Suzanne M. Kresta, John A. Nychka Roger Graves*, Jacob … · 2014-02-11 · • How to make connectionsHow to make connections with images “The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems

Writing Well 2: Building Traction and Triumph into co-Authorship

Suzanne M. Kresta, John A. Nychka

Roger Graves*, Jacob Masliyah, Murray Gray

*Director, Writing Across the Curriculum, English and Film Studies

Chemical and Materials Engineering Faculty Forum, Feb 11, 2014

Write ll

Stay wellwell… well…

this is what we learned!

http://www.finlosreviews.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/blank_page.jpg

…this is what we learned!


Key Points• Graduate students can benefit from:

informed methods of reading & writing technical literature– informed methods of reading & writing technical literature– many ways of outlining

– developing writing in a stepwise manner– a writing recipe

d d d i– tremendous peer and advisor support– limited levels of edit at each stage– deadlines and timely feedbackdeadlines and timely feedback


Graduate School: A New Game

• New graduate students tend to:

– start reading for content

• Mature graduate students tend to:

– read for validity of proposedstart reading for content

– gather information

– memorize facts

read for validity of proposed

arguments

– make connections between concepts

– reach their limits quickly in a

research environment (a new

genre)

– know their limits

– have been transformed into creators

of knowledge from datagenre)

– not know how research really

works

of knowledge from data

Undergraduate Education ≠ Graduate Education


Journal Articles: A New Genre

In a nutshell:

• Hard reading!• Hard reading!

• Much content

• Conflicting ideasConflicting ideas

• Array of quality and style

• Varying levels of detaily g

Undergraduate Reading ≠ Graduate Reading and Writing and Writing


Levels of Editing• Give timely and constructive feedback.• Students can only absorb feedback on one or two y

major points at a time• Many levels of edit will happen, for example:Many levels of edit will happen, for example:

– Presentation of data and figures (Visual)– Structure and Argumentsg– Editorial polishing– Big pictureB k d lf d f h• Be kind to yourself – stop editing after an hour.


Reading and Writing Exercises• Start early• S ti i t ti• Supportive environment – group meetings• Two examples

B d d– Beginning and End– Visual Abstract

– Art of the Argument – in the paper


Example #1: The Beginning and Ending

Goal: identify key elements in a “story”• Edit d ti l• Edited article:

– No citation information at all– Introduction abstract and conclusion removed– Introduction, abstract, and conclusion removed

• Students read article and fill in missing info• Compare and contrast their results with original• Compare and contrast their results with original

(advisor feedback)


Example #2: Visual Abstract

Goal: make conceptual connections about research (preparation for

t t lli )story telling)

Start here• Students are given a

h t t ti b tshort presentation about

visual thinking

• How to make connections• How to make connections

with images

“The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems and Selling Ideas with Pictures,” Dan Roam, Expanded Edition, Portfolio, New York, 2009)


• Each student is given: k l b b h f• 1 week to prepare a visual abstract about a research topic of own

choosing• Visual abstract must be on a small cocktail napkin!p

• Present, and explain if necessary, their visual abstract at group meeting –

repeat and refine as necessary

Napkin: J.A Nychka


Example #3: The Art of the ArgumentG l hGoal: extract the argument structure

– Article selection: hi h h d k ll l d• content which the student knows well already

• disparate views in literature• good and poor argument structuresg p g

– Students determine:• Is the problem identified clearly? What is known?

Wh h h b• What are the authors contributing?• What is their main argument?• Is their evidence convincing? What is missing?g g• What makes the paper memorable?

– Discuss with advisor (or in a journal club)


Outlines – use many tools!• Traditional linear outline does NOT work well –

especially for sequential learners!p y q• Alternatives:

– The Godess Nike (Just Do It!)(J )– Figures First (What is the story?)– Draft Abstract and Conclusions (What are the main points?)– Beetle or Spider diagrams (Sort the laundry)– Concept Maps (Construct the sequence)– Partial construction of paragraphsPartial construction of paragraphs

• Help the student learn to construct the story!


The Goddess Nike

Many students find it easiest to write a

fast brain dump to get all of their p g

thoughts on paper, then sort them out

and begin a serious draft!and begin a serious draft!

http://www.ask.com/wiki/Louvrehttp://symbolyzer.blogspot.com/2009/09/swoosh.html


Figures first

• Many papers start as a presentation!Children’s picture books work from images and captions– Children s picture books work from images and captions

– students like this idea of starting from a storyboard• The story is written around the data and imagesThe story is written around the data and images

– Sketch the visuals first – plot everything vs everything– Construct the argument and main points– Draft figure captions and finalize best figures

• This is the core of the results and discussion


Main Points?

• What are the three most important points in the ?paper?

• What are the most important contributions to k l dknowledge?

• Draft Abstract and Conclusions


Beetle or Star or Spider Diagrams

• No need to know whatknow what comes first

• Sort ideasSort ideas• Fast!

*Website CMAP tools – free drawing software for concept maps


Concept Maps: Making Connections

• Construct the argument in order

• Add connectingAdd connecting words in the logic

Images from: Callister, W.D., “Materials Science and Engineering, An Introduction,” 7th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2007.Eng-Tips Forums, Failure of Boiler Tubes, thread330-191127, http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=191127&page=80,accessed on June 25, 2010.


Concept Maps: Making Connections

Images from: Callister, W.D., “Materials Science and Engineering, An Introduction,” 7th Edition, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 2007.Eng-Tips Forums, Failure of Boiler Tubes, thread330-191127, http://www.eng-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=191127&page=80,accessed on June 25, 2010.


...my current order of attack

1. Experimental2. Select key figures2. Select key figures3. Visual Abstract and Conclusion – Draft4 Outline4. Outline5. Review figures6 R lt6. Results7. Introduction

d b d l l l8. Edit Abstract and Conclusions; Select Title


Conclusions• Graduate students can benefit from:

informed methods of reading & writing technical literature– informed methods of reading & writing technical literature– reading and writing practice in a stepwise manner– new ways of outliningy g– tremendous peer and advisor support– limited levels of edit at each stage

d dli d i l f db k– deadlines and timely feedback


Documents

Suzanne M. Kresta, John A. Nychka Roger Graves*, Jacob … · 2014-02-11 · • How to make connectionsHow to make connections with images “The Back of the Napkin: Solving Problems