What to Expect in the Classroom Be prepared to write. Composition classes at George Mason teach writing as a process. Instructors ask students to use writing not simply as a way of communicating already formulated thoughts but also as a way of discovering, exploring and developing new ideas. On your way to completing a paper, for example, you may go through the process of discovering, drafting, reading, revising, and editing.
Many instructors introduce their students to techniques which use writing to trigger thinking.
Writing helps us to discover what we know, and work out what we need to know. Teachers may begin or end a class with a writing exercise or ask you to prepare to write a paper through a series of exercises. You may encounter free-writing, where you are asked to write your unedited thoughts on a particular topic, idea or experience for a set period. This technique can often jump-start an essay or other assignment. Brainstorming is a more focused technique during which you consciously note all your ideas, your questions, your facts and figures about a topic you are planning to write about for a set time.