If there is one thing I feel confident in, it’s taking notes. This was a super fun assignment for me.
I found it useful because it reminded me about what’s like to be the student. I think I’ll share my Cornell Notes template with my classes to help them take lecture notes in all their classes. I’ll sell it as a tool to communicate with their future (exam-crunching) selves.
Taking notes puts me in my comfort zone. I think I like it because I enjoy learning new things, and when I get out my pencil and my notebook, it puts me a familiar place, where I’m confident in my abilities. This might make me a little “weird,” I think.
Students think that the revision stage of the writing process is equivalent to proofreading.
Revision is at the very heart of good writing, in my opinion. I don’t know anyone who does their best writing in their first attempt. (I have revised this post 5 times before clicking the submit button.)
But, as we know, students don’t always leave themselves time to revise and it’s often skipped over in the process (of writing). Students move from writing their draft, directly to proofreading and printing/submitting.
In extending my thinking on this, I argue that revising a piece of writing is like arranging furniture in a room.
When first moving into our bedroom, we will set up the furniture in a manner that makes sense at that time, under the circumstances.
But, after living in it for awhile, we gain insights into how to make the room more functional and how to add details that will change the feel of the room. In this case, the original arrangement consists of all the furniture placed along the walls of the room, with a wide-open space in the middle. If I was five years old, and still played on the floor, this arrangement might work for me. But, I am not five years old, so it doesn’t seem like a good use of the space. In the revised room, the furniture is arranged to use the whole space and there are décor elements added, to create warmth and to increase function; for example, the plants on the window sill, the lamp on the desk, shelving, and the mirror on the wall.
The same ideas can be applied to a piece of writing. When writing the draft version, it’s a good idea (especially for first-year students) to follow the basic structure of an essay: 5 paragraph formatting.
But, after you live with the essay for a couple of days, it will (probably) become clear what needs to change for function or flow of ideas. It looks the same, but if you read closely, there have been some significant changes. New elements have been added (the example from local media, a personal experience, and the thesis is conceptually tied in with key ideas of the essay in the conclusion) and, more significantly, some elements have been moved around: the National media story is used to peak interest in the introduction, rather than being included in the middle of the essay; the definition of the key concept moves from the introduction to the first paragraph; the statistic is moved from the first paragraph to the conclusion and used to make a shocking final statement; there is a clear story-telling strategy, where the introduction has a national story and the body narrows the focus to a local story and finally, to a personal story.
In both cases, the revised arrangement (of furniture or ideas) results in a more organized, functional space.
I think this analogy will resonate with students because they have probably all arranged the furniture in their bedrooms; or they have been in a room with furniture, even if they weren’t allowed to re-arrange it.
It also demonstrates the idea that the student is the agent of revision. In the same way that the student could decide where to place the chair in the bedroom, they can decide where the statistic should be placed. And for that matter, not only is it important to decide where the chair should be placed, but what type of chair would suit the room; and similarly, what type of statistic to include in the essay.
Come on, your bedroom essay is a reflection of you. Say it with me.
See? I can really get into this whole writing thing.
I am looking forward to using this analogy in the Fall 2021 semester.
This post was written as part of the eCampus Extend Module: Teacher for Learning.
By the end of this class, students will be able to:
(1) define communication.
(2) distinguish between three types of communication.
(3) explain what happens when people are communicating.
Lesson Materials:
• Powerpoint (lesson guide)
• Babies Communicating –video
• Abbott & Costello routine – video
• Fallon: Who’s on First: the sequel –video
• Lesson notes – below
• Students will make use of Smartphones / tablet / laptop
• Student Portfolios Handouts:
• Communication Basics Booklet – below
• The Communication Model – below
The Lesson:
Pre-Assessment 10 minutes
• Ask students to define communication; encourage them to use the internet.
• Write key words / phrases on the board.
• Refer to notes, for what to expect.
• Instruct students to write a definition of communication, in their own words, in their Communications Basics Booklet.
Bridge 10 minutes
• Watch the video of the babies *talking*.
• Ask: are these babies communicating? How do you know? [large class discussion]
• Things I noticed: • vocal noise • laughter • intonation of voice • body movements / gestures, eg. shaking heads / waving hands • eye contact / facing one another
Participatory Learning
Interactive Lecture: Types of Communication 15 minutes
• Refer to lesson notes: explain the different types of communication;
• Instruct students to write definitions of each term in the Communications Basics Booklet as they are defined by the teacher; speak slowly and clearly so students can follow along and write exactly what you say, if they choose to.
• Offer and ask for examples of each as you progress through the three types of communication; encourage students to jot down the examples, too — makes it easier to remember later.
Lesson Aids:
• Basics of Communication booklet
• Lesson notes
Portfolio Project 10 minutes Free Write Prompt — Write about a personal experience when communication was particularly effective. What type of communication was it? What information was being conveyed? What made it so effective?
Alternative: write an experience when communication was ineffective. Same questions as above to prompt deep thought.
Lesson Aids
• blank sheet of paper
• Powerpoint
10/15-minute Break
Interactive Lecture: the communication model 15 minutes
• Refer to lesson notes; write the model on the board
• Instruct students to create their own notes using the handout.
Lesson Aids
• Lesson notes
• Communication Model handout
• chalk / white board markers
Post-Assessment
Small Group Activity 30 minutes
• Watch the Abbott & Costello video
• Instruct students to form groups of 2-4 students.
• Each group will:
~ identify examples of each type of communication
~ determine where/when/why communication failed;
~ come up with a list of ways that Abbott could have communicated more effectively;
• Discuss ideas in a large class format.
• Watch the Fallon Sequel, if time permits; follow-up discussion — how Jerry’s explanation makes all the difference, in terms of understanding.
Lesson Aids
• Powerpoint
Summary / Learning Outcomes:
Review the final Powerpoint slide, which summarizes what happened in class today – the learning outcomes.
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