Practical Writing Activities for Students & Others

Sandra Sinfield & Tom Burns Education/LDU/LearnHigher With thanks to Sarah Johnson

Students’ Writing in Transition SymposiumNTU September 15th 2009

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Writing is …

Writing is easy – you just stare at a blank piece of paper till your eyeballs bleed!

Writing is …

• Thinking• Learning• A struggle• We ‘write to learn’• Not learn to write

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SWOT: Reflect on your writing• Strengths: what do you like about your

writing?• Weaknesses: what do you dislike about your

writing or academic writing in general?• Opportunities: what’s in it for you ?• Threats: what threat does academic writing

pose for you?

Write for one minute on each…4

Developing writing

Students benefit from being given or making opportunities to:

• Practise writing • Practise writing in the discipline• Free write• Reflect on their writing - and other aspects of

their learning• Reflect on feedback from their lecturers

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To practise writing in the discipline

See also 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:

• Freedom to explore a topic• Builds & 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• Try freewriting:• For 5 minutes on any lecture (class)• A definition of a concept in 1 minute• For 5 minutes on previous experiences that will be useful to

you in this module• The Path exercise follows: write for one minute on each topic

– we can discuss impact of writing in this way…

• Resources:• Stopwatch: http://www.online-stopwatch.com/full-screen-

stopwatch/• Freewrite:http://www.cumquat.co.uk/freewrite/• http://www.writethink.co.uk/wordpress/wp-content/fwt/

Free_Write01.html

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The Path

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Path Tree Key

WaterHouse

Academic freewritingUse for:• Starting an assignment• Overcoming a writing block• Writing at length• Writing in discipline• Structuring writing• Proof-reading• Editing• Reflecting on your day/learning

What will you do with this information? How will it effect you as a student?Write your answers - one minute…

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Overcoming writing blocks:

• Read the title – just respond to it, without a plan for 10 minutes

• Have a stack of postcards to hand – warm up your writing juices by picking one at random and writing…

• If stuck – be rude… and write any way• Write with two pieces of paper – one for work

& one for what’s stopping you…

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To reflect on writing and other aspects of learning

See alsohttp://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.13

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 discipline specific readings• 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? Why?• What was your reaction?• What have you learned – about writing, about

yourself as a writer, about yourself as a student?

• Will this change your approach? How?• What will you do next?• Make notes for yourself – and don’t forget to

let me know: s.sinfield@londonmet.ac.uk

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