I am a writing instructor, and when I first started teaching, my students would write 2 papers max. The colleges I have worked at always seemed to require at least 4 papers (3 min.) To motivate my students to write, I had to find out who they were and what they were wanting in a writing course. Most of them agreed they wrote better if they picked their own topics rather than following a topic given to them. I listened to what they had to say and now I have beautifully written papers coming in for final grading. The papers are written with full enthusiasm, and they are not worried about the page length. I listened to a very small request from them and was able to see results right away. I still give them writing practice using my own topics, but for their papers, they pick their own topics. After 7 years of teaching, I am finally able to motivate the students to write 4 papers. After they have my class, they usually come to see me to help them edit other writing endeavors. It was work, but I know now what to do and what not to do if I want work out of them.
Ray Villegas
