TODAY’S GOALS
• Evaluate the descriptive writing technique usage in your WTR essays
• Learn about the stages of and strategies for reflective writing
CLASS REMINDERS/
ANNOUNCEMENTS
• Conferences will resume next week
• Register for conferences 24 hours ahead of time
• Do NOT overwrite other students’ entries
• Next conference registration will begin on Friday and close on Monday
• Blog URLs do not need to be resubmitted with every entry
• Blogs should be completed in essay form rather than bullet points or answers
to every question
DESCRIPTIVE WRITING
VOCABULARY - REVIEW
• Dominant Impression
• Concrete words
• Active verbs
• Descriptive verbs
GROUP ACTIVITY: DESCRIPTIVE
WRITING ANALYSIS
• Pair up with one other person
• (use groups of three if and only if one person is missing their essay. If you do
not have your essay, you must still complete the questions below to receive
participation credit)
• Read through the first page of your classmate’s WTR essay and answer the
questions below:
1. What is the dominant impression being conveyed of the setting?
2. Find 3 examples of descriptive verbs that add information about how an
action was being performed.
3. Find an example of a concrete description that engages each of the five
senses
Note: this activity should be done on a separate sheet of paper and include
your name as well as the name of the person who’s essay you are analyzing.
REFLECTIVE WRITING AS
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING
Adapted from Using English for Academic Purposes
http://www.uefap.com/writing/genre/reflect.htm
EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING CYCLE
• Concrete Experience- what you did or what happened
• Reflective Observation- think back on what happened in the concrete experience,
how it happened, how that made you feel, and how you might do things differently
next time
• Abstract Conceptualization- apply theories and concepts (or ideas you learn in
class) to your experience
• Active Experimentation- thinking about and planning how you can take this
knowledge to shape your future experiences
• How might these stages be represented in your exploratory narrative research
process?
REFLECTIVE WRITING STAGESWTR ESSAY
• Concrete Experience
• Your original experiences in the place you have chosen as your topic
• Reflective Observation
• Thinking back on your those experiences. Writing about and reflecting on how
you felt and how those experiences shaped and affected you.
• Abstract Conceptualization
• Draw on the knowledge you have gained since the concrete experience,
including insights you may have gained from reflecting on the space.
• Active Experimentation-
• Take what you have learned and what questions you still have unanswered and
think about how you view the space differently or might perceive it differently
the next time you are there.
REFLECTIVE WRITING TIPS
• Use dialectic thinking: try to see and evaluate the issue from multiple sides. Try to
empathize with viewpoints that would normally be opposed to your own
• Be honest: it’s ok to admit your mistakes or ignorance about something or when
something surprises you. This can actually lead to better revelations or deeper
understanding
• Use first person voice: for reflective writing you need to write about your own
opinions, beliefs, proclivities, and prejudices. This is a necessary part of reflective
writing although many students feel uncomfortable doing so at first.
• Select the most important information; you do not need to include every tiny piece
of information you learned. Focus on the most important points
• Ask questions!
GROUP ACTIVITY- REFLECTIVE
WRITING ANALYSIS
• In your unit 1 groups
• Read through Accounts 1-4 of “The Park” and answer the questions below:
1.
Which of these accounts is a better example of reflective writing? Why?
2.
What questions does the writer ask herself in each account?
3.
How are the writer’s previous experiences (before the event at the park)
considered in each account?
4.
How is the writer critical of her own actions and thoughts in each
account?
SOURCE
• “The Park” passage adopted from
https://www.aub.edu.lb/ctl/activities/seminars/Documents/201213/Reflearning.pdf
HOMEWORK
• Read I&A 187-202
• Sign up for conference 2
• Registration will open Friday at 5pm
• Registration will close Tuesday at 9:30 am
• WTR Draft 2
• Continue working on your WTR essay until it reaches 750+ words
• After successfully introducing your setting, you should begin to include reflective
details about your personal experiences with the place
• Bring a printed copy to class on Tuesday