My well-worn sneakers paced the ground beneath them with a syncopated rhythm that communicated to the rest of the world, “I’m on a mission!” The black sole meets the dirt path with fervor as the leaves and dirt dissipate from behind me forging lines in the dirt like a red path from a navigation screen. I have always enjoyed running outdoors in Colorado. The cool breeze provides redemptive counsel for my stress, and my heart churns the thin air into my body—beat by rhythmic beat blood involuntarily pulsates through my veins. I control the course, and I control the pace—an orchestrated masterpiece of muscle movement, breath and rhythm and I am its conductor. Just like the euphoric experience I get each time I lace up my worn sneakers for a run, students have the opportunity to navigate through their own beaten-path journey by using authentic writing.
Authentic writing is writing whereby writers are allowed to choose their topic, have an unlimited amount of time, length, and are encouraged to use resources. Writers work independently, and confer with peers and the teacher through a task that is reflective of both the skills they have learned in the past, and those being taught by the instructor using minilessons and their own topic. It is the best method to use to build students into better writers. At times, it can provide intimate glimpses into the lives of the students. Writing is a process that is complex, so writers engaged in producing authentic writing take advantage of their own processes which can prove to be unpredictable, yet rewarding. Most writing teachers would agree with Carl Nagin when he states that, “Writing doesn’t take shape all at once in fluent sentences and organized paragraphs. The more complex the subject...
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...ew is of the brick wall in front of me. My senses are not engaged, and the uninspiring drumming of my feet against the belt cannot be drowned out by the music on my iPod. This experience paroles in comparison to my outdoor runs. Yet, in the end, the result is the same—I get exercise and finish my mile count and my 20 min, a little disappointed, but still accomplishing something. However, my accomplishment fades when the belt stops, the lights on the treadmill fade and I the soles of my shoes rest on the multi-colored high traffic carpet. Students must have this same sense of apathy during their formulaic writing. It doesn’t engage their background knowledge; it has a start point and end point and everybody runs the same course. Writing should be a journey, and by developing authentic writing assessments students are exposed to choice and freedom in their writing.
How can you nurture and support the confidence of all students and help them forge unique writing identities? Through writing, people can understand themselves and other people better. We are all constantly reviewing and assigning meaning to our life experiences and putting those experiences into words—whether through self-talk or telling stories to other people. This ‘language’ is a way ‘we’ understand, organize, and relate to, making the chaos of our communities and lives coherent. In a writing environment that is loose and for the most part free we can slow down this articulation process in order to become increasingly and critically conscious of the meanings we assign to our experiences and communities in which we belong. It makes people think more about what they want to say and how they are saying it.
However, their critical analysis of FYW and strong points for other teaching methods, one’s takeaway from the article is the question, “why even teach FYW”? It’s evident that content and context are the key points in academic writing, so why then do we even make the FYW a mandatory class? A student doesn’t need a semester to understand what content is, for some they already understand what it is, and for those who don’t they should still be able to learn it, in a week. The misconception of writing being universal is very true, but for a student to improve on one’s writing, the easiest solution is to have him or she participate in that discipline. In a realistic world, the more probable solution to most of the problems Down and Wardle bring up is eliminate the course and replace it with a class that allows a student to see and understand the writing in their field without the repercussion of grades. Thus students get more experience within their field and get to learn firsthand what academic writing in their discipline consist
Learning to read and write are both considered to be fundamental human skills, that we begin to learn from the day we start school. As time advances, as do our minds, and we are expected to evolve in our reading and writing skills. Finishing high school is a large milestone for the lives of young adults; however, there is so much to learn in order to reach the next big milestone. To be a writer in college can challenge our preconceived thoughts on how we write. Although some skills remain unchanged, high school graduates are faced with overcoming new ways of doing a skill that seems so simple that it is practically innate. The definition of writing skills for college students is much different than high school. However, considering we have come so far it is time to go over the information we already know and challenge ourselves with ideas that we are yet to learn more about.
The very first chapter we read of Mindful Writing changed my perspective to see that anyone and everyone can be a writer. Brian Jackson, the author of Mindful Writing, wrote, “In this book I want to convince you that anyone writing anything for any reason is a writer…Writing is not something we do just in school. It is a vital means of influence in all facets of life.” It was through that very first reading that I began to think about writing as more than just a dreaded part of school, and I began to think of myself as more than just a student forced to write. Our very first assignment, My Writing Story, helped me to reflect on my identity as a writer. I realized that I was a writer every time I wrote in my journal or captioned an Instagram post. Throughout the semester, as I came to love writing more with each paper I wrote, I was able to create my identity as a writer. I learned that I loved research and analyzing others’ thoughts and ideas, but that writing simply on my own opinions, wasn’t my favorite past time. Through the countless readings this semester, I saw which writing styles I loved and which didn’t speak to me. Each day of class, I chipped away at creating my identity as a writer, and I’m grateful for the lessons that helped me shape and realize that
In “Writing to Learn: Writing across the Disciplines,” Anne J. Herrington finds different sources stating that writing is to be taken serious. Janet Emig says, "writing represents a unique mode of learning-not merely valuable, not merely special, but unique” (1) meaning that writing is far more essential than we ought to make it seem. Anne Herrington wants educators teaching in economics, history, chemistry or any other subject to guide their students into understanding why progressing their writing skills will be more helpful to them. At the end of the day, it all comes down to the educator; whether he/she wants their students to use writing as a way for students to adapt to different disciplines.
In today's society student writers are constantly focused on the mistakes that they make. While this may be useful in some situations, it does not help in the writing environment. When students constantly edit themselves as they write, they are hindering their thoughts and ideas. In doing this, they will eventually lose their voice. In his essay "Freewriting," Peter Elbow (1998) discusses the process of freewriting and how it allows the reader to freely express their thoughts without the need to edit as they go.
In his essay, "Teach Writing as a Process not a Product," Donald Murray outlines the major difference between the traditional pedagogy that directed the teaching of writing in the past and his newly hailed model. Traditionally, Murray explains, English teachers were taught to teach and evaluate students' writing as if it was a finished product of literature when, as he has discovered, students learn better if they're taught that writing is a process. For Murray, once teachers regard writing as a process, a student-centered, or writer-centered, curriculum falls into place. Rules for writing fall by the way side as writers work at their own pace to see what works best for them.
There are various ways writers can evaluate their techniques applied in writing. The genre of writing about writing can be approached in various ways – from a process paper to sharing personal experience. The elements that go into this specific genre include answers to the five most important questions who, what, where, and why they write. Anne Lamott, Junot Diaz, Kent Haruf, and Susan Sontag discuss these ideas in their individual investigations. These authors create different experiences for the reader, but these same themes emerge: fears of failing, personal feelings toward writing, and most importantly personal insight on the importance of writing and what works and does not work in their writing procedures.
Several people have trouble writing college level essays and believe that they are unable to improve their writing skills. In “the Inspired Writer vs. The Real Writer,” Sarah Allen argues how no one is born naturally good at writing. Sarah Allen also states how even professional writers have trouble with the task of writing. Others, such as Lennie Irvin, agree. In Irvin’s article “What is ‘Academic’ Writing?” states how there are misconceptions about writing. Furthermore, Mike Bunn’s article “How to Read Like a Writer” shows ways on how one can improve their writing skills. Allen, Bunn, and Irvin are correct to say how no one is born naturally good writers. Now that we know this, we should find ways to help improve our writing skills, and
As I began my journey through this course, I figured that I may encounter difficulties as writing, in general, is not one of my strengths. In fact, I have always had a subtle disdain for the writing and english courses, as I have found them repetitive since middle school. I mean I figured there’s only so many ways I can write a persuasive essay under the guise of other objectives. I figured this course would be a typical writing class envisioned with an onslaught of countless assignments that would be regarded as “process work”. Thus far, my expectations have been the polar opposite of the course. The course’s emphasis on rhetorical tools, devices and appeals within multiple mediums has allowed me to view composition in a slightly brighter
During the transition from a high school writer to a collegiate writer, my strength at understanding the basic principles of good writing has remained consistent. I grasp the ...
Writing is a skill that not many people take the time to sharpen over the course of their lives because many people don’t believe it carries much weight, as least in a professional sense. And it is a very hard skill to acquire, especially if somebody doesn’t have a natural talent for it to begin with, or just simply isn’t interested. Throughout this quarter I shed the skin of the formulaic writing that I had used all throughout high school and replaced it with a more creative, professional style. Not only has this enabled me to make better, stronger arguments, it taught me how to find flaws in other people’s as well, making me both a better reader and a better writer.
Writing is a way in which a person can express their thoughts and ideas through the use of words. Everybody has their own writing styles. Some may consider theirs as inspirational while others think of it to be bad. Writing requires a lot of patience and time. In my case, writing has never been my favorite thing to do. I am no Shakespeare and I never will be, writing has always made me feel uncomfortable. In the past, I had always considered writing to be one of the most difficult tasks. I often wrote about topics that were not of my interest. I rarely did any writing out of school or for leisure as most people do. I only wrote because the teacher asked us to. Writing has always been forced onto me. Even though my writing isn't that great, I've felt that I've never been given the freedom to express my voice. Academic writing has always made me anxious. And, anxiety had resulted in my procrastination. Even though I consider writing to be one of the toughest tasks, I've felt that giving myself enough time to think allows me to do better. Silence helps me think beyond horizons. However, the fear of impressing someone, the anxiety and frustration is what makes me a developing writer.
Writing is an important part of everyone’s life, whether we use it in school, in the workplace, as a hobby or in personal communication. It is important to have this skill because it helps us as writers to express feelings and thoughts to other people in a reasonably permanent form. Formal writing forms like essays, research papers, and articles stimulates critically thinking. This helps the writer to learn how to interpret the world around him/her in a meaningful way. In college, professors motivate students to write in a formal, coherent manner, without losing their own voice in the process. Improving your writing skills is important, in every English class that’s the main teaching point; to help students improve their writing skills. Throughout my college experience I have acknowledge that
I can remember the first day of school when I walked into Mrs. Mary Doe´s room and I wondered, “What am I going to learn this year?” Well, the answer to that question is a lot of information that will help me in the future, especially, how to make a great essay. This valuable information will take me into high school and beyond. This information is the roots of my writing that has made me greatly improved as a writer. This year I learned what kind of writing I like, how I write efficiently and fluently, and how I changed as a writer.