Archive Page 6

06
Jan
11

Writing highlights/lowlights

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The march into January means that most instructors are welcoming a new batch of students with different attitudes towards their own writing. Because these attitudes play a key role in how receptive students will be towards the lessons your teaching, here’s one way to quickly get to know a bit more about your students.

Ask students to write two lists. In the first, ask them to list the top five writing highlights. In the second, ask them to list their five worst writing moments. Next to each item, have them explain in a few words why that moment belongs on that list.

As an example, I offer you mine: Continue reading ‘Writing highlights/lowlights’

16
Dec
10

Motivating students – when “giving a sh*t” meets the “oh sh*t” moment

By shawnpatrickdoyle 2 Comments
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Think about the students you have the most difficult time dealing with. Plagiarists. The back row slouchers. The grade grubbers who complain their A- is not an A. In-class texters. The sleepers who are dead to the world. Know-it-alls who insult other students with in-class comments and then don’t listen to the rest of the class. The smart kid who won’t say a peep in class but then complains about their class participation. The student who wants you to tell you exactly how you want the paper. The student who writes that you are impossible to please on the end-of-class evaluations. We all have them. Some educators take the approach of taking pleasure in these students’ failures, saying that these students deserve to fail. And maybe they do. But sometimes they need motivation. Or more importantly, a way to tap into their own motivation and keep it charged. Continue reading ‘Motivating students – when “giving a sh*t” meets the “oh sh*t” moment’

15
Dec
10

How to get relevant introductions from students

By shawnpatrickdoyle 2 Comments
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Since the dawn of time, writing teachers have had to deal with introductory paragraphs built around vague overgeneralizations that have little to do with anything in the rest of the essay. I have observed colleagues in coffee shops audibly groan when they read a paper starting with the phrase “throughout humankind.” While many instructors lament students’ attachments to the conventional thinking that states that introductions should start broad, others wave a flag of surrender, instructing students to forgo introductions entirely and just put the thesis in the first sentence. That approach ignores the values of a great introduction, which I can’t cover at this time.  (For the record though, it should be noted that putting an instructor in a good mood while grading a paper is a strategy not to be undervalued.)

What I can do here is show how to get relevant introductions from your students. And contrary to what some believe, teaching relevance has little to do with helping students calibrate the breadth of their opening sentence. Students are best served when they are forced to rethink their understanding of introductions, including what their purpose is and when they are best written. Continue reading ‘How to get relevant introductions from students’

11
Dec
10

Helping someone who hates writing

By shawnpatrickdoyle 1 Comment
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They say that those that can’t do, teach. I’m proof of that rule. But it is in the reflections on why I can’t do that I learn the most about what I teach.

When I got my first writing center gig, the director asked me to write a short biography for the website. Scanning the other tutors’ entries for the inspiration, I noticed many of my new colleagues were “haunted by the power of language” or “loved the experience of putting words on the page.” Knowing the passion of my colleagues, I don’t doubt their sincerity, but I know that if I was going to wax nostalgic about learning to write, I’d be lying. So I started my biography off with three words: “I hate writing.” Continue reading ‘Helping someone who hates writing’

05
Dec
10

On trying and failing: blogging without a net

By shawnpatrickdoyle 1 Comment
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Of the all the pride-inspiring things about this project, I’m most proud that I have gotten as far as the second post of the blog without mentioning the fear of failure. However, since the fear of failure undermines almost every stage of the writing process of all writers, now is as good a time as any to talk about it, especially as it not only gives insight into the reasons students don’t write effectively, but also explains the cookie cutter look and feel of this blog.

The idea of putting my ideas on writing online in blog form has been percolating for a long time. Out of that brew comes grand aspirations: in a perfect world, this blog will become a place where many different writers will share their ideas. And the possibility of hearing positive feedback (or at least constructive criticism/healthy debate) on ideas that I thought up is flattering. But starting a blog is fraught with complications, not least of which being that I could try and fail, leaving my handful of posts relegated to float in the ether of millions of other ghost blogs out there.

Failure and I don’t get along so well. He tends to stick with me for longer than he should whenever he brings his ugly mug around. Continue reading ‘On trying and failing: blogging without a net’

03
Dec
10

Good writer, bad writer

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Why Good writer, bad writer? You can blame Billy Joel.

A colleague of mine went to hear Joel speak about song writing. During the talk, an enthusiastic member of the audience stood up and asked, “What’s the secret that makes you such a great song writer?” Joel responded by saying that while he had written many songs he was proud of, he didn’t think he think of himself as a great song writer. He insisted that for every “Piano Man”, there were drawers and drawers full of songs that he’d be embarrassed to sing in public.  His “secret” was that he just kept writing songs and released those he was most proud of, hiding the rest.

My colleague loved this approach. An aspiring song writer herself, she noted how it gave her the confidence to push through the stretches where it seemed like she could write nothing but bad songs.

There’s a lot to love about this attitude, and it’s one I try to foster with every student I work with. Continue reading ‘Good writer, bad writer’

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Good Writer, Bad Writer

Good writer, bad writer reflects the philosophy behind the first writing lesson I attempt to teach students. Too many of them come into college believing that their writing abilities are set in stone. The bad writers continue to struggle, and the good writers don't take enough risks in their writing, figuring that any misstep will throw them back into the "bad writer" category.

Good writer, bad writer is my attempt to break the power of that dichotomy. On here, I share the lessons and attitudes that I teach, but I also talk about the attitudes I have towards my own writing since many of those have informed my own teaching. Thanks for visiting.

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