Written evidence of the workings of the mind

 A useful writing checklist for the self-paced learner, particularly learners preparing for TOEFL and future university studies in an English speaking country. Don't dismiss mistakes as editing carelessness: they can reveal deeper cognitive and language skill gaps. Checklists can help you identify, become more aware of problem areas and address them on your own. The immediate, short term benefit is a better grade.

Students could vastly improve their assignments, and marks, if they followed a few important rules. Tara Brabazon, Times Higher Education, offers a 20-point checklist 

Cool websites to teach writing

Words – so innocent and powerless as they are, as standing in a dictionary, how potent for good and evil they become in the hands of one who knows how to combine them.

Nathaniel Hawthorne

As a language teacher I really find it difficult to motivate my students to start writing in class. The Internet is a resource that complements the dynamics of my class. It is easy to access, up-to-date and immediate source of authentic materials. Since I started introducing technology and using a wiki with Middle school my classes have definitely changed. Please check below the cool sites we have been using this year.

• Writing Fun A MUST for teachers.  This website motivated my students to enhance their writing skills.

• The Writing Site Check this website with a great variety of tech integration ideas.

• iWrite Provides several examples for students to learn how to write effectively.

• Writing Fix Practice Prompt Recommendations.

• Writing Exemplars I make my students search for writing samples created by other students worldwide.

• Interactive Scoring Another website that provides writing samples to use with your students.

via jenverschoor.wordpress.com

In a self-paced study group, you are your own teachers, although (as a college writing teacher) teaching yourself writing still calls for 3rd party feedback. What is your strategy for getting feedback on your writing?

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How to Help Students Write Better

Although this is a self study group (which means I don't make a habit of marking student writing), writing is a primary focus. That makes this article relevant. If you want to write better, feedback and revision are necessary. How do you propose handling that within our DIY (do it yourself) structure?
So is writing, not that anyone else has been doing much of that lately.


The following are not my words and do not apply to blogging on the study group blog, which is informal writing to practice writing and very different from college writing.