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This practical handbook examines the gap between high school and college-level writing instruction, providing teachers with guidance for helping their students make the transition, including strategies for dealing with the many challenges of the writing classroom.
An important challenge to what currently masquerades as conventional wisdom regarding the teaching of writing. There seems to be widespread agreement that—when it comes to the writing skills of college students—we are in the midst of a crisis. In Why They Can't Write, John Warner, who taught writing at the college level for two decades, argues that the problem isn't caused by a lack of rigor, or smartphones, or some generational character defect. Instead, he asserts, we're teaching writing wrong. Warner blames this on decades of educational reform rooted in standardization, assessments, and accountability. We have done no more, Warner argues, than conditioned students to perform "writing-related simulations," which pass temporary muster but do little to help students develop their writing abilities. This style of teaching has made students passive and disengaged. Worse yet, it hasn't prepared them for writing in the college classroom. Rather than making choices and thinking critically, as writers must, undergraduates simply follow the rules—such as the five-paragraph essay—designed to help them pass these high-stakes assessments. In Why They Can't Write, Warner has crafted both a diagnosis for what ails us and a blueprint for fixing a broken system. Combining current knowledge of what works in teaching and learning with the most enduring philosophies of classical education, this book challenges readers to develop the skills, attitudes, knowledge, and habits of mind of strong writers.
The wise and witty guide to researching and writing a thesis, by the bestselling author of The Name of the Rose—now published in English for the first time. Learn the art of the thesis from a giant of Italian literature and philosophy—from choosing a topic to organizing a work schedule to writing the final draft. By the time Umberto Eco published his best-selling novel The Name of the Rose, he was one of Italy’s most celebrated intellectuals, a distinguished academic, and the author of influential works on semiotics. Some years before that, Eco published a little book for his students, in which he offered useful advice on all the steps involved in researching and writing a thesis. Since then, it has been translated into 17 languages—and is now for the first time presented in English. Eco’s approach is anything but dry and academic. He not only offers practical advice but also considers larger questions about the value of the thesis-writing exercise in six different parts: • The Definition and Purpose of a Thesis • Choosing the Topic • Conducting the Research • The Work Plan and the Index Cards • Writing the Thesis • The Final Draft Eco advises students how to avoid “thesis neurosis” and he answers the important question “Must You Read Books?” He reminds students “You are not Proust” and “Write everything that comes into your head, but only in the first draft.” Of course, there was no Internet in 1977, but Eco’s index card research system offers important lessons about critical thinking and information curating for students of today who may be burdened by Big Data. Irreverent and often hilarious, How to Write a Thesis is unlike any other writing manual and belongs on the bookshelves of students, teachers, writers, and Eco fans everywhere.
Why you need a writing revolution in your classroom and how to lead it The Writing Revolution (TWR) provides a clear method of instruction that you can use no matter what subject or grade level you teach. The model, also known as The Hochman Method, has demonstrated, over and over, that it can turn weak writers into strong communicators by focusing on specific techniques that match their needs and by providing them with targeted feedback. Insurmountable as the challenges faced by many students may seem, The Writing Revolution can make a dramatic difference. And the method does more than improve writing skills. It also helps: Boost reading comprehension Improve organizational and study skills Enhance speaking abilities Develop analytical capabilities The Writing Revolution is as much a method of teaching content as it is a method of teaching writing. There's no separate writing block and no separate writing curriculum. Instead, teachers of all subjects adapt the TWR strategies and activities to their current curriculum and weave them into their content instruction. But perhaps what's most revolutionary about the TWR method is that it takes the mystery out of learning to write well. It breaks the writing process down into manageable chunks and then has students practice the chunks they need, repeatedly, while also learning content.
COLLINS ACADEMIC SKILLS SERIES: WRITING gives you the skills and strategies you need to write well-structured essays, reports and case studies and achieve academic success at university.
What do high school teachers expect from your writing? Here's the inside information on how your teachers think. If writing essays is challenging for you -- or if you want to turn a B essay into an A essay -- you'll want to read this book. How To Write Any High School Essay is the essential, easy-to-use, and comprehensive guide for any high school essay you could ever want to write -- no matter the teacher, no matter the subject. Grounded in more than a decade of tutoring in New York City's most demanding schools, How To Write Any High School Essay offers clear and creative guidance for both high school writers at all levels and middle schoolers looking to get ahead. Follow sample outlines and essays to help you develop your ideas and support them convincingly. Pick up quick tips as you read to help you focus and save time. How To Write Any High School Essay centralizes what English and History teachers have been inadequately teaching for years into one, short guide.
Why do students often graduate from high school unprepared for college writing? And what can we do about it? These are the questions that a group of classroom teachers set out to explore. Over the course of seven years, a group of middle, high school, college, and university teachers participated in a federally funded writing coalition project to implement innovative approaches to teaching writing. Together they developed this series of lesson plans designed to make writing both fun and an integral part of diverse curricula. "Practical" is the recurrent motif of each teaching strategy. Developed by real teachers in real classrooms, the lessons are grouped into seven categories: writing process, portfolios, literature, research, grammar, writing on demand, and media. Each lesson follows a standard format that includes purpose of the activity; necessary preparation; required props and materials; process and procedure for implementation; instructional pointers and/or possible pitfalls; and reflections from the teacher that provide "behind the scenes" insights.
"Effective Academic Writing is a workbook for university students who are keen to understand and improve their academic writing skills. It provides students and teachers with a framework for understanding writing and offers many useful writing activities at sentence, paragraph and essay level for learning and teaching. The book explains four highly valued essay types which university students are expected to write. These are information reports, explanations, expositions and discussions. In addition, managing essay questions, citations and evidence are also addressed and practised."--Publisher.
