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Practical Writing Activities for Students & Others
Sandra Sinfield & Tom Burns Education/LDU/LearnHigher With thanks to Sarah Johnson
Students’ Writing in Transition SymposiumNTU September 15th 2009
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Writing is …
Writing is easy – you just stare at a blank piece of paper till your eyeballs bleed!
Writing is …
• Thinking• Learning• A struggle• We ‘write to learn’• Not learn to write
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SWOT: Reflect on your writing• Strengths: what do you like about your
writing?• Weaknesses: what do you dislike about your
writing or academic writing in general?• Opportunities: what’s in it for you ?• Threats: what threat does academic writing
pose for you?
Write for one minute on each…4
Developing writing
Students benefit from being given or making opportunities to:
• Practise writing • Practise writing in the discipline• Free write• Reflect on their writing - and other aspects of
their learning• Reflect on feedback from their lecturers
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To practise writing in the discipline
See also http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
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Freewriting• Peter Elbow (1998) argues that free-writing
encourages students to write at length without fear of censorship. Benefits:
• Freedom to explore a topic• Builds & demonstrates knowledge• Encourages understanding• Spelling & grammar (3 min): http://www.youtube.com/watch?
v=LlL5W2qA0EA
• On writing (9min):• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDUn1c4uxUE
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Activities• Try freewriting:• For 5 minutes on any lecture (class)• A definition of a concept in 1 minute• For 5 minutes on previous experiences that will be useful to
you in this module• The Path exercise follows: write for one minute on each topic
– we can discuss impact of writing in this way…
• Resources:• Stopwatch: http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-
stopwatch/• Freewrite:http://www.cumquat.co.uk/freewrite/• http://www.writethink.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/fwt/
Free_Write01.html
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The Path
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Path Tree Key
WaterHouse
Academic freewritingUse for:• Starting an assignment• Overcoming a writing block• Writing at length• Writing in discipline• Structuring writing• Proof-reading• Editing• Reflecting on your day/learning
What will you do with this information? How will it effect you as a student?Write your answers - one minute…
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Overcoming writing blocks:
• Read the title – just respond to it, without a plan for 10 minutes
• Have a stack of postcards to hand – warm up your writing juices by picking one at random and writing…
• If stuck – be rude… and write any way• Write with two pieces of paper – one for work
& one for what’s stopping you…
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To reflect on writing and other aspects of learning
See alsohttp://www.arts.ac.uk/cetl/visual-directions/
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Reflective learning journal
• Have you used a reflective learning journal?• Like the CLiP CETL one?• Use your journal as a space to reflect
on your progress … &• Develop aspects of your
thinking/writing.13
Suggested entries• Reflections on study sessions: what, why,
reaction, learned, new goals …• Notes on readings• Questions relating to readings• Freewriting on a topic• Glossary of terms• Planning and drafting• Notes from the press…
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Development of the reflective learning journal
• Supports student reflection on discipline specific readings• Promotes critical analysis• Encourages deep understanding
through questioning• Can be creative & appealing
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Reflecting on THIS session• What have we done?• What activities have we undertaken? Why?• What was your reaction?• What have you learned – about writing, about
yourself as a writer, about yourself as a student?
• Will this change your approach? How?• What will you do next?• Make notes for yourself – and don’t forget to
let me know: [email protected]
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