game — we get the “right” answer or complete the task and move on. However, striving is a word that implies continuous effort. No matter how good you are at something, craftsmanship requires continuous reworking to grow your expertise.

Here are some strategies to consider to motivate you to set goals to continue toward even greater work:

Organize yourself so that you have the time to put careful attention to your work.
Ask others to give you specific feedback on questions you have about your work.
Remember that you are in control of your work and you can decide to make it better. Sometimes too much emotional attachment does not help you to constructively improve.
Study the work of experts in the field in which you are interested. Perhaps you can arrange to interview someone to learn more about their craftsmanship.
Use scoring/technical criteria to assess your work in progress and identify possible next steps.
Recognize when you are getting better at what you are working on to give you the encouragement, inspiration, and stamina to become even better at it.
Verify claims with credible facts and evidence. Be alert to misinformation, false advertising, and trustworthiness of media sources.
Habits of Mind for Students by Bena Kallick, Art Young, and Allison Zmuda

Striving for Accuracy: Are you asking, is this my best piece of writing?
Example: After finishing an argumentative essay you are a little unsure about the proper way to cite works. Set aside the time to research, proofread, and edit the citations within your paper. Do it again! And oh yeah, what about the 6 traits, did I use them? What about grammar, structure, and fluency? Check the paper again!

An Inclusive Approach to a Reading and Writing Workshop with the Habits of Mind By Daniel Vollrath and Scott Einhorn

Thinking and communication with clarity and precision
Be clear! Strive for accurate communication in both written and oral form; avoiding over-generalizations, distortions, deletions and exaggerations.

Do you ever hear your friends, siblings or adults in your life using vague and imprecise language? They describe objects or events with words like “weird,” “nice,” or “OK” rather than telling you more clearly what they were thinking. You might want to know what was “weird” about the movie or why the party was “nice.” They may call specific objects using such non-descriptive words as “stuff,” “junk” and “things.” The problem is that you do not know exactly what the person is referring to-what is the “stuff?”

Language and thinking are closely entwined. Like either side of a coin, they are inseparable. Your words represent your mind. When you use fuzzy language, it is a reflection of fuzzy thinking. As you strive to communicate more precisely and accurately, you become a better messenger of your ideas. Instead of using overgeneralizations such as “everybody does it,” you support statements with explanations, comparisons, quantification, data and evidence. So how can you become more skillful in thinking and communicating with clarity and precision?

A few strategies include:

Examine writing or illustrations that need to focus on precision. For example, when developing a graph have you included appropriate terminology, labels, and units of measure? When writing a newspaper article, did you use correct names and verifiable details?
Mental rehearsal. Inside your head, practice what you are going to say before you say it. For example you can rehearse in front of a mirror or record yourself and play it back.
Pay attention to the words that are chosen in writing or speaking. Observe other people’s language as well as your own. When you observe the use of:
Vague nouns and pronouns such as in “they” or “students.” Press for specificity by asking, who specifically?
Vague verbs, such as “understand” or “improve.” Ask what these terms mean.
Comparators, such as “better” or “larger.” The issue is, better than what or larger than what. Ask to get clarity.
Generalizations, such as “Everybody?” or “All the time?” Check to see if it really is everybody– even your neighbor? or all the time each and every time?
Habits of Mind for Students by Bena Kallick, Art Young, and Allison Zmuda

Thinking and Communicating with Clarity and Precision: Are you communicating your ideas with clear writing, thinking, and speaking?
Example: An effective approach to making sure your thoughts and ideas are communicated clearly in your writing is to read your paper out loud to yourself or a friend. Ask yourself and a peer, “Is this essay communicating what I want it to?” “Does it sound like I want it to sound?”

An Inclusive Approach to a Reading and Writing Workshop with the Habits of Mind By Daniel Vollrath and Scott Einhorn