You’ve heard the term Process Writing if you’ve taken English classes in the past few years. What does it mean, though, to call writing a process?
The word “process” is, according to the Microsoft Word sidebar definition, “taking something through an established . . . set of procedures or steps to convert it”; “a systematic series of actions directed to some end”; or “a series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result.”
In short, the status quo is not the way to go. Your first ideas, notes, and draft are just a beginning; and your first draft is probably not the paper you should turn in for a grade, even if that’s what you want to do to have it over and done so that you can head to the beach.
Process Writing consists of preliminary work and then more work (brainstorming to get ideas and then several drafts before it’s done). Brainstorming might involve an outline to structure your paper, lists of key points you plan to make, or other notes to guide you through to the completion of your paper. Multiple drafts are also nearly always necessary before the paper is ready for other readers. Few writers manage to produce their best work right off the top of their heads, and fewer still can succeed without revisions.
Like other processes (no need to mention sausage making), one thing follows another as you make changes to achieve your goal, and the process might become a bit messy along the way. You might have to move whole paragraphs to other, more logical, positions in your paper. (Be fearless when copying and pasting paragraphs or sentences, but always save the first and all other drafts as you continue to revise.) Be liberal with highlighting and sidebar notes to yourself.
The main idea behind Process Writing is that it is a work done in stages, a work that takes time, effort, and thought. Systematically reviewing drafts, noting what works - and what doesn’t - is part of the process. You have the time (you did begin the paper early, right?) and the liberty to change your mind as well as your words when you put ideas on the page. Until your instructor has your work in hand, it is totally yours and yours alone to change.
Plan in advance, then, and take some time to think it through before starting. You have probably already guessed that my favorite spot for thinking is on the beach where the sound of the surf and the raucous calls of the gulls inspire me. Your source of inspiration may be different, but to put thoughts upon a page in words requires ideas first and then the systematic work of refining your words to make your ideas clear to potential readers.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
Active Learning is the Key
In science fiction, a student might put on a Golden Knowledge-Transference Helmet and know all there is to know about a subject within an amazingly short time (maybe even without nefarious controllers adding subliminal directives as part of the process).
In the real world, learning takes time and effort, especially when a concept remains unclear, at least for a while. Since our minds are our own and there are no Golden Knowledge-Transference Helmets available, teachers cannot download information into a system for students to retrieve by osmosis. There is no Vulcan mind meld either.
Through tried and true ways, humans share what they know with each other. We tell each other or demonstrate or use symbols of some kind to exchange information. Learning requires our active attention, not a passive expectation that facts, data, or intelligence might be had by other means.
When you get a composition back with a notation that you have a couple of comma splices, it is time to become an independent scholar and do your own investigation so that you can learn exactly what constitutes a comma splice and how to punctuate sentences correctly. All the rules and regulations of English usage are available to you in books, online, from teachers, or from tutors here at the Stone Writing Center. It is still, however, your own labor that makes a difference as you master the formerly mysterious idea of a comma splice (or any other convention of the language).
While a science fiction idea of instantly gaining an education sounds good, too good to be true given the above-mentioned nefarious controllers anyway, there is still joy in how we actually do learn: consciously considering and convincing our minds to comprehend.
As I watch seabirds - gulls, pelicans, cranes - sometimes I want to know more about them, what their lives are like beyond flying over the gulf, walking along the sands, or perching on a pier; but to find out anything at all, I have to do some research. What I then discover means more to me than if somehow or the other the knowledge had just come to me without any effort at all. Actively learning is the key, itself rewarding the work of the mind.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
In the real world, learning takes time and effort, especially when a concept remains unclear, at least for a while. Since our minds are our own and there are no Golden Knowledge-Transference Helmets available, teachers cannot download information into a system for students to retrieve by osmosis. There is no Vulcan mind meld either.
Through tried and true ways, humans share what they know with each other. We tell each other or demonstrate or use symbols of some kind to exchange information. Learning requires our active attention, not a passive expectation that facts, data, or intelligence might be had by other means.
When you get a composition back with a notation that you have a couple of comma splices, it is time to become an independent scholar and do your own investigation so that you can learn exactly what constitutes a comma splice and how to punctuate sentences correctly. All the rules and regulations of English usage are available to you in books, online, from teachers, or from tutors here at the Stone Writing Center. It is still, however, your own labor that makes a difference as you master the formerly mysterious idea of a comma splice (or any other convention of the language).
While a science fiction idea of instantly gaining an education sounds good, too good to be true given the above-mentioned nefarious controllers anyway, there is still joy in how we actually do learn: consciously considering and convincing our minds to comprehend.
As I watch seabirds - gulls, pelicans, cranes - sometimes I want to know more about them, what their lives are like beyond flying over the gulf, walking along the sands, or perching on a pier; but to find out anything at all, I have to do some research. What I then discover means more to me than if somehow or the other the knowledge had just come to me without any effort at all. Actively learning is the key, itself rewarding the work of the mind.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
Timing is Everything
Welcome to a new semester! The excitement of a fresh, new start fills the air here at Del Mar College. As syllabi are being distributed and course calendars reviewed, now is a great time to address the ever-critical aspect of time management, especially in regards to writing assignments.
Lazing a day away at the beach, relaxing without a care in the world, watching the waves and the seabirds, all bring peace to my mind; but not every day can be a timeless one. Life also requires work (which is often quite fun in its own right). Work involves a component of managing time, planning ahead to make sure that what needs to be done is done on time.
As a student, you know the difference between time that you can call completely your own and time that has to be used to get work done for a class. One way to avoid a sudden and hideously hopeless realization that you’ve got a paper due NOW is to write down what work the instructor expects you to complete as soon as you know what the class requirements are.
At the beginning of a semester, usually on the first day of class, most instructors provide an overview of the course with calendar dates that list upcoming assignments. Their hope, actually their expectation, is that students who know in advance when work is due will manage their time effectively, a practical and worthwhile goal, one that practically assures success in the course.
Along with noting what work is due and when it is due, estimating how long each assignment will probably take makes sense. A research paper takes much longer to write than a paragraph or a one-page summary. Some assigned reading also involves more time than others, an article vs. a whole book, for instance. You know from previous experience what you can accomplish fairly quickly and what will take extra time.
Even if you enjoy living on the edge - the very brink of disaster - and think your best work happens at the last minute because fear and pressure inspire you, the reality is that advance planning remains the wiser course. In fact, getting the work done before the due date, a few days in advance, is even wiser than just planning to start before the deadline. (Your paper may possibly need a bit of revision, something you definitely don’t want to do right before the very minute it is due.)
The final advantage of advance planning and getting work done in a timely fashion is that you wind up with extra time, time to call your own, free time with nothing to do but what you choose. Like me, you might enjoy a pleasant trip to the bay front to watch the waves, pick up shells along the beach, and let the soothing sounds of the surf bring you peace of mind.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
Lazing a day away at the beach, relaxing without a care in the world, watching the waves and the seabirds, all bring peace to my mind; but not every day can be a timeless one. Life also requires work (which is often quite fun in its own right). Work involves a component of managing time, planning ahead to make sure that what needs to be done is done on time.
As a student, you know the difference between time that you can call completely your own and time that has to be used to get work done for a class. One way to avoid a sudden and hideously hopeless realization that you’ve got a paper due NOW is to write down what work the instructor expects you to complete as soon as you know what the class requirements are.
At the beginning of a semester, usually on the first day of class, most instructors provide an overview of the course with calendar dates that list upcoming assignments. Their hope, actually their expectation, is that students who know in advance when work is due will manage their time effectively, a practical and worthwhile goal, one that practically assures success in the course.
Along with noting what work is due and when it is due, estimating how long each assignment will probably take makes sense. A research paper takes much longer to write than a paragraph or a one-page summary. Some assigned reading also involves more time than others, an article vs. a whole book, for instance. You know from previous experience what you can accomplish fairly quickly and what will take extra time.
Even if you enjoy living on the edge - the very brink of disaster - and think your best work happens at the last minute because fear and pressure inspire you, the reality is that advance planning remains the wiser course. In fact, getting the work done before the due date, a few days in advance, is even wiser than just planning to start before the deadline. (Your paper may possibly need a bit of revision, something you definitely don’t want to do right before the very minute it is due.)
The final advantage of advance planning and getting work done in a timely fashion is that you wind up with extra time, time to call your own, free time with nothing to do but what you choose. Like me, you might enjoy a pleasant trip to the bay front to watch the waves, pick up shells along the beach, and let the soothing sounds of the surf bring you peace of mind.
See you next time the breeze is cool, the sun is up, and the waves roll into view! ‘Til then, hang ten!
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