From Prose Paladin to Peer Editor: Teaching Engineers (and Others) to Write and Communicate

1987 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 385-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. Scheiber
Keyword(s):  
Technical Writing ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Writing Teachers ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Editorial Review

Many engineers and other technical/managerial professionals continually generate writer-centered memos, letters, and brief reports. Because such documents often contain needless repetition, excessive detail, and chronology-based information, an approach for encouraging writers to produce clear, well organized, rhetorically sound prose was developed. Technical writing teachers and communication trainers must 1) make these prose “paladins” aware of the essential ingredients for generating reader-centered prose, 2) familiarize these writers with the major steps involved in the writing process, and 3) operationalize the process through face-to-face writer-editor collaboration — involving peer editorial review. Only through frequent drafting and rewriting and the regular sharing of peer editorial response (oral and written) will clear, rhetorically effective prose accrue value. And only then will technical/managerial writers routinely generate reader-centered documents that communicate.

Exploring the Nature of Undergraduates’ Peer Collaboration in a PBL Writing Process

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (2) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Muhammad Mukhtar Aliyu
Keyword(s):  
Academic Success ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Video Recording ◽  
Study Data ◽  
English Studies ◽  
Writing Teachers ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Composition Course ◽  
Second Year ◽  
Previous Session

Despite the importance of writing skills to academic success, many undergraduates face a lot of challenges with writing in English. Studies have shown that engaging and supporting students in a writing process help to improve the students’ writing performance. Therefore, this study used a Problem-based learning approach (PBL) in order to give students opportunities to be engaged and support one another in a writing process through face-to-face interactions. The paper specifically reports what the students do to support their peer in the PBL writing process. An intact class of 18 second-year students in an English Composition course in Nigeria was selected to participate in the study. Data were obtained through audio- and video-recording of the students’ face-to-face interactions. The findings showed that the participants supported theirs peer through various ways in the PBL process such as modelling their facilitators, sharing tasks and responsibilities, clarifying instructions and unclear terms, using dictionary, suggesting other sources to get more information, checking for consensus, creating humour, encouraging others to participate and raise their voices while speaking, restating time given to a session and giving overview of a previous session. The support provided by the peers helped the students to improve their writing. The study has some implications for writing teachers.

Moby-Dick: A Whale of a Handbook for Technical Writing Teachers

1981 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-216 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Kilgore
Keyword(s):  
American Literature ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Writing Teachers ◽  
Technical Literature ◽  
Moby Dick ◽  
Writing Teacher ◽  
Teaching Resource

Moby-Dick is a classic of technical literature as well as a classic of American literature. But for the technical writing teacher, its relevance goes beyond this: Moby-Dick can also be a valuable teaching resource. It provides pertinent examples for teaching students the concepts of audience, purpose, research and sources, use of background experience, and thoroughness in compiling data. It also supplies ample models of technical definitions, descriptions, processes, and theories. Finally, Moby-Dick demonstrates the kind of energetic technical writing that is so needed today.

Another Look at Paragraphs in Technical Writing

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 293-301 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack Selzer
Keyword(s):  
World War Ii ◽  
Word Length ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Sentence Length ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
World War ◽  
Writing Teachers ◽  
The Status ◽  
Writing Instructors ◽  
The Given

Because of doubts about the status of paragraphs after World War II and the influence of readability formulas which emphasize sentence length and word length, technical writing teachers and texts have not been concerned very much with stylistic matters, especially at the paragraph level. However, recent research advances in the fields of linguistics, discourse analysis, cognitive psychology, and readability all redirect our attention to matters beyond the sentence in technical writing. A familiarity with such advances—including an understanding of cohesion elements, the “given-new contract,” and tagmemics—can enable technical writing instructors to improve student writing.

Kinneavy, Mathes, Mumford, and Lynn: Teaching the Classificatory Mode in Technical Writing

1980 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-124
Author(s):  
Steven Walton Lynn
Keyword(s):  
Structural Study ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Student Writing ◽  
Generative Power ◽  
Theory Of Discourse

Kinneavy's theory of discourse and Mathes' concept of contextual editing can be effectively applied to teaching classification in technical writing. My procedure, in the nine steps described here, provides students with an understanding of classification as an analytical and generative tool. Its usefulness in analysis is discovered through a structural study of Mumford's “Machines, Utilities, and ‘The Machine‘”; an awareness of Mumford's classificatory structure helps students understand his essay. Students see for themselves, by organizing facts into paragraphs, the generative power of contextual editing applied to classification; the same kind of structuring Mumford uses can be used in their own writing. This generative application simulates the research-to-writing process and dramatically increases the coherence and clarity of much student writing.

Meeting Corporate Needs: How Technical Writing can Prepare Students for Today's Changing Work Place

1994 ◽  
Vol 24 (2) ◽  
pp. 197-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven M. Gerson ◽  
Sharon J. Gerson
Keyword(s):  
Problem Solving ◽  
Technical Writing ◽  
Work Place ◽  
Writing Teachers ◽  
Top Down ◽  
Team Projects ◽  
Organizational Teams

How can Technical Writing teachers better prepare students for their careers? Corporations suggest that they want employees who can work together on teams, solve problems, and communicate. This requirement is due to the changing nature of business which is no longer industrial, employing a top-down managerial hierarchy. Today's businesses focus on information and employ a horizontal management which leans heavily on the employee who works in inter-organizational teams. First, we show our students how writing is a problem-solving activity. Next, we emphasize this point by assigning numerous short and long team projects which require problem solving and communication.

scholarly journals Interlanguage of Error Analysis on Students Writing in Covid-19 Pandemic Era

2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 240-246
Author(s):  
Winda Siska Perwana Harahap
Keyword(s):  
Foreign Language ◽  
Error Analysis ◽  
Transfer Of Training ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Target Language ◽  
Language Transfer ◽  
English Learning ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Language Data

This study aims to investigate the interlanguage of error analysis production on students writing. In writing process, there are general problem that occur such error from the interlanguage. This problem certainly getting worse during this Covid -19 pandemic era where the students only have limited direct or face to face English learning for one hour per week. Interlanguage is language used by second or foreign language when prosess of learning the target language. Data collected through documentation technique. The sample was taken using purposive sampling technique. There were five students as the sample. The framework of interlanguage and error analysis was applied in the process of data analysis. The results of this study indicate that the interlanguage of the students is influenced by 78% of language transfer, 10.5%of transfer of training and 10.5%of overgeneralization.

scholarly journals Collaborative Blended Learning Writing Environment: Effects on EFL Students’ Writing Apprehension and Writing Performance

2016 ◽  
Vol 9 (6) ◽  
pp. 229 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ala’a Ismael Challob ◽  
Nadzrah Abu Bakar ◽  
Hafizah Latif
Keyword(s):  
Blended Learning ◽  
International Schools ◽  
Writing Process ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Male Students ◽  
Writing Apprehension ◽  
Writing Performance ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Writing Students ◽  
Efl Students

<p>This study examined the effects of collaborative blended learning writing environment on students’ writing apprehension and writing performance as perceived by a selected group of EFL students enrolled in one of the international schools in Malaysia. Qualitative case study method was employed using semi-structured interview, learning diaries and observation. Twelve male students enrolled in Class Ten were selected to participate in a 13-week study. To learn how to write collaboratively, the students followed the procedures of the blended learning writing process. Students were divided into three groups and were given the freedom to choose the members of the group they would like to work with. They went through the writing process in face-to-face and online learning modes via the class blog and online Viber discussion. Data collected were analyzed qualitatively using thematic analysis. The findings indicated that the students had positive perceptions towards the collaborative blended learning writing environment they had experienced. They perceived that the collaborative blended learning activities had helped them reduced their writing apprehension and improve their writing performance as they experienced and learnt much knowledge concerning the micro and macro aspects of writing. Students also viewed that their online discussion and collaboration on writing in Viber groups and the class blog had assisted them greatly in their writing task.</p>

Research Commentary: Technical Writers as Part-Time Teachers in Two-Year Colleges

1988 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 389-392 ◽  
Author(s):  
Faye Angelo ◽  
Nell Ann Pickett
Keyword(s):  
Technical Writing ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Writing Teachers ◽  
Two Year Colleges ◽  
Unique Position ◽  
Two Year College ◽  
Important Link ◽  
Technical Writers ◽  
Part Time

Part-time technical writing teachers who responded to a 1986–87 survey of two-year college technical writing teachers were found to be committed to teaching, well-qualified, experienced, personally involved, and typically employed full time as technical writers or editors. This finding calls into question the unfavorable stereotypical view of part-timers held by individuals and professional organizations. Because of their unique position as full-time practitioners of the skills they teach, part-time technical writing teachers can serve as an important link between teaching technical writing and business/industry.

scholarly journals The Influence of Metacognitive Scaffolding on Learning Academic Writing Online

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 48
Author(s):  
Noor Hanim Rahmat ◽  
Norhartini Aripin ◽  
Zarina Razlan ◽  
Zulaikha Khairuddin
Keyword(s):  
Academic Writing ◽  
Teaching And Learning ◽  
Online Classes ◽  
Writing Teachers ◽  
Online Learners ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Online Classrooms ◽  
Hands On ◽  
The Many ◽  
Metacognitive Scaffolding

The pandemic has caused a big wave of change in the way teaching is done. One of the many areas of concern is that the teaching that was previously done not only face -to-face but also using hands-on; coupled with one-to-one or group by group conferences, is now done online. How can that be done online? In the traditional face-to-face classroom, the writing teacher monitors the working memory of the writers (planning, translating and reviewing) by marking and making comments of the learners’ drafts. The comments and recommendations for changes made by the teachers acted as scaffolds to the learners to guide them to improve on their writing. When online learning hits the classrooms, writing teachers need to incorporate creative language teaching into the online classrooms. This study explores the use of metacognitive scaffolding on learning academic writing online. Learners were taught metacognitive scaffolding during online classes. They responded to the survey. Findings revealed interesting implications for teaching and learning of academic writing online.

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