7 Best E-Readers (2024): Kindle, Nook, Kobo
The One Method That Changes Your—and All Students'—Writing
Source: Andy Barbour, Envato
I remember spending hours commenting painstakingly on my students' papers when I was a graduate student teaching in the Expository Writing Program at New York University. My students loved our classes, and they filled my sections and gave me terrific course evaluations. Yet I could see that their writing failed to change significantly over the course of the semester. I ended up feeling as if I should refund their money, haunted by the blunt instruments we had to teach writing.
As I've learned from directing five writing programs at three different universities, methods matter. When I reviewed comments on papers from instructors who taught in my programs, I discovered that the quantity and quality of comments on students' papers made only a slight impact on writing outcomes. For instance, one notoriously lazy instructor took several weeks to return assignments and only used spelling and grammar checkers to automate comments. But his conscientious colleague made dozens of sharp observations about students' arguments, paragraphs, and sentences. However, Mr. Conscientious' students improved perhaps only 10% over Mr. Minimalist's students. Even then, the differences stemmed from basic guidelines Mr. Conscientious insisted his students write to, which included providing context sentences at the outset of their essay introductions.
Educators have also poured resources into teaching writing, with increasing numbers of hours dedicated to teaching writing across primary, secondary, and higher education. Yet studies continue to find writing skills inadequate. In higher education, most universities require at least a year of writing-intensive courses, with many universities also requiring writing across the curriculum or writing in the disciplines to help preserve students' writing skills. However, writing outcomes have remained mostly unchanged.
While pursuing my doctorate, I dedicated my research to figuring out how writing worked. As a graduate student also teaching part-time, I was an early convert to process writing. I also taught those ancient principles of logos, ethos, and pathos, as well as grammar and punctuation. Nevertheless, these frameworks only created a canvas for students' writing. What was missing: how writers should handle words, sentence structure, and relationships between sentences.
Yet researchers published the beginnings of a science-based writing method over 30 years ago. George Gopen, Gregory Colomb, and Joseph Williams created a framework for identifying how to maximize the clarity, coherence, and continuity of writing. In particular, Gopen and Swan (1990) created a methodology for making scientific writing readable. This work should have been a revelation to anyone teaching in or directing a writing program. But, weirdly, comparatively few writing programs or faculty embraced this work, despite Williams, Colomb, and Gopen publishing both research and textbooks outlining the method and process.
Peculiarly, this framework—represented by Williams' Style series of textbooks and Gopen's reader expectation approach—failed to become standard in writing courses, likely because of two limitations. First, both Gopen and Williams hewed to a relativistic stance on writing methods, noting that rule-flouting often creates a memorable style. This stance created a raft of often-contradictory principles for writing. For example, Williams demonstrated that beginning sentences with There is or There are openings hijacked the clarity of sentences, then argued writers should use There is or There are to shunt important content into sentence emphasis positions, where readers recall content best. Second, these researchers failed to tie this writing framework to the wealth of data in psycholinguistics, cognitive neuroscience, or cognitive psychology on how our reading brains process written English. For instance, textbooks written by these three principal researchers avoid any mention of why emphasis positions exist at the ends of sentences and paragraphs—despite the concept clearly originating in the recency effect. This limitation may stem from the humanities' long-held antipathy to the idea that writing is a product, rather than a process. Or even that science-based methods can help teachers and programs measure the effectiveness of writing, one reason why university First-Year Writing programs have failed to improve students' writing in any measurable way.
Nevertheless, when you teach students how our reading brains work, you create a powerful method for rapidly improving their writing—in any course that requires writing and at all levels of education. Students can grasp how writing works as a system and assess the costs and benefits of decisions writers face, even as they choose their first words. This method also works powerfully to help students immediately understand how, for instance, paragraph heads leverage priming effects to shape readers' understanding of paragraph content.
Using this method, I and my colleagues have helped students use a single writing assignment to secure hundreds of jobs, win millions in grant funding, and advance through the ranks in academia. However, we've also used the same method without modifications in elementary and secondary classrooms to bolster students' writing by as much as three grade levels in a single year.
Perhaps the time has arrived for this well-kept secret to revolutionizing student writing outcomes to begin making inroads into more writing classrooms.
Legal Writing And Drafting Skills Training For Commercial And Contracts Managers With No Legal Background (ONLINE EVENT)
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Dublin, May 23, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The "Legal Writing and Drafting Skills for Commercial and Contracts Managers Training Course" training has been added to ResearchAndMarkets.Com's offering.
Commercial and contracts managers don't usually need to write contracts from scratch, but they do have to draft new clauses, amend, or update contracts, and write legal letters. A good understanding and grasp of clear legal writing and drafting skills is essential to fulfil this element of the role.
Under the careful guidance of the expert trainer, this course will ensure you gain a comprehensive understanding of the common pitfalls to be aware of. This intensive day will make sure you're up to date with the key areas of risk and have a full understanding of the latest drafting techniques and writing skills in clear English.
This course is also relevant for business owners and managers - well-written contracts are essential for protecting your company's interests. Business managers have valuable experience and knowledge to contribute to contracts and this can help make legal documents more precise, better-written and more effective for a company's goals.
This is a highly-practical course including many exercises to help embed the learning. There will also be time during the course to ask your questions and get clarity on contract drafting and legal writing technicalities. By attending this course and enhancing your skills and knowledge you will ensure you protect your organisation against unnecessary risk and be successful in your role.
Benefits of attending
By attending this highly practical course you will:
Learn how to recognise drafting inaccuracies and effectively re-draft poorly written clauses
Draft effective standard clauses that can be used across the organisation to manage exposure to legal risk
Understand the principles of using plain English within your contracts to reduce uncertainty
Discover how to avoid over-complex sentences and structures to limit the risk of dispute
Develop more effective legal writing skills that can be used in all your legal and business communications
Who Should Attend:
This course has been specifically designed for Commercial and Contract Managers who need to draft, amend or update contracts and write legal letters but don't have a legal background.
The content is also relevant for business owners and managers who want to understand how to protect their businesses through well-written contracts and legal correspondence.
Key Topics Covered:
Guidelines to writing/drafting contracts in clear English
How to structure clauses
Using the language of obligation and discretion accurately: shall, may and must
Avoiding old-fashioned language
Effective use of provisos and exceptions (e.G. 'provided that' and 'notwithstanding')
Avoiding ambiguity
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PRACTICAL EXERCISE: Redrafting clauses in clear English
During this practical session, participants will apply the principles above to redrafting a range of clauses from international commercial agreements. Both individual and group work exercises will be undertaken with results reviewed in a group forum and constructive feedback and guidance supplied by the expert trainer.
Legal correspondence: writing emails and letters with precision and clarity
Different types of written communication and their appropriate use
Examples of standard opening and closing
Differences between semi-formal and informal register
Structuring a letter of advice
Differences between British and American English
PRACTICAL EXERCISE: Drafting emails with precision and clarity
The participants will apply the principles above by redrafting a badly written piece of legal correspondence under the guidance of the expert trainer.
Advanced contract drafting practical exercise
With guidance from the expert trainer, participants will be working in small teams to draft a number of clauses from scratch based on written instructions taken from a membership agreement of a health club and a commercial lease.
Legal vocabulary
There will be a series of exercises to develop the knowledge of the participants of legal vocabulary.
Speakers:
Alan SimmonsSolicitor/Lawyer & TrainerFalconbury Ltd
Alan Simmons LLB (Hons) in Law with French LLM, RSA CETEFLA. Alan is a highly experienced trainer of legal English who has been working with international lawyers across the globe for over 15 years to enhance their skills at drafting concise and watertight clauses in the English language.
He qualified as a solicitor in England and has passed the New York Bar with a view to becoming a US qualified lawyer. He studied law in the UK, Strasbourg and the European University in Florence and then went on to train as a solicitor in an international law firm and practised in commercial law in law firms in London.
He has used this experience to successfully train legal staff from junior counsel to judges in all elements of international commercial law across the world. Alan is a dynamic trainer and applies a highly interactive style to ensure complete understanding and an enjoyable learning experience.
For more information about this training visit https://www.Researchandmarkets.Com/r/wctul2
About ResearchAndMarkets.ComResearchAndMarkets.Com is the world's leading source for international market research reports and market data. We provide you with the latest data on international and regional markets, key industries, the top companies, new products and the latest trends.
CONTACT: CONTACT: ResearchAndMarkets.Com Laura Wood,Senior Press Manager press@researchandmarkets.Com For E.S.T Office Hours Call 1-917-300-0470 For U.S./ CAN Toll Free Call 1-800-526-8630 For GMT Office Hours Call +353-1-416-8900View comments
Q&A With Carbondale's Creative Writing Club
Izzy Stringham, the owner of White River Books, and Jessica Amber Barnum, a teacher and author, are pairing up to offer free workshops for community members seeking a group setting to explore creative writing. Stringham has worked with Barnum before to do a memoir writing workshop. With Barnum's teaching experience, White River Books will host monthly gatherings from May through September.
"No one needs to have a project going or be a 'Writer,' but just interested in creative writing, the process of putting a pen to paper," Stringham wrote in an email. "Jess [Barnum] has a wonderful method of connecting to muses and inspiration and doing writing prompt exercises that get straight to the task: actually writing. Our hope is that anyone looking to learn or practice or just have fun with words will come and participate." The workshop is free and open to all, with donations accepted.
The Sopris Sun caught up with Barnum to get a better sense of her experience, learn what it means to be a writer and share what workshop attendees can expect.
Sopris Sun:Please introduce yourself.
Barnum:I am Jessica Amber Barnum or Ms. Jess (to my students). I've lived in the Valley for five years and moved here to be with my husband and my two stepchildren.
We are all poetic masterpieces in momentum. This is what I've been privileged to witness during my 30 years teaching English language arts, creative and intuitive writing, literacy and mindfulness. I am a teacher and author. I offer private sessions, classes and camps that empower all ages to mindfully sprout their reading and writing skills, voices, talents, imagination and self-trust. We jump "write" in!
SS:What prompted the workshop?
B: Writing is my nectar for a mindful head and heart, my playground for calm, creativity, joy and sensibility … I absolutely love witnessing other people's writing journey and hearing and reading what they write … Also, the world is craving opportunities to raise the vibration of connection, and writing does that — the flurry of feathers that empowers whatever wants to take flight.
Izzy and I wanted to offer the sanctuary of her bookstore, a quiet space surrounded by both the literature on bookshelves and the frequency of millions of muses that have helped manifest those masterpieces. How inspiring to write in a place where you are surrounded by author's words, books and pages and pages of wildernesses! I call it Scribe Tribe Osmosis!
SS:What do you hope the takeaway will be for participants?
B:I believe in the sacredness of self-discovery, and I believe that this belief is what empowers mindfulness in writers … When writers trust their journey, the wilderness of ourselves and the world lights up colossal notches.
SS:Should folks attend all sessions or is it possible to pick and choose?
B: Izzy and I are thrilled to offer the Creative Writing Club monthly with a free-flow vibe. Anyone can attend anytime. No registration required. As writers, it's important to listen to the mood of the moment. Do I feel like writing tonight in the company of others? … Of course, there's always the option to attend even when you don't feel like it. That's often when the muses arise with wings spread and ideas soaring! Muses are moody-mood busters!
SS:Why do you think people should attend?
B:When a muse flings an idea through you, the world can feel it. That's a good thing. When we write, and we are our authentic selves in that process and we trust that the layers of our voice (subconscious-conscious) is a vessel of mindful empowerment, the world is elevated. What an honor.
The next Creative Writing Club meets on Thursday, June 6 at White River Books from 6 to 7:30pm. The club will meet at the same time on the following Thursdays: July 25, Aug. 22, Sept. 26.
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