Writing ACTIVITY

1. Writing ACTIVITY Writing is easy – you just stare at a blank piece of paper till your eyeballs bleed!

2. Writing ACTIVITY • Some thoughts about writing • Writing activity • Reflecting on the activity • Applying what you’ve learned to the Assignment • Useful resources

3. Student responses to writing: I’ve been humiliated in ways I’d never have put up with outside that institution

4. Student responses to writing: I am still not sure if my work is considered academic, I still don’t know what makes one of my essays better than another.

5. And: Academic language, the kind of language that doesn’t readily flow off my tongue: the type of language I rarely use when speaking to my peers. The type of language that I don’t readily understand and the type of language that means spending hours at a computer turning something quite simple into something that sounds moderately impressive with elitist results.

6. Perhaps it is not that we cannot write, but We need: • Time to ‘write to learn’ • Time to practice writing • To write little and often • To discover that writing gets easier with practice. • So …

7. Writing Activity Free writing Each person should have in front of them: • Two sheets of paper: • One, blank, to write upon, • One, the ‘commentary’ sheet, to note reasons for not writing • Pens or pencils

8. The Activity • When asked, turn to your blank paper and write for ten minutes without pause on the question below. • If you stop writing for any reason, write that reason, no matter how trivial or insignificant on the ‘commentary’ sheet.

9. The Question INSERT Q

10. (1) Assignment Activity • Did you enjoy that writing? • Review it – what does it tell you about: • What you already know? • What you need to find out? • What you will be looking for in lectures? • What you will be looking for when reading?

11. (2) Why did you STOP writing?   Some reasons for stopping: • Thinking • Searching for a word, spelling, tense • Uncomfortable • Distracted • Couldn’t see the point • What are you going to do about this?

12. (3) Some solutions … • Get into a good physical & mental space: Be comfortable – your way Accept the task – or fake it! • Brainstorm & plan before you write • Once you start – go with the flow • Don’t stop! • Do not search for the right word – re-draft and improve later.

13. NEXT STEPS… • How will your free write help you with the final part of your assessment? • How will thinking about writing help with your writing?

14. Writing … • Organise your DESK and your READING: • http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/TLTC/learnhigher/desk/desk.html • Check out these writing resources: • http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/TLTC/connorj/WritingGroups/ • Essay writing animation – Portsmouth: • http://ondemand.port.ac.uk/central/One_way_to_write_an_essay.wmv • Essay/report quiz:http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/LMBS/study/reports_essays/ • EXCELLENT site for linking phrases and for WRITING: http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/ • Our Preventing Plagiarism course – in WebLearn: • http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/TLTC/learnhigher/Plagiarism/