Slow Writing in the AI Era:
Large-language models can spit out a passable essay in 30 seconds. What they can’t do is teach students to think—to wrestle with a text, to clarify a concept, to shape an argument worth owning. Drafted is my 45-page, hands-on workbook designed to re-establish the humanities classroom as a place for deep, slow thinking in an era of friction-free content creation. It solves these problems:
What's in the workbook?
The workbook is based on what I call "slow thinking pedagogy." It's meant for professors to use IN CLASS and walks students through the process of writing the traditional, long-form essay. It is scaffolded with pre-class preparations, instructions, space to write each component, and reflections for each of the seven sections. Require students to get it for class, they bring it during scheduled in-class writing time, turn it in, and receive feedback in it from before the next component. This is meant to be a low-effort solution to a big problem in the humanities. It doesn't require hours of coming up with instructions and editing LMS assignments and sloppy blue books. It's all here in one place.
The Payoff:
Having used this method for two years, I can attest to the fact that this completely dispels academic integrity issues, forces students to take ownership of their ideas, and allows me to genuinely assess the whether the learning outcomes in my course have been met.
Large-language models can spit out a passable essay in 30 seconds. What they can’t do is teach students to think—to wrestle with a text, to clarify a concept, to shape an argument worth owning. Drafted is my 45-page, hands-on workbook designed to re-establish the humanities classroom as a place for deep, slow thinking in an era of friction-free content creation. It solves these problems:
- Instant AI output → hollow prose. Students submit fluent paragraphs they barely understand.
- Plagiarism cat-and-mouse. Policing originality turns instructors into detectives, not mentors.
- Erosion of slow thinking. Speed displaces attentiveness, curiosity, and intellectual virtue.
What's in the workbook?
The workbook is based on what I call "slow thinking pedagogy." It's meant for professors to use IN CLASS and walks students through the process of writing the traditional, long-form essay. It is scaffolded with pre-class preparations, instructions, space to write each component, and reflections for each of the seven sections. Require students to get it for class, they bring it during scheduled in-class writing time, turn it in, and receive feedback in it from before the next component. This is meant to be a low-effort solution to a big problem in the humanities. It doesn't require hours of coming up with instructions and editing LMS assignments and sloppy blue books. It's all here in one place.
The Payoff:
Having used this method for two years, I can attest to the fact that this completely dispels academic integrity issues, forces students to take ownership of their ideas, and allows me to genuinely assess the whether the learning outcomes in my course have been met.
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