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Development of Writing Skill

Dr. Sarwet Rasul

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Previous Lesson

• Efficient Use of Memory • What is memory building or efficient use of

memory?• Mental processes involved in remembering• Role of Short term Memory• Common Problems of Students• Strategies to remember • Memory as a Problem Solving Tool

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Today’s Session

• Introduction to writing skills/ sub/skills• What are writing skills?• Why writing skills?• Needs analysis for writing• Types of writing: Features of formal and informal writing• What is academic writing?• Types of academic writing• Writing as a Study Skill: The process of writing for a

student• Mind Mapping

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• Writing skills are specific abilities which help writers put their thoughts into words in a meaningful form and to mentally interact with the message.

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Why writing skills?• Ability to Express:• Writing skills help the learner to communicate in writing with independence,

accuracy, fluency, comprehensibility and creativity.

• Encoding message for others:• If learners have mastered these skills, they will be able to write so that not

only they can read what they have written, but other speakers of that language can read and understand it.

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Here are some writing goals as defined by Hampton 1989:  • Writers are independent when they are able to write without much

assistance. • Writers gain comprehensibility when they can write so that it can be read

and understood by themselves and others. • Writers are fluent when they are able to write smoothly and easily as well as

understandably. • Writers gain creativity when they can write their own ideas, not copying what

has already been written, so that they can be read and understood.

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• Great writing requires an extensive skill set. • The writer has to understand:

– vocabulary– syntax – Context– grammar

Then come:Organization into paragraphs

• Nobody is born knowing how to write. • We all have to work at building and growing our writing skills.• Better writing is not something that happens overnight.• It is a long-term goal.BUT• First we have to identify our writing needs.

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How to write Efficiently, Effectively, and Clearly

• Format

• The first step to writing clearly is choosing the appropriate format. Do you need to send an informal email? Write a detailed report? Create advertising copy? Or write a formal letter? Each of these needs a specific format.

• The format, as well as your audience, will define your "writing voice" – that is, how formal or relaxed the tone should be. For instance, if you write an email to a teacher, should it have the same tone as an email to a friend? Definitely not.

• Start by identifying who will read your message.

www.mindtools.com

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Cont…

• Composition and Style• Once you know what you are writing, and for whom you are writing, you

actually have to start writing.• A blank, white computer screen is often intimidating. And it's easy to get

stuck because you don't know how to start. Try these tips for composing and styling your document:

• Start with your audience – Remember, your readers may know nothing about what you are telling them. What do they need to know first?

• Create an outline – This is especially helpful if you're writing a longer document such as an essay, a report, a presentation, or a speech. Outlines help you identify which steps to take in which order, and they help you break the task up into manageable pieces of information.

• Identify your main theme – If you're having trouble defining the main theme of your message, pretend that you have 15 seconds to explain your position. What do you say? This is likely to be your main theme.

• Use simple language – Unless you're writing a scholarly article, it is usually best to use simple, direct language. Do not use long words/ sentences just to impress people.

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Cont…• Structure of your writing• Your document should be as "reader friendly" as possible. • Use headings, subheadings, bullet points, and numbering whenever

possible to break up the text.• After all, what's easier to read – a page full of long paragraphs, or a page

that's broken up into short paragraphs, with section headings and bullet points?

• Heading should grab the reader's attention.• Think of other possibilities of visual support: tables, graphs, charts, pictures

etc. These visual aids not only keep the reader's eye engaged, but they can communicate important information much more quickly than text.

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Cont…• Proof-Read

• The enemy of good proofreading is speed. Many people rush through their documents, but this is how you miss mistakes. Follow these guidelines to check what you've written:

• Proof your headers and sub-headers – People often skip these and focus on the text alone. Just because headers are big and bold doesn't mean they're error free.

• Read the document out loud – This forces you to go more slowly, so that you are more likely to catch mistakes.

• Start at the end of your document – Proofread one sentence at a time, working your way from the end to the beginning. This helps you focus on errors, not on content.

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Writing Style_ Formal/ Colloquial• Colloquial – Informal writing is similar to a spoken conversation.  Informal

writing may include slang, figures of speech, broken syntax, asides and so on.  Informal writing takes a personal tone as if you were speaking directly to your audience (the reader). You can use the first person point of view (I and we), and you are likely to address the reader using second person (you and your).

http://www.skillsyouneed.co.uk/Write/formal_and_informal_writing.html#ixzz2G5LICOpx

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Cont.. Writing Style_ Formal/ ColloquialColloquial • Simple – Short sentences are acceptable and sometimes essential to making a

point in informal writing. There may be incomplete sentences or ellipsis(…) to make points.

• Contractions and Abbreviations – Words are likely to be simplified using contractions (for example, I’m, doesn’t, couldn’t, it’s) and abbreviations (e.g. TV, photos) whenever possible.

• Empathy and Emotion – The author can show empathy towards the reader regarding the complexity of a thought and help them through that complexity.

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Cont… Writing Style_ Formal/ ColloquialFormal • Complex – Longer sentences are likely to be more prevalent in formal

writing. You need to be as thorough as possible with your approach to each topic when you are using a formal style. Each main point needs to be introduced, elaborated and concluded.

• Objective – State main points confidently and offer full support arguments. A formal writing style shows a limited range of emotions and avoids emotive punctuation such as exclamation points, ellipsis, etc., unless they are being cited from another source.

• Full Words – No contractions should be used to simplify words (in other words use "It is" rather than "It's").  Abbreviations must be spelt out in full when first used, the only exceptions being when the acronym is better known than the full name (BBC, ITV or NATO for example).

• Third Person – Formal writing is not a personal writing style.  The formal writer is disconnected from the topic and does not use the first person point of view (I or we) or second person (you).

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Cont… Writing Style_ Formal/ Colloquial• When to Use Formal and Informal Writing• A formal writing style is not necessarily “better” than an informal style, rather

each style serves a different purpose and care should be taken in choosing which style to use in each case.

• Writing for professional purposes is likely to require the formal style, although individual communications can use the informal style once you are familiar with the recipient.

• Note that emails tend to lend themselves to a less formal style than paper-based communications, but you should still avoid the use of "text talk". If in doubt as to how formal your writing should be, it is usually better to err on the side of caution and be formal rather than informal.

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Students and Writing

• Introduction to Academic Writing

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What is What is ACADEMIC WRITINGACADEMIC WRITING??

• linearlinear• informativeinformative• standard written format of languagestandard written format of language

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Academic document typesAcademic document types

• Book• Book report• Conference paper• Dissertation//Thesis• Essay Essay • ExplicationExplication• Research PaperResearch Paper• Technical reportTechnical report• TranslationTranslation

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Academic Writing Types Students are Exposed Academic Writing Types Students are Exposed to…to…

• ExamExam questions & questions & EssayEssay titles that students write. titles that students write.

• Instructional materialInstructional material, or hand-out, or reading list; usually meant for , or hand-out, or reading list; usually meant for students to read.students to read.

• PresentationsPresentations; usually short, often illustrated.; usually short, often illustrated.

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Research & PlanningResearch & Planning

• Experiment plan.Experiment plan.• Research Report.Research Report.• Raw data collection plan.Raw data collection plan.• Structured notes.Structured notes.

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Disseminating knowledge outside the academyDisseminating knowledge outside the academy

• Call for papersCall for papers• Documentary film script or Television/ Radio scriptDocumentary film script or Television/ Radio script• ObituaryObituary• Opinion: an academic may sometimes be asked to give an expert Opinion: an academic may sometimes be asked to give an expert

written opinionwritten opinion• Review of a book, film, exhibition, event, etc.Review of a book, film, exhibition, event, etc.• Pamphlet, position paper, or briefing paper.Pamphlet, position paper, or briefing paper.

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Collating the work of othersCollating the work of others

• Anthology; collection, collation, ordering and editing of the work of Anthology; collection, collation, ordering and editing of the work of others.others.

• Monograph or exhibition catalog; usually containing exemplary Monograph or exhibition catalog; usually containing exemplary works, and a scholarly essay. Sometime contains new work by a works, and a scholarly essay. Sometime contains new work by a creative writer, responding to the work.creative writer, responding to the work.

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ACADEMIC WRITING ABILITY INVOLVES WHAT?

Grammatical correctness

Lexical mastery

Mechanical ability

Stylistic awareness

Organizational power

Judgment of appropriateness

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Features of academic writingFeatures of academic writing

There are eight main features of academic writing . There are eight main features of academic writing . • complexcomplex• formalformal• preciseprecise• objectiveobjective• explicitexplicit• accurateaccurate• hedgedhedged• responsibleresponsible

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Getting started • Interpreting the Task

Make sure that you fully understand your task.

• Understanding Assessment Criteria Think about how academic work is assessed, particularly the specific task given to you, ensure that you understand how you will be assessed on it.

• Time management• Planning your schedule before you begin an assignment will help you to ensure

you have enough time to complete a high quality piece of work.

library.leeds.ac.uk›Skills@Library, Students

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Cont…

Finding information and note taking • Using appropriate, relevant information sources and taking effective

notes from them will strengthen the quality of your work.

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Mind Mapping as a Tool in academic Writing

• How to do a Mind Map• Mind mapping (or concept mapping) involves

writing down a central idea and thinking up new and related ideas which radiate out from the centre. By focusing on key ideas written down in your own words, and then looking for branches out and connections between the ideas, you are mapping knowledge in a manner which will help you understand and remember new information.

http://www.jcu.edu.au/tldinfo/learningskills/mindmap/howto.html

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Cont… Mind Mapping as a Tool in academic Writing• Look for relationships• Use lines, colours, arrows, branches or some other way of showing

connections between the ideas generated on your mind map. These relationships may be important in you understanding new information or in constructing a structured essay plan. By personalizing the map with your own symbols and designs you will be constructing visual and meaningful relationships between ideas which will assist in your recall and understanding.

• Draw quickly on unlined paper without pausing, judging or editing• All of these things promote linear thinking and the idea of mind mapping is to

think creatively and in a non-linear manner. There will be plenty of time for modifying the information later on but at this stage it is important to get every possibility into the mind map. Sometimes it is one of those obscure possibilities that may become the key to your knowledge of a topic.

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Cont… Mind Mapping as a Tool in academic Writing

• Write down key ideas • Some students find that using capital letters encourages

them to get down only the key points. Capitals are also easier to read in a diagram. You may, however, wish to write down some explanatory notes in lower case. Some students do this when they revisit the mind map at a later date while others write in such things as assessment criteria in this way.

• Put main idea in the centre• Most students find it useful to turn their page on the side

and do a mind map in "landscape" style. With the main idea or topic in the middle of the page this gives the maximum space for other ideas to radiate out from the centre.

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Cont… Mind Mapping as a Tool in academic Writing

• Leave lots of space

• Some of the most useful mind maps are those which are added to over a period of time. After the initial drawing of the mind map you may wish to highlight things, add information or add questions for the duration of a subject right up until exam time. For this reason it is a good idea to

leave lots of space.

These hints on how to construct a mind map have been adapted from the work of Tony Buzan and others who have promoted mind mapping as a learning and thinking tool. For a full explanation of the mind mapping technique see Buzan, T. (1991). The mind map book . New York: Penguin.

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Review of Today’s Session

• Introduction to writing skills/ sub/skills• What are writing skills?• Why writing skills?• Needs analysis for writing• Types of writing: Features of formal and informal writing• What is academic writing?• Types of academic writing• Writing as a Study Skill: The process of writing for a

student• Mind Mapping

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• Thank You very much!