26 May 2014

Today we discussed the Writing Process in anticipation of preparations for the upcoming essay assignment task.

Depending on which resource you review about the writing process, there are typically 4-5 stages one could follow to produce a piece of academic writing. Each step outlines various activities and tasks the writer should undertake that will slowly and deliberately lead to the final written product. The key to using this process is patience and actively working on the piece of writing you how to produce/create.

We discussed the following 4 stages

1. Pre-writing
2. Drafting
3. Revising
4. Editing

Peer review and feedback are other essential characteristic that defines what this process is all about. There are also many ways in which the writing process can be presented graphically. Which graphic best captures your understanding of this central process associated with academic writing?

19 May 2014

Today we undertook another peer read-and-feedback activity. We continued to provide comment on the writing of short paragraph that addressed the topic of how cultural norms and conventions influence how we greet the people we meet. Writers were asked to ensure that the paragraph they wrote clearly communicated a main point or argument. In our general feedback session some of the following points were raised for discussion

• using conjunctions
• the use of and the importance of punctuation 
• whether one could use metaphor or idioms in formal, academic writing
• paragraph structures (how to ensure that the sentences that make up a paragraph are somehow linked together)
• the value of understanding the writing process

We also starting to talk and think about the Communication Skills assignment. Everyone did a short 5 minute freewriting exercise. Each writer selected one of the essay topics and had to write non-stop for 5 minutes about that topic (you were suppose to only write and not think about grammar, sentence construction, spelling, editing). Next week the writers will bring along a reworked version of this freewriting piece and we will work on brainstorming the requirements for the essay assignment.

A new page has been added to the blog - this contains links to interesting and useful online resources about academic writing, the English language and grammar. 

12:30pm start for our session on Monday 19 May 2014

Could we please start slightly later on Monday as I have an overlapping meeting. 

Sharing some writing

Please share your own writing about the topic of greeting and addressing different people. (Click on the comments tab below this post and type in your piece, but make sure to type your name as a heading)

• can you identify what the main point is in each little written piece

LYNN

Respect can be earned and displayed in many ways. Cultural norms are an important way whereby different stances on respect can be shown in any given culture. How people greet or address each other are usually governed by these cultural norms, but it is only one way to show respect. Western cultures have evolved to adopt rather informal and causal ways of greeting. However, while these approaches might appear informal, they can still convey respect. These informal approaches also challenge strict social hierarchies and promote the value of equality between people of different ages and positions in society.

12 May 2014

A quick summary of what we discussed on Monday, 12 May 2014

• we worked in small groups of two and we read and gave feedback to our partners about the small writing piece brought to the session
• the feedback was framed around the following parameters
• readability, interest, flow of the sentences and the paragraph
• use of conjunctions to create flow (so that our sentences aren't too short and choppy)
• is the person making a point? what is the point the writer is trying to make
• In the joint feedback session the following discussion points were raised
• problems with tenses and using tenses
• long sentences without punctuation (can leads to confusion about what the sentence is trying to express)
• being clear about what it is that you want to express in your sentence (some of the examples shared during the session showed how no amount of changes to the grammar or to the sentence structure helped to make the sentence clear). Being clear about what the point is you want to express in you sentence was shown to be more important than focusing on getting the grammar right
• there is value in reading your sentences out ALOUD as a way of doing some self-review and editing of your own right. This practice sometimes helps to show-up mistakes/problems in your writing.
• writing is a process involving many writing-review-edit-writing cycles and the production of many drafts

NEXT WEEK: making your argument clear

• rework the paragraph you are currently working on the topic of the different ways in which greet or address the people we meet or interact with in our daily life
• FOCUS on expressing your position,your argument, making clear what you position on the topic is. 
• through your little paragraph you must be able to convince your reader of your particular point of view

Writing activity for Monday 12 May

Please write a short (100 - 150 word) paragraph where you discuss or describe your position on the naming conventions you used when speaking/addressing the different people you meet. Bring along your written piece to the session on Monday 12 May.

Some background to the topic
This is a contested topic, thus there is lots of disagreement about how we should address each other. Lynn feels that when you speak to her or address her, you should use her first name. You have all expressed your difficulty using her first name and cannot simply switch the approach you are accustomed to use when talking to her.While she says, she understands that you do not have many experiences of addressing a teacher or adult by their first name, she nevertheless feels you should become comfortable with calling her on her first name.

Some guidance

• think about the level of readability
• consider using conjunctions
• watch your sentence construction 
• make sure your sentences have a SUBJECT, VERB and OBJECT
• be creative and try to get your point across

What others say about the cultural impact on greeting

Here are some links to discussions about how different cultures deal with greeting. To help bolster or strengthen your position/argument it might be helpful to read these short articles. You could also include some statements or ideas made in these articles in your written piece. Of course if you find other interesting and relevant 'conversations' about this topic online, you can include this in your piece too.

• Different stages of respect in Zulu culture

Talking about conjuctions

We had an interesting discussion about when to use

BUT
HOWEVER

and which word sounded more academic. Below are some links to a more detailed description of CONJUNCTIONS (joining words) and how we can use them to make our sentences more interesting and to create some flow in our expressions.

• What are conjunctions
• Exercises using conjunctions
• No 1
• No 2
• No 3
• No 4

Expectations

At our first meeting on 29 April we discussed the following expectations

• ·         Exposure to various tools and help improve our academic writing
• ·         Understanding/ becoming familiar with the style of writing required within an academic context

o   What does it mean to write academically

• ·         Understanding the different language conventions needed in the academic context

o   Understanding and becoming familiar with the academic vocabulary and gaining confidence in using this broader vocabulary in written and spoken communication at university

• ·         Advice and guidance on the structure, style, grammar and format of academic writing
• ·         Becoming familiar with different types and structure of writing required / used in my academic environment.