Undergraduates Writing with Power Intention Comfort
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Editor's Notes
Bit of backgroundWhere to find slides and resourcesWhat to be writing down / recording while we’re together today
Powerful words, ideas
Promoting Outstanding Writing For Excellence in Research – Texas A&M grad schoolFor Elbow, the phrase 'writing with power' has two meanings. The first meaning is probably what most of us think of, when we think about writing with power : powerful writing, of course! Written words that make a difference in readers' individual lives, or in the lives of entire communities. Writing with power makes us think of writing contained in such places as The Constitution, The Declaration of Independence, religious texts, classical literature, and poetry.Yet Peter Elbow emphasizes a second meaning for this phrase, and it is this second meaning:"… writing with power also means getting power over yourself and over the writing process: knowing what you are doing as you write; being in charge; having control; not feeling stuck or helpless or intimidated. I am particularly interested in this second kind of power in writing and I have found that without it you seldom achieve the first kind.” (Elbow, 1998, p. viii)http://myweb.wvnet.edu/~jelkins/writeshop/writeshop/elbow.html
Purpose – more than completing an assignment and also more than communicating something to a clientThe writing process actually starts before you pick up a pen or place your fingers on a keyboard. It begins with defining what you are writing, for whom you are writing, why you are writing, and which writing approach to use. Writing with Intention addresses these defining matters, which you need to consider every time you sit down to write.Quote: www.ces.sdsu.edu/Pages/Engine.aspx?id=57
Audience(s)Task(s)
What is your process? What might it become? Why make changes now? How and when to you get feedback on your writing, or do you skip this part? Why get or not get feedback?Where and from whom might you seek feedback?
Writing doesn’t happen without readersWhat happens when you’re reading – what is “good reading”? paraphrase, reread, make brief reminders of content/concepts through underlining and marginal notes consider audience, purpose, task of writer and your expectations for the text even before you read, then amend as you read ask questions, make predictions, hypothesize about what ideas will be pursued/developed as you read further ahead step beyond the text by reading with a purpose in mind – why do you need to read this, what will you contribute as a responder, what will you gain as a writer
But a response like this on the final page of an assignment without drafts or time for feedback (one day turn around) is not helpfulCompare to political scienceCritique vs Critical Care
How might you provide feedback to one another within your teams – and/or paired with another team – as you prepare to turn in the interim report?How might you get feedback – and from whom – on the weekly components of the individual report? And now wait “until later”?
How might you provide feedback to one another within your teams – and/or paired with another team – as you prepare to turn in the interim report?How might you get feedback – and from whom – on the weekly components of the individual report? And now wait “until later”?
When revising with teachers and assignments in mind – When working with one personLook at the rubric to set targets/goals/expectationsFocus on Ideas/Content and Organization FIRSTSurface Features – OWL at Purdue OR writing tutor Overall coherence – after revisions need to be sure there’s overall coherence
Elbow sample – at idaportal
Pointing sample – on idaportal
AudiencePurposeTaskFeedback Loop Widens here – more players, more documents and more contributors to larger documentsAs formative resources Your team Other teams Your client Your tutor
Coherence in overall organization, in voice/point of view, in formatting of components, in citation style, in sentence structuring, in meeting grammatical expectations
Attributes of Quick Starters Start before they’re readyIntegrate active participation into communication practices, overall philosophies and daily practicesProactive in seeking advice from colleagues/multiple mentors, collaborators, and significant othersWork with others to establish strategies for balance among / integration across the commitments in life, work, cultural/affinity groups, and local/global communityVerbalize general optimism – about students, peers, research, teachingSpend less time in the whine and procrastination and imposter modesThe New Faculty Member, 1992Boice Advice for New Faculty Members – “when you write daily, you start writing immediately because you remember what you were writing about the day before. This leads to impressive production. In one study participants who wrote daily wrote only twice as many hours as those who wrote occasionally in big blocks of time but wrote or revised tem times as many pages.” Be accountable to someone weekly: Boice 1989 article:Participants were divided into three groups: (a) The first group ("controls") did not change their writing habits, and continued to write occasionally in big blocks of time; in 1 year they wrote an average of 17 pages; (b) the second group wrote daily and kept a daily record; they averaged 64 pages; (c) the third group wrote daily, kept a daily record, and held themselves accountable to someone weekly; this group's average was 157 pages (Boice 1989:609).
None of us is a native writer – but we are storytellers, meaning makers, living within multiple social discourses, positioned to – and interested in – provoking knowledge production, for ourselves and others.Peter Elbow: Garbage in your head poisons you. Garbage on paper can safely be put in the wastepaper basket / Therefore, write, share, repeat