ONLINE BASIC WRIT ING CURRICULUM

Empowering Students

Lisa Thrush ~ English 571 ~ Final Presentation

Welcome to Basic Writing. Tell us about yourself.

I’m stupid.

I can’t write.

I’m going to fail.

I’m an

idiot.

I’m in the

retard class.

I can’t do

this.

(Quotes from basic writing students)

Empower Students

Empowering is bringing into a state of belief one's ability to act

effectively...nurturing belief in capability and competence, suggesting potency and the positive impetus to action (Ashcroft, qtd. in Duhon-Haynes 2).

“More than anything, students

need to understand that their voice has

value. That is how writing works.

When people find their voice and recognize that they have the

right to speak...writing

happens” (Nivens).

Basic Writing Curriculum

Assignments Discussion threads Informal writing Formal essays

Feedback Positive Constructive Model writing

"...it wasn't until my reading and writing were put to use in

substantial and meaningful ways that

they became more powerful, weighty, and

developed critical depth" (Rose 35).

Basic Writing Curriculum

Empowering Resources Writing Tutorials Technology (variety) Positive Reinforcement

“I remember that my favorite classes, and the

classes that I got the most out of, were classes where

the teacher put forth much more effort to make

sure that her students actually learned life

lessons and how to write and comprehend

information” (Parker).

Discussion

Engage Students

Participate

Model Writing

Make Connectio

ns

How can the instructor create positive discussion environments that empower students?

Academic Discussion – Week 1

As you learned this week, the writing process typically involves four stages: exploring, organizing, drafting, and revising. Writers may move back and forth between the stages, but good writers usually work through each of the stages. By the time you submit your first draft this week, you will have completed all four stages of the writing process. For some of you, this may have been the first time you've approached a writing assignment this way.

Please reflect on your experience with the writing process. In your post, share what you think about the writing process and what you've learned about it so far. Your post might address one or two of the following topics/questions:

Describe something new that you've learned about writing. How does writing using the four stages of the writing process differ from the way you've

written papers in the past? What benefits do you see to the writing process? What drawbacks do you see to using the writing process? What questions do you have about the writing process? What's unclear or confusing to you? What tools/techniques didn't work so well for you this time? Why? What will you do differently for your next essay assignment?

Faith Integration Discussion – Week 1

In ABGW chapter 1, you learned that good writing starts by asking good questions. A good question is problematic to the audience, significant, and interesting to the writer. In this Faith Integration discussion, you will practice posing questions by posing a question about your faith. What questions do you have about theology or about your faith? What are some of the key questions a person of faith must answer?

Motivation is Empowering

“Students can’t always see where writing relates to their futures, and if I can find that business or corporate or technical tie-in that motivates them to write I know I’ve made an important step” (Danforth).

“We sometimes lose sight of the fact that our

kids are pouring their hearts and souls into

writing. They're taking risks, and if we can

concentrate on what they CAN do and use that as a springboard, they'll be the better for

it” (Kiser).

Informal WritingAllow students an opportunity to write in a safe zone and take risks in their writing.

Reflective Journals

Prewriting

Drafts

Informal Writing

Require prewriting activitiesCompletion grade for drafts

Students will take more risks if their grade is not threatened.

Provide feedback for a strong final draft.Assign reflection journals

Students learn about writing by reflecting on what they have written and how they have written it.“I had enough trouble

passing. I didn’t want to take risks that would make

me fail” (Former basic writing student).

Informal Writing

Prewriting Activity Analyzing your audience

What person or group do you most want to reach? Is this audience already sympathetic to your views?

How much do you know about your audience? What assumptions can you make about your audience?

What might they value—brevity, originality, conformity, honesty, wit, seriousness, thrift, generosity?

What is your relationship to the audience? What is your attitude toward the audience?

Formal Writing

Provide clear expectationsShare tips for writing

Provide students will the tools to succeed in writing.

Essay 1 – Autobiographical Narrative

This essay allows you the opportunity to share a personal experience with your readers. You will write about an experience or event that taught you something about leadership. Your audience for this essay is the rest of the class. For this assignment, you will create an autobiographical narrative in which you (a) tell the story of the event, and (b) explore the significance of that moment or event, focusing on what the experience taught you about leadership.

Essay 1 - Choosing a Topic

Below are some factors to consider when choosing the event about which you will write: Choose an event that will be interesting to your readers. The story should have some

conflict or tension that gets resolved during the story. An effective narrative essay starts with a good story.

Choose an even that changed your understanding of leadership in some way. Narrative essays include a reflection about the significance of an event. Since you're beginning a degree in leadership, focus on an experience that taught you something about leadership. Doing so will afford you the opportunity to begin thinking critically about leadership.

Choose an even that you will be comfortable sharing with your classmates. If an event is too personal to share with your classmates, choose a different event.

Do not write about a period or era of importance. Your essay must be about a specific event. Think in terms of moments or hours, not days or weeks.

Do not write about your salvation experience. Although this event was transforming, much of the action is internal, so it does not usually result in a good plot for this essay.

Do not write about an event that marked a change rather than caused that change. High school graduation, for example, may mark the change from adolescent to adult which helped you become a leader, but the ceremony itself does not cause the change. Such events do not generally have the tension needed to drive the plot forward.

Essay 1 - Helpful Tips

Planning Your Essay Like all effective pieces of writing, this essay should feature a beginning, middle and

end. In your introduction, set the stage for your narrative. Alert your reader that a story about leadership is coming, and transition into the narrative itself. In the body of the narrative, build up to a tense climax, then resolve the tension. Lastly, in your conclusion, thoughtfully reflect on the lasting impact of that pivotal moment, explaining what the event taught you about leadership.

Unlike much of your college writing, this essay will not have a one-sentence thesis. It will, however, have a theme based on the significance you interpret in the event. This theme will help you decide what aspects of the narrative to focus on. It will be stated most clearly final paragraph of your essay.

Your essay will use the literary strategies of plot, character, and setting. Develop your story through the use of contraries, creating tension that moves the story forward and gives it its significance. Use specific details and develop contraries that create tension.

Below are some additional helpful hints: Narrow the scope to a specific moment in time. Do not let the build-up (or denouement)

overshadow the moment of real significance. Write with your readers (your classmates) in mind. How do you come across as narrator?

What is the picture you wish to paint in the mind of your readers? Draw the readers into your experience through realistic characters, dynamic language, and careful sequencing of events.

Feedback

Timely feedback Timely feedback allows the

student to incorporate the feedback in future writing.

Positive feedback Acknowledging the positive points

in students’ writing empowers them.

Constructive feedback Students need to understand the

“hows” and “whys” in the feedback; respond to empower them to succeed.

Model good writing Provide examples of good writing

Often, the instructor’s feedback is the most valuable lesson that a student learns.

“I was empowered by the positive feedback on my writing. When I saw the good things that I did on my first essay,

I cried. No teacher ever told me anything good before” (Former basic

writing student).

Feedback Sample

Student, I enjoyed reading your essay about your experiences at the bank. Wow! I can’t imagine what went through your mind when the robbers came in. I could feel the tension of that experience from the dialogue that you used in the essay; great job! I also enjoyed the details that you provided; it really “showed” me the scene at the bank. Some areas that I would like to see you develop further include paragraph development, sentence structure, and punctuation. You included only one long paragraph, and many of your sentences are fragments. I provided some more detailed comments in the margin of your draft. Please take time to review these comments carefully and consider how you can revise your draft. Don’t hesitate to contact me to discuss your draft and my feedback. I look forward to reading your revised essay.

Feedback Impacts Learning

“We all know the red marks are like little pins stabbing into the students’ confidence in their writing ability. It’s already come up several times in this class, and I think it’s important to look at the mistakes and connect the students’ mistakes to their beliefs about their own writing and their past experiences with writing” (Stanford).

“If students have too many red ink experiences, we are just hindering their self esteem, which may hinder their ability to be confident in their writing” (Huggins).

Take time to provide constructive feedback. Break up the times to avoid frustration.

Empowering ResourcesProvide as many opportunities as possible for the student to succeed.

Writing tutorials Require student to work with

writing center tutor Technology

Encourage a variety of technology to engage students

deliver lectures in Adobe presenter (audio and video) to make connections

ClassLive can be used for one-on-one writing conferences, peer reviews, demonstrations, etc.

Incorporate videos of current topics to motivate students

Empowerment is Important…

I wish you success as you move forward in your educational journey.

“I don’t write really good but I am a really good

dancer. I can’t be good at it all but I can

learn to write in school.”

“I didn’t think I would learn to

write but I did. It isn’t my favorite class but I think I

might just get this writing

thing.”

“I’m not really

stupid.”

“Im not a great writer. But I know I can write and get

better.”

“One thing that I remember when writing is hard is your story about

sucking at math and you’re a professor. I love math and suck at

writing. Maybe I;l be a porfessor too. lol.”

(Quotes from current basic writing students)

Works Cited

Danforth, Meridith. Message posted to Week 2 Discussion. (Sept. 6, 2011).

Duhon-Haynes, Gwendolyn M. "Student Empowerment: Definition, Implications, and Strategies for Implementation." Third World Symposium, Grambling University, March 12, 1996. ERIC Document: ED 396613.

Huggins, Sherry. Message posted to Week 2 Discussion. (Sept. 7, 2011).

Kiser, Gay. Message posted to Week 3 Discussion. (Sept. 14, 2011).

Nivens, Melissa. Message posted to Week 2 Discussion. (Sept. 7, 2011).

Parker, Ashley. Message posted to Week 2 Discussion. (Sept. 8, 2011).

Rose, Mike. Why School. New York: The New Press, 2009. Print.

Stanford, Caitlin. Message posted to Week 3 Discussion. (Sept. 17, 2011).