ENGL 1110:
Thanks for diving in to the writing exercise today. I was particularly interested in your reactions and comparisons with academic writing. Some of you said you felt refreshed to get to have more freedom in this exercise. Writing wasn't as much of a burden. Some of you were even surprised and proud of your work, which is amazing considering that you only had 15 minutes to jot down some ideas. (I wonder if going tech-free and mostly distraction free helped?)
As we move into the final third of the semester, I want you to continue to explore some of the questions that may have been raised by this activity and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE raise them in class or write about it in a blog post or send me an email.
Finally, I'm wondering if there is a way to create more of a BRIDGE between the kind of production you had today in the free-write and the frustration you sometimes feel with assigned writing. It has taken me a while to work through and past the idea of academic writing as separate from myself, but I can say that there is very little separation now. I believe that there is a way to begin to find more value and meaning in every kind of writing that we do, especially if we talk about it more.
Feel free to comment on my blog post. Talk about where you find academic writing to be something worthwhile and why. Or, what could teachers like me do to provide more support to you as you work through papers. It's hard work, but I definitely want you to feel supported.
Anyone who comments will also be eligible for Friday's BLOG PRIZE!!!
I really like how we have been writing in class because if a question or thought comes up you and other students are right there to help and discuss. It also gives us time to work on it because it is hard to find time outside of classes.
ReplyDeleteI think that when students are told to write a paper, it automatically puts bad thoughts in our head. It takes away from the experience because we are writing for someone else and not ourselves. We aren't able to free our thoughts.
ReplyDeleteMaybe mix assignments of free writing where we do not have any rules or expectations.
ReplyDeleteI think it depends on our attitude going into each assignment or activity. Personally for me I have always loved writing, but when I'm assigned it, it takes a while for me to get into to it. I will usually put it off for a while, but once I do start writing, I start to really get into it and love what I'm doing. Maybe if I had a different attitude when I'm first assigned something, then that might change the frustration I have before.
ReplyDeleteAcademic writing before this class was simply writing about a topic with either a negative view of it. I've never been in a class where how you write was a discussed issue. Intro, body and conclusion was as complex as it has been for me. So, I have found that looking at my own writing can be enjoyable, if for no other reason than knowing that I can write something of worth. Academic writing seems to be useful in many areas of life. Right now we use it for most of our classes. Later we may use it for legal matters, in the job search, in our jobs, or even to communicate between people and organizations.
ReplyDelete-Wes