Description: The Communication Triangle is a visual representation of the three variable components important in designing writing tasks: the audience, the form (or text) and the writer. By adjusting these three variables teachers can present students with a more engaging rhetorical situation and increase students motivation to write.
- The Writer: Who will the student be? A geneticist, a doctor or an editor of the local newspaper? This will provide students to take an “expert” position.
- The Audience: They can be quite varied: a fellow scientist, a commissioner, a friend or family. Knowing whom the audience is helps them give direction to writing.
- The Form: Will it be argumentative or explanatory? Will it be in the form of an email, a blog post, or a newspaper article? This will assist in scaffolding the writing task and provides students with a model or structure to follow.
Rationale: This strategy can help students structure their writing and can shift their position from “novice” to “expert”. Instead of trying guess what the teacher wants students will be more motivated on putting their thinking on paper. Students are comfortable writing in a familiar form (such as a letter) and can focus on the quality of their explanation. This strategy can be especially effective in helping weaker students improve their fluency.
This and many other strategies for supporting student writing can be found in: “Success in Science” by Arthur Beauchamp, Judi Kusnick and Rick McCallum 2011.