Supporting writing
Supporting Writing
Build regular writing activities into teaching sessions to help students develop habits of recording their research and developing their ideas on a topic. Regular practice and feedback helps students communicate more clearly, use appropriate style, develop their own voice, structure work effectively and develop confidence as writers.
Key Questions
- Which writing skills do you expect students to start this level with?
- Which type of writing activities do you build into sessions to help students develop as writers?
- Who is the intended audience of their writing? What impact does this have on what and how students communicate?
- What is the purpose of their of writing?
- How do writing assignments build on students’ previous abilities and prepare the way for their future writing as a student or a professional? Is this clear to students?
- How rigid or flexible is format and style in this type of writing?
Blogging for social interaction and reflective dialogue
Roy Hanney has found that blogging in media courses can help students prepare for formal written reflections, gain quick, ongoing feedback from their tutors and engage in dialogue around learning.
Reflection videos and writing activities
Tutors and students reflect on what academic writing means to them, and some of the challenges involved.
- A selection of short activities to get your students writing in sessions.
Tools and resources
- Microsoft One Drive: Students and tutors can use the Microsoft file sharing space on Solent to share and collaborate on text documents.
- Blogging tools: You can set up a blogging space for students in SOL, or let students use a public blogging tool such as wordpress to regularly record their work and reflections.
- Linda B. Nilson (2010) Teaching at its Best: a research based resource for college instructors Chapter 24: Teaching students to think and write in your discipline