Ten Tips for effective academic writing

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Ten Tips for effective academic writing

• WAESL 2009
• AMY FENNING
• afenning_at_shoreline.edu
• afenning_at_sccd.ctc.edu
• fenninga_at_seattleu.edu

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1 Do a diagnostic

• When?
• What?
• Check with program, level, course instructors
• Results will greatly guide your rhetorical and
  structural syllabus
• Return the diagnostic to them for a reflective
  writing at the end of the quarter

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2 DECONSTRUCT A MODEL

• Piaget (cognitive constructivism) and Vygotsky
  (social constructivism)
• Definition
• The world of the learner and the world of the
  expert
• Task-based and flexible
• All for discussion
• Bridge it to their own assignment

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4 Provide a scaffold

• Particularly important for newer writers
• Move beyond topic, support, conclusion and move
  towards depth of detail
• Benson and Gray (UC Berkley Writing Project)
• A sort of paragraph diagramming
• How to coordinate and subordinate
• Level 1 (L1) Topic and Concluding sentence
• Level 2 (L2) Support
• Level 3 (L3) Details, Examples
• Train the students and expect it

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5 Conduct a peer review

• Value of peer review
• Training students on value, and how to
  successfully complete
• Clear, focused and task-based
• Involving a one-on-one discussion
• Numerous benefits

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6 Create a rubric

• Students should know and understand the rubric
• Analytic vs. holistic rubrics

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IN CLASS vs. At home essays

• AT HOME ESSAYS
• Process oriented
• A chance to ruminate
• An opportunity for plagiarism
• More fruitful peer review
• More reflective of future classes

• IN CLASS ESSAYS
• Their natural ability without temptations
• Learn to use time effectively
• Future test preparation

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Consider the culture of writing!

• Oral vs. literate societies (Luria in BE, 1976)
• Which does not belong?
• Orality vs. Literacy and the home/school
  disconnect
• Trackton Gateway Roadville (Heath in BE 1983)
• Writing as culturally defined (Kaplan, 1966)
• Issues of Plagiarism (Hinkel in Celce Mercia,
  2001)
• Using Libraries perspective (Hickock, 2009)

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9 Make genre learning fun

• GAMES
• Argumentative Essays
• Process Essays
• Compare/Contrast Essays
• GRAPHIC ORGANIZERS
• Narrative Essays
• Compare/Contrast Essays
• CAMPUS RESEARCH
• Cause/Effect Essays
• Compare/contrast Essays

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Make it a learning experience for everyone!

• Plenty of structure-level error correction
• A reflection on the process
• What I really liked about this assignment was
• What challenged me about this assignment was
• I feel I learned a lot about
• I think I still need to work on.
• Allow for triad reading input
• Spend time with each student in class or out of
  class as much as possible

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Sources

• Brown, Steven and Jodi Eisterhold (2004) Topics
  in Language and Culture Ann Arbor University of
  Michigin Press
• Grey, James and Robert Benson (n.d) Sentence and
  Paragraph Modeling University of California Bay
  Writing Project, Curriculum Publication 17
• Hickok, J. (n.d) Bringing them into the
  community Innovative Library Instructional
  Strategies for International Ss. Practical
  Padagogy for Librarians, Chapter 17
• Hinkel, Eli (2001) Building Awareness and
  Practical Skills to Facilitate Cross Cultural
  Communication. In Teaching English as a Second or
  Foreign Language, Marianne Celce Murcia, ed)
  Boston Heinle Cengage
• Schcolnik, M., S. Kol J. Aberbanel (2006)
  Constructivism in Theory and Practice. English
  Teaching Forum, Number 4.

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Thank you!

• Please email me if I can send you any more
  information
• afenning_at_sccd.ctc.edu
• afenning_at_shoreline.edu
• http//facweb.northseattle.edu/afenning