MIT: Independent Activities Period: IAP

IAP 2014 Activities by Sponsor - Writing and Communication Center

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From Assignment to Revision: How Instruction and Feedback Shape Student Writing

Suzanne Lane, Senior Lecturer, CMS/W and Director of WAC

Jan/28 Tue 10:00AM-12:00PM 12-134

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

What kind of instruction and feedback will help students understand how to write and revise their assignments, to hone and develop their ideas, or to understand central concepts about effective communication? This workshop will draw on composition research to explore the range of instruction and responding practices, from rubrics to peer review to individual conferences, and when each is effective. By considering feedback in relation to other forms of instruction, participants will learn to provide the kinds of comments and strategies that will help students understand how to improve both their specific texts and their abilities as writers.

All Writing Across the Curriculum workshops are open to faculty and teaching assistants who are interested in integrating writing and speaking into their subjects.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing and Humanistic Studies, Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Alexandra Sear, 12-117, 617-253-0650, sear@mit.edu


In-Class Debates: Another Option for an Oral Communication Assignment

Edward Schiappa, Professor and Interim Head of CMS/W

Jan/30 Thu 10:00AM-12:00PM 12-134

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

This workshop will cover the basics of putting together assignments involving in-class debates.  Specific issues covered include the mechanics of how to word good debate topics, set time limits, and structure debate formats, as well as how to teach the basic skills that students will need to acquire in order to participate in debates.

All Writing Across the Curriculum workshops are open to faculty and teaching assistants who are interested in integrating writing and speaking into their subjects.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing and Humanistic Studies, Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Alexandra Sear, 12-117, 617-253-0650, sear@mit.edu


Individual Consultations at the Writing and Communication Center

Steven Strang

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Attendance: Participants welcome at individual sessions
Prereq: none

The Writing Center will continue to offer free consultation and advice on oral presentations and on any writing problem, including finding a topic, generating ideas, overcoming writer's block, improving grammar, crafting effective sentences and paragraphs, organizing ideas, using of evidence, analyzing audiences, and writing strategically. We can help with technical writing; theses in all departments; job, graduate and med school application essays; research and teaching statements; resumes; conference talks; articles for publication; book proposals and chapters; and papers for any course. We also offer help on pronunciation. The Center is open throughout IAP. Go to https://mit.mywconline.com/index.php to schedule appointments.

Sponsor(s): Writing and Communication Center, Writing and Humanistic Studies, Comparative Media Studies
Contact: Steven Strang, 12-120, 617 253-4459, SMSTRANG@MIT.EDU


Consultations at Writing Center

Jan/06 Mon 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/07 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/08 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/09 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/10 Fri 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/13 Mon 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/14 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/15 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/16 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/17 Fri 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/21 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/22 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/23 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/24 Fri 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/27 Mon 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/28 Tue 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/29 Wed 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132
Jan/30 Thu 10:00AM-04:00PM 12-132

Individual consultations last up to 50 minutes. Please sign up at https://mit.mywconline.com/index.php for each sesion. Please bring hard copy of any document you wish to discuss.

Steven Strang


MIT Writers' Group

Steven Strang

Jan/06 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 12-134
Jan/13 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 12-134
Jan/20 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM (CANCELED)
Jan/27 Mon 12:00PM-01:00PM 12-134

Enrollment: Unlimited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/04
Attendance: Repeating event, particpants welcome at any session
Prereq: none

Calling all creative writers! Want to write something creative but need some motivation or support? Join other MIT writers to get advice about your own writing, to be a reader of other writers' work, and/or to get inspiration to write something. Any type of creative writing is welcomed:  fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, memoirs, personal essays, plays, blog entries. We help each other get started on a creative writing project, we help each other develop ideas and style, we function as engaged and encouraging readers of each other's material.  We meet every Monday from noon-1:00 p.m. in 12-134. Open to MIT undergraduate and graduate students, lectuers, staff and faculty.

Sponsor(s): Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Steven Strang, 12-120, 617 253-4459, SMSTRANG@MIT.EDU


(CANCELED) Peer Editing

Thalia Rubio, lecturer

Jan/21 Tue 10:00AM-11:30AM 56-154

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/19
Limited to 20 participants
Prereq: none

When you’re writing an important paper for a journal, conference, or class, you need to ask colleagues or friends to read it. Having peers review your manuscript is a way to get an audience's reaction to your ideas as well as to your way of expressing them, a crucial element in any act of communication. Getting other perspectives can help you make your work much clearer and more persuasive. But the feedback may not be what you need, as reviewers may hesitate to be critical or may not focus on the important aspects of the paper. Similarly, you want to give constructive, helpful comments to those who ask you to read their manuscripts. In this workshop, we’ll explore ways to give and get useful comments from our reviewers. We’ll also identify strategies for editing our own writing so the final draft is as effective as possible.

Sponsor(s): Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Steven Strang, 12-120, 617 253-4459, SMSTRANG@MIT.EDU


Secrets to Writing a Great Abstract

Thalia Rubio

Jan/14 Tue 10:00AM-12:00PM 12-134

Enrollment: Limited: Advance sign-up required
Sign-up by 01/13
Limited to 20 participants
Prereq: none

For your paper to be successful, people have to actually read it. A compelling abstract is essential for capturing their attention and making them want to read more. But writing an effective abstract is challenging because you need to summarize what motivated you, what you did, and what you found, in a small number of words. In this workshop, we'll analyze sample abstracts from different fields, learn editing strategies, and practice revising abstracts. You'll leave with a better understanding of how to write a strong abstract that clearly presents your research.

Sponsor(s): Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Steven Strang, 12-120, 617 253-4459, SMSTRANG@MIT.EDU


Thinking and Talking: Oral Communication in the Classroom

Andreas Karatsolis, Lecturer, CMS/W and Associate Director of WAC

Jan/29 Wed 10:00AM-12:00PM 12-134

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

This workshop will examine the rich variety of forms that classroom oral presentations can take, both as a way to scaffold thinking and as a way to assess students’ conceptual understanding. Workshop participants will be able to work on (re)designing assignments for their current or future courses by developing (i) a deeper understanding of fundamental oral communication concepts, (ii) strategies to integrate oral communication assignments into a class, and (iii) techniques and tools to provide feedback on student presentations.

All Writing Across the Curriculum workshops are open to faculty and teaching assistants who are interested in integrating writing and speaking into their subjects.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing and Humanistic Studies, Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Alexandra Sear, 12-117, 617-253-0650, sear@mit.edu


Visual Literacy: Strategies for Incorporating Classroom Critical Thinking in the Visual Representation of Research

Felice Frankel, Research Scientist, Ctr. for Materials Science & Engineering

Jan/27 Mon 10:00AM-12:00PM 12-134

Enrollment: Unlimited: No advance sign-up

This workshop will include a presentation and hands-on exercises addressing the too often ignored component of communication: the visual expression of data and concepts. Just as in writing text, creating visual representations is not only a means of communication but also a process that itself advances and clarifies thinking.

All Writing Across the Curriculum workshops are open to faculty and teaching assistants who are interested in integrating writing and speaking into their subjects.

Sponsor(s): Comparative Media Studies/Writing, Writing and Humanistic Studies, Writing and Communication Center
Contact: Alexandra Sear, 12-117, 617-253-0650, sear@mit.edu