Brushing up on fundamentals/The writing process

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Teaching styles for motivating adult learners

Using the four steps in the writing process (planning, drafting, revising, and editing), write a 2-3 page essay on one of the topics below:

Writing is a process that involves at least four distinct steps: prewriting, drafting, revising, and editing. It is known as a recursive process. While you are revising, you might have to return to the prewriting step to develop and expand your ideas.

Prewriting

1. Prewriting is anything you do before you write a draft of your document. It includes thinking, taking notes, talking to others, brainstorming, outlining, and gathering information (e.g., interviewing people, researching in the library, assessing data).

2. Although prewriting is the first activity you engage in, generating ideas is an activity that occurs throughout the writing process.
Drafting

1. Drafting occurs when you put your ideas into sentences and paragraphs. Here you concentrate upon explaining and supporting your ideas fully. Here you also begin to connect your ideas. Regardless of how much thinking and planning you do, the process of putting your ideas in words changes them; often the very words you select evoke additional ideas or implications.

2. Don't pay attention to such things as spelling at this stage.

3. This draft tends to be writer-centered: it is you telling yourself what you know and think about the topic.
Revising

1. Revision is the key to effective documents. Here you think more deeply about your readers' needs and expectations. The document becomes reader-centered. How much support will each idea need to convince your readers? Which terms should be defined for these particular readers? Is your organization effective? Do readers need to know X before they can understand Y?

2. At this stage you also refine your prose, making each sentence as concise and accurate as possible. Make connections between ideas explicit and clear.
Editing

1. Check for such things as grammar, mechanics, and spelling. The last thing you should do before printing your document is to spell check it.

2. Don't edit your writing until the other steps in the writing process are complete
Teaching styles for motivating adult learners

Planning material--Your pre-writing or planning material can consist of notes, journal entries, freewriting, brainstorming, etc. It should demonstrate your idea-generation and decision-making regarding topic, purpose, audience, and content.

Remember they are adults. Treat them as such.
v Keep your material short
v involve the group
v Comments are frequently useful
v work with small breakout groups
Can a Teacher's Approach to Teaching Be Modified?
v beliefs and values regarding the methods and can be modified
v must be aware of the kinds of learning experiences that students most value
v teaching approaches
v manner in which any method, whether lecture or game, discovery-based learning or discussion is used within a learning event
Problematic behavior in the classroom
v Grandstanding
v chronic whining
v trip you up
v lack of participation
v far-fetched examples or analogies.

Teaching styles for motivating adult learners

Rough draft--This should be a fully-developed draft of your essay including a title, introduction with thesis statement, body, and conclusion.
"How educators select their teaching strategies and implement techniques is a function of their beliefs and values regarding the methods and can be modified to fit within the unique belief system of the educator.
"Most teachers have only one or two perspectives as their dominant view of teaching...[however] similar actions, intentions, and even beliefs can be found in more than one perspective" (Pratt 2002, p. 6). Proficient student-centered teachers are able to use a variety of styles so that their ultimate style is integrated.
Keep your material short, applicable, interesting, and pertinent; they need the information you offer. Show them.
If possible, work with small breakout groups and allow some kind of non-threatening, hands-on exercise.
Comments are frequently useful and may help you restructure the program. They also may be affirming. Sometimes your feelings will be hurt, especially if the evaluation is anonymous (your choice). It goes with the territory.
PROBLEMS IN TEACHING ADULTS AND HOW TO TACKLE THESE:
Rambling -- wandering ...