ESSAY PREPARATION AND PLANNING

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ESSAY PREPARATION AND PLANNING

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AIMS OF WORKSHOP

• To identify and explore different learning styles
• To explore and try out some strategies for essay
  planning

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INTRODUCTION

• Writing for academic purposes whats expected?
• Who is the audience?
• What format is required essay or report or
  reflection on experience?
• Academic styles of writing writing in a logical
  and objective way vs writing from personal
  experience
• Academic conventions plagiarism and referencing

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LEARNING STYLES

• A learning style is
• a more or less consistent way in which a person
  perceives, conceptualizes, organizes and recalls
  information (Ellis, 1985).
• 4 different learning styles
• Visual likes visual information e.g. wall
  displays, posters
• Auditory prefers verbal and spoken information
• Kinesthetic prefers learning by doing e.g.
  interactive learning.
• Tactile likes hands on learning activities e.g.
  writing and drawing role plays.

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Organising yourself

• Plan ahead make a schedule of work
• Find source materials and read well in advance of
  writing
• Talk to tutors if necessary
• Make an essay plan

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ESSAY PLANNING

• Read and interpret the question
• Understand the nature of the task process words
• Find an approach which suits you
• Wordstorm the topic
• Spider diagrams
• Concept/mind maps

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Process words often used in essay titles

• Outline Sketch out
• Describe Say what something is like, how it
  works.
• Analyze Break down into parts and map out the
  relationship between them
• Critically analyze Weigh up the assumptions
  which underpin an account, how the argument is
  constructed and supported by evidence
• Explain Explain WHY give reasons for Explain
  HOW describe a process clearly.

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Process words (cont)

• Compare Say in what ways two (or more) things
  resemble each other.
• Contrast Say in what ways two or more things are
  different from each other.
• Discuss Consider arguments for and against the
  topic to be explored.
• Evaluate Decide the worth of something how
  good/bad or worthwhile or relevant or important
  is it?
• Apply Put something to use, show how something
  can be used in a particular situation.

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Wordstorm example Is intelligence innate or
learned?

• Key words/concepts
• nature/nurture
• biology
• genes
• hormones
• culture
• social class
• education
• verbal skills
• spatial skills
• logical reasoning
• emotional intelligence

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Spidergram
biology
nature
verbal skills
logical reasoning
INTELLIGENCE
spatial skills
nurture
emotional intelligence
culture
environment
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Mind map
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Applying these techniques

• In pairs
• Wordstorm the essay title
• The advantages of studying as a mature student
  outweigh the disadvantages. Discuss.

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The advantages of studying as a mature student
outweigh the disadvantages. Discuss

• Life experience
• Transferable skills
• Past educational experience as possible barrier
  to confidence
• Motivation
• Support
• Lifelong learning
• Growing numbers of mature students
• Family issues
• Ageism
• Financial issues
• Social life

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Developing an essay plan

• In pairs
• Begin to organise your key words and ideas into a
  plan around the essay title.
• What clues does the question offer as to how to
  organise your ideas?
• Consider the process word.
• Is it descriptive? Or evaluative?

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Essay Plan
ADVANTAGES PERSONAL Life experience Transferable
skills Financial issues Motivation
INTRODUCTION Aims of essay Definition of mature
students Context wider factors

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MATURE STUDENTS DO THE ADVANTAGES OUTWEIGH
THE DISADVANTAGES?
DISADVANTAGES Past experience Family
problems Ageism Financial issues Lack of support
ADVANTAGES WIDER CONTEXT Lifelong
learning Growing nos of mature
students Diversity
CONCLUSIONS Summing up the arguments on both
sides
Adapted from Open University Student Toolkit on
essay planning