2. Writing is …
EASY – you just stare at a blank piece of paper till your
eyeballs bleed!
3. Writing is …
Something I didn’t think I’d have to do…
What is academic writing?
How do we do it successfully?
4. Quick SWOT 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?
4
5. Writing is …
• Thinking
• Learning
• A struggle
• We ‘write to learn’
• Not learn to write
5
6. Tips:
• Write little and often
• Use writing as a learning/thinking
tool
• Experiment with free writing
6
7. Writing as a thinking/learning
tool
See
http://www.arts.ac.uk/cetl/visual-directions/
1
8. Reflective learning journal
• Who uses a reflective learning
journal?
• Is it creative like the CLiP CETL one?
• Use your journal to:
• Plan your projects
• Reflect on your progress
• Develop your thinking/writing.
8
9. Suggested entries
• Reflections on study sessions: what, why,
reaction, learned, new goals …
• Notes on reading
• Questions about your reading
• Free writing on a topic
• Glossary of terms
• Planning and drafting
• Notes from the press…
9
10. Experiment with 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
10
11. Free write:
• To start your assignment: read the title – just
respond to it, without a plan for 10 minutes
• Write with two pieces of paper – one for work
and one for what’s stopping you…
• If stuck – be rude… and write any way
• To start anything – tear pictures from
magazines, make a collage – write about it…
11
12. Free write for your Report - RADSE
• We are now going to use Free write techniques
to get started on your report for this module.
• You will need paper and pen
• I will ask you to write for two minutes on each
of the RADSE areas
• Go with the flow
• Do not search for the right word
• Do not worry about spelling, punctuation or
grammar
• Just respond to the prompts, write without
stopping – reflect and develop later.
12
13. Research
What research have
you done around your
object: visiting the
British Museum,
listening to podcasts,
reading books? Other? 13
14. Analysis
• Why have you chosen the
object you did? Why that
one and not another? What
do you want your audience
to think about your object
after your
presentation/exhibition?
14
15. Design
• What are the similarities/
differences between the
objects in your group? How
are you going to showcase
these in your exhibition
space?
15
16. Solution
• What building have you
done? Why? What
problems …? What
solutions have you tried?
Which have worked?
Which did you discard?
Why?
16
17. Evaluation
• How will you evaluate the
success of your exhibition?
Are you canvassing visitors’
for feedback? How are you
going to do this? What
criteria could identify your
success or failure?
17
18. Free write to start your Report
• Now you can review the free
writing that you did under the
RADSE headings
• Now you have something to draw
upon to write your REPORT
• Good luck – and enjoy writing it!!
18
19. Writing …
• Quiz:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/LMBS/study/reports_essays/
• DESK:
• http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/TLTC/learnhigher/desk/desk.html
•
• Our writing space:
• http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/TLTC/connorj/WritingGroups/
•
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/
