Practical Writing Activities for
Students & Others
Sandra Sinfield & Tom Burns Education/LDU/LearnHigher
Sarah Johnson NTU
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What is Academic Writing?
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Developing writing
Students benefit from being given
opportunities to:
• Practise writing in the discipline
• Reflect on their writing and other aspects of
their learning
• Reflect on feedback from their teachers
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To practise writing in the
discipline
EXCELLENT site for linking phrases and for WRITING:
http://www.phrasebank.manchester.ac.uk/
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Freewriting
• Peter Elbow (1998) argues that free-writing
encourages students to write at length without
fear of censorship. Benefits include:
• Freedom to explore a topic
• 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
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Activities
• The Path exercise follows: write for one minute
on each topic; review elements of story across
group; discuss impact of writing in this way…
• Resources:
• Stopwatch: http://www.onlinestopwatch.com/full-screen-stopwatch/
• Freewrite:http://www.cumquat.co.uk/freewrite
/
• http://www.writethink.co.uk/wordpress/wpcontent/fwt/Free_Write01.html
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The Path
Path
Tree
House
Water
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Key
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Academic freewriting
Use for:
• Writing at length
• Writing in discipline
• Structure
• Proof-reading
• Editing
• Reflecting
What will you do with this information?
How will it effect you as a student?
Can you use this in your work setting? How?
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Freewriting & study:
• Generic freewriting:
• Freewrite for 5 minutes on previous
experiences that will be useful to you on this
course
• Freewrite for 5 minutes on today’s class
• Freewrite a definition of a term in 1 minute
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To reflect on writing and other
aspects of learning
See also
http://www.arts.ac.uk/cetl/visual-directions/
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Reflective learning journal
• Have you used a reflective learning
journal?
• Like the CLiP CETL one?
• Use your journal as a space to reflect
on your progress … &
• Develop aspects of your
thinking/writing.
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Suggested entries
• Reflections on study sessions: what, why,
reaction, learned, new goals …
• Notes on readings
• Questions relating to readings
• Freewriting on a topic
• Glossary of terms
• Planning and drafting
• Notes from the press…
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Development of the reflective
learning journal
• Supports student reflection on
learning/reading
• Promotes critical analysis
• Encourages deep understanding
through questioning
• Can be creative & appealing
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Reflecting on THIS session
•
•
•
•
What have we done?
What activities have we undertaken?
What resources have we used?
Are these activities/resources which you
would use?
• Have you any further suggestions?
• Make notes for yourself – and don’t
forget to follow up good ideas.
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Writing resources
•
•
Organise your DESK and your READING:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/TLTC/learnhigher/desk/desk.html
•
•
Check out these writing resources:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/TLTC/connorj/WritingGroups/
•
•
Essay writing animation – Portsmouth:
http://ondemand.port.ac.uk/central/One_way_to_write_an_essay.wmv
•
Essay/report quiz:
http://learning.londonmet.ac.uk/LMBS/study/reports_essays/
•
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/
References
• Calvin and Hobbes cartoon found at:
http://www.benpfeiffer.net/blog/2008/04/ca
lvin-hobbes.html [accessed 21/08/2009]
• Thaiss C. and Zawacki T. M., 2006. Engaged
Writers and Dynamic Disciplines: Research
on the Academic Writing Life. Portsmouth:
Boynton/Cook.
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