the willingness to write a thousand words on a topic is not caused by understanding of that topic
No, but writing about a topic in a way that will make sense to a reader is a really effective way of causing the writer to learn about the topic.
Ever tried to write a book chapter or article about a topic you thought you knew well? I bet you found out you didn’t know it as well as you thought—but had to learn to finish the work.
No, but writing about a topic in a way that will make sense to a reader is a really effective way of causing the writer to learn about the topic.
Ever tried to write a book chapter or article about a topic you thought you knew well? I bet you found out you didn’t know it as well as you thought—but had to learn to finish the work.
I absolutely agree that writing assignments are effective. What I don’t think is effective is grading longer submissions higher.