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Pick-n-Mix A Typology of Writers’ Groups
Dr. Sarah Haas University of Gent
Oxford BrooksOnline Writers’ Group
Definitions
Pick-n-Mix
Writers’ Group
Aims of Writers’ Groups (In brief)
• Through mutual support in a community of writers:
– Make the process of research writing more enjoyable (less painful) for the writer
– Make the product of research writing more enjoyable (less painful) for the reader
Pick-n-Mix
Leadership
In-meeting activities
Between-meetingactivities
Time, Place,Frequency,
Duration
TroublesBenefits
Membership
So…What makes a writer’s group
work?• Convenience of time, place, duration,
frequency of meetings
• Negotiation and explicit statement of purpose and procedures
• Commitment
What Do You Pick to Mix?FreeWriting: What I want in a Writers’ Group
Be explicit about what you’d like to do (and what you don’t want to do) in the writers’ group meetings
• Writing together
• Learning feedback techniques/giving feedback
• Discussing writing processes
• Discussing feedback processes
• Talking about problems, triumphs, strategies…
• Goal-setting
• Other ideas?
Pick-n-Mix A Typology of Writers’ Groups
Sarah Haas Leuven, [email protected]
Assumption AbbeyWriter Development
CourseJuly 9~13 2012
Membership…• Who?
– Discipline-specific
– Inter-disciplinary
– At similar or varying stages in project/career
– Working on a joint project
• How many?
– 2 – 12
– Floating membership
Leadership• Who and how much?
– No leader ‘Teacherless writing class’ (Elbow)
– Peer leader (fixed or rotating leader)
– Near-peer leader (Murphy/Lee and Boud)
– Start-up leader
– Specialist leader (Aitchison)
• Subject specialist
• Writing specialist
• Language specialist
In-Meeting Activities• Writing activities
– Freewriting– Writing to Prompts– Generative Writing– Self-Directed Writing
• Feedback activities– Learn and practice different feedback techniques– Give feedback on each others’ writing
• Goal setting
• Discussions on writing and feedback processes
• Discussions on/evaluations of the meetings themselves
• Social element
Audience with authority, (teachers, editors, supervisors, employers)
Audience of peers
Audience of allies (readers who particularly care for the writer)
Audience of self (private writing)
Sharing no response
Response no criticism or evaluation
Criticism or evaluation
*(confirmatory or corrective)
Adapted from Map of Writing in Terms of Audience and Response (Elbow, 2000: 29)*(Kurtoglu-Hooton, 2004)
Between-meeting activities
• Writing
• Publishing
• Goal-setting
– Short-, Medium-, Long-term
– Goal records
• Reflective Journals/Writers’ Logs
Trouble-shootingSome Problems You Might
Encounter…• Timing
• Commitment
• Interaction
– Holding the floor - Whining
– Going off-task - Sponging
• Reinforcing each others’ bad habits
• Personality conflicts
Place, Time, Frequency, Duration
• Morning meetings
• Evening meetings
• Midday meetings
• Two-hour meetings
• Three-hour meetings
• All-day meetings
• Weekly Meetings
• Fortnightly
meetings
• Bi-weekly
meetings
• Monthly meetings
• Public place
• Private place
• Work place
• Virtual space
• Continuous
Groups
• Temporary
Groups
Benefits of Writers’ Groups
• Increased output (Lee and Boud)
• Increased motivation (Murray)
• Less feeling of isolation (Aitchison)
• Increased confidence (Badley)
• Better written product (Elbow)