Seeing Peter More Clearly

Students in my classes quickly notice that my handwriting is pretty awful, and I had always thought that my ability to draw was the same. I was wrong. In 1990, I learned that the satisfaction of drawing reasonably well came with disciplined practiced of a series of skills, primarily learning how to see more clearly. I was studying Thai at AUA, where the very unusual teaching method had caught my interest while I was working in Taiwan. At AUA, Thai is taught using a natural method that imitates how we learn our native languages, which we have all done without ever studying them or doing a single grammar exercise. I had already studied a few languages the traditional way, from Latin to Chinese, but had never been very pleased with the results. I never thought I would be able to draw, either. However, in one of our chats, Dr. Brown, the founder of AUA’s radical Thai language course, introduced me to similar ideas about learning to draw, specifically citing a book by Betty Edwards, Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain. I was not working at the time, and although spending a few hours every day in my Thai classes, I had plenty of time to spare, so decided to give it a go. First, I accepted that this radically new approach, at least for someone from my traditional background, meant I need to do it the way the teacher instructed. The hardest thing was that drawing is slow. I did a few test drawings before I started, and they took only a few minutes. But the first exercise in the book insisted that I spend at least 40 minutes drawing my own hand. Not only did I have to draw very, very slowly, but I was not allowed to look at the paper at all. This seemed really weird to me. I was wondering how I could draw anything if I was not allowed to look at it. But Betty Edwards, the teacher, was right. the careful focus on the subject and the lines in it, in my hand, meant that I was seeing it more clearly than I ever had as I moved my pencil slowly, slowly, slowly to match every twist and turn I saw in front of my eyes, which never left the hand they were drawing. When I looked at my finished work, it didn’t look much like my hand, but that was not the purpose of this first exercise. The next day, I moved on to the next chapter, which allowed a very little looking at the paper. This time, after 40 very careful minutes, during which I fell into a kind of meditative state that Edwards explained was a goal, I drew a hand that looked amazingly like my hand. I was impressed. Over the coming weeks and months, I got more and more caught up in following the instructions and putting in the necessary daily time. After six weeks, I had finished the book, and had learned that I could in fact draw very well. Picasso was in no danger of being overthrown, but had discovered that I thought was a talent that I just didn’t have was in fact a skill that could be developed by following instructions and putting in the necessary practice day after day. From her concluding chapter, I even discovered that the same principles could work with handwriting, but I’ve also learned that if you stop doing the deliberate practice that improves a skill, it withers and dies, as my scratching on the whiteboards at AUA prove.

Getting into Unit 8 = Drive (SkR&W3, p77, Discussion point)

What we read

As they usually do, Bixby and Scanlon introduce Unit 8, "Drive", with a large photograph and some questions to get us thinking about the coming topic and ideas in this unit of Skillful (2013, p. 77). 

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

Two quotations

• "The man who can drive himself further once the effort gets painful is the man who will win."
  (Roger Bannister,  The Four-Minute Mile, 1955)
   
• "Everybody is born with an equal chance to become just as unequal as he or she possibly can."
  (Anonymous, n.d.)

Discuss these quotations on page 77. 

• Explain their meanings in your own words.
   
• Do you agree or disagree with the quotations? Why?
   

Write two or three paragraphs to address the questions and the quotations in any order. Remember, it's response writing where we want your ideas written down in sentences as quickly as possible. Think for a minute or two, and then write. Then write your next idea, and the next one. And repeat. 

And as always, imagine as you write that your readers have not seen the questions. Because your writing should make sense as an independent piece of work, you might like to copy and paste the quotations into your response. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education

A Semester on Ice (SkR&W3, p70, Critical thinking)

What we read

Having now done the global and close reading exercises that check our understanding of the ideas in the reading, Bixby and Scanlon follow their usual practice of inviting us to practice our critical thinking skills by expanding on the ideas in Osman's A Semester on Ice (2013, p. 71).

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

As we did before, read Bixby and Scanlon's questions, think about them for a minute or two, and then write down your response in one or two paragraphs. 

The questions, which you can discuss in any order, are: 

• What types of research take place in Antarctica? 
• Why is this research important? Which type of research are you interested in, and why?
   
• Kamal chose to spend three months in Antarctica, the coldest place on Earth. In spite of the challenges, how do you think he benefited from the experience? 

___________________________________ 

Tips for response writing

As usual our main purpose in this response writing exercise is to give a thoughtful, critical response to the prompts, which are Bixby and Scanlon's questions. Use the formal style appropriate to an academic context, and write paragraphs that make sense to readers as independent pieces of writing. The goal is to share your ideas that expand on what we have read, writing fluently to communicate effectively. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education 

Adrift: A book report (SkR&W3, p69, Critical thinking)

What we read

Having now done the global and close reading exercises that check our understanding of the ideas in the reading, Bixby and Scanlon now invite us to practice our critical thinking skills by expanding on those ideas in "Adrift: A book report" and applying them to our own experiences (2013, p. 69).

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

As we did before, read Bixby and Scanlon's questions, think about them for a minute or two, and then write down your response in one or two paragraphs. 

The questions, which you can discuss in any order, are: 

• Few people have survived more than a few weeks in an inflatable raft. How important do you think Callahan's attitude and survival tactics were to his survival for over ten weeks? Give reasons.
   
• Why do you think we like to read books or watch shows about people who survive treacherous situations? 

___________________________________ 

Tips for online response writing

If you have looked ahead, you will have seen that the second reading in unit 7 is a couple of entries from a blog. And if you look back to page 9, the first reading in the book is response writing on an online discussion board, which is what our class blog is. Online discussions like this are a common part of many university classes today, even though the writing is a little more relaxed than more formal academic writing. 

The main purposes is to give a thoughtful response to a prompt, which in this case are Bixby and Scanlon's questions. You should use a fairly formal style, and write paragraphs that make sense to readers as independent pieces of writing. The goal is to share your ideas that expand on what we have read, writing fluently to communicate effectively. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education 

Getting into Unit 7 = Survival (SkR&W3, p67, Discussion point)

What we read

Click the image to
see full size.

As is usual, Bixby and Scanlon introduce Unit 7, "Survival", with a large photograph and some questions to get us thinking about the coming topic and ideas in this unit of Skillful (2013, p. 67). 

___________________________________ 

Why do this exercise as response writing on a blog?

In addition to practising the useful skills of response writing for fluency, another reason we use an online discussion board in our reading and writing class is that the research solidly shows that brainstorming or discussion activities for groups are more effective if participants start by working individually (O'Connell, 2010; Markman, 2017): by writing on a blog, we can generate a greater variety of independent ideas, which is what we want here and in similar exercises in Skillful. 

In fact, experts at Harvard University's School of Management and elsewhere are sure that this can be very effectively done using online tools (Chamorro-Premuzic, 2015). Blogging is one effective way to do this, which is the reason I've turned Bixby and Scanlon's discussion exercise into a quick blogging discussion. Over the coming weeks, we will do several of the discussion exercises as online discussions, which is also a common component of university classes today.

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

Discuss these questions in a comment. 

• Describe a geographical place (just one) where survival is difficult. Have you ever been in such a place?
   
• What makes survival so difficult there? 
• What would you need to have to survive there? What are the two most important things you would need?  

Write two or three paragraphs to address the questions in any order. Remember, it's response writing where we want your ideas written down in sentences as quickly as possible. Think for a minute or two, and then write. Then write your next idea, and the next one. And repeat. 

Write as though your readers have not seen the questions. Your writing should make sense as an independent piece of work. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education
   
• Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2015, April 2). Why brainstorming works better online. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/04/why-brainstorming-works-better-online
   
• Markman, A. (2017, May 18). Your team is brainstorming all wrong. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2017/05/your-team-is-brainstorming-all-wrong
   
• O'Connell, A. (2010, February 4). Sometimes, it’s better to brainstorm alone. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2010/02/when-its-better-to-brainstorm

Welcome to RW2d and to our class blog

What I read

Although I've read a bit in preparation for it, this post has a different purpose than summarizing and responding to something I've read. I want to welcome you to your EAP class on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

So, welcome.

___________________________________ 

My response 

Thank you for joining our Saturday class in Reading and Writing for academic purposes. I hope you find the next four weeks useful, productive, also challenging, and perhaps even fun. 

Click on them to
see images full size.

In her foreword to students on page 6, the series editor, Dorothy E. Zemach, gives some strategies for successful learning, one of which is to "be an independent learner" (in Bixby & Scanlon, 2013). This class blog is one way for us to do this. As Zemach suggests we do in her comment, it is one way for you to "find and then share information about ... different topics." Some of the topics you will write about here are the unit topics, but I also like Zemach's suggestion that "reading for pleasure and using the Internet in English" are important, so your writing here will not be limited to the topics of the units that we study over the next four weeks. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing, Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education 

Study skills: "Strategies for writing timed essays": (SkR&W3, p56)

What we read

We have now read and thought about Bixby and Scanlons (2013, p. 56) ideas and suggestions to enhance your success in timed exams, which most students have to do at some point in their academic careers. 

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions 

These are the three questions that Bixby and Scanlon ask us to discuss in their "Over to you" section, which concludes this study skills page.  

• What could you do to avoid feeling nervous in timed essay situations?
   
• Which tips are the most important to you?
   
• The next time you do timed writing, what will you do differently? 
• Which tips will you try?  

As usual, you can address these questions in any order. You can write one comment, or if you prefer, two comments. I thought that their second and third questions were the most important, so you might like to start with them; however, you are the writer, and that is a decision for you to make.   

___________________________________ 

References

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education

Getting into Unit 5 = Movement (SkR&W3, p47, Discussion point)

What we read

On page 47, Bixby and Scanlon present us with the usual unit opening of a large image and several discussion questions. For Unit 5, the title is "Movement" (2013). 

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

You can either click the image on the right, or look at it in your book, to see the full-sized photograph and the accompanying discussion questions. 

The three discussion questions are: 

• Look at the photo. Why do some birds migrate?
   
• What other animals migrate? What animals migrate to or from your country?
   
• What human activities can disrupt or interfere with animal movement? 

Think about them for a minute or two, and then respond to these questions with your responses. 

Remember

It doesn't matter in what order you discuss them. I usually start with the one that most interests me first, and then see what ideas come next. 

And it's good practice to write so that  your response is a piece of work that makes sense without having read the questions. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education 

Disease: readings 1 & 2, "Long-distance Care" & "Do We Know Too Much?" (SkRW3, p62, Developing critical thinking)

What we read

We have now read both "Long-distance Care" (Bixby & Scanlon, 2013, p. 59) and "Do We Know Too Much?" (p. 61). As usual, the authors now invite us to respond critically to the ideas from both readings.

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

The questions that ask us to respond to both readings are: 

• Are all advances in science and technology good for humankind? Why or why not? Give examples to support your ideas.
   
• What might be some long-term consequences of so many medical developments that continue to extend human lives? 

Writing tips

• You can answer the questions in any order. If one idea leads to another and then another for one question, it won't matter if you don't cover both. I usually start with the one that interests me most, and then see where that leads to.
   
• To help ensure that your writing is a unified piece of work that makes sense by itself, image that your reader has not seen the questions. In other words, your first sentence needs to function as a topic sentence that clearly states your main idea about the topic. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing, Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education

Persuade us! Is Law right that it's morally wrong to eat meat?

What we read

We have just read the introduction to philosopher Stephen Law's short essay "Carving the Roast Beast," in which he states his thesis that "It's morally wrong to eat meat."

So confident was I that most, if not all, of us would think that Law is wrong that I wrote this blog post assuming that we disagree with Law's main idea about the morality of eating meat. But if the results of our quick survey on Classroom have just proved me wrong, that's OK: predicting the future is always risky.  

___________________________________ 

Our response 

Critical thinking is an important element of our class in academic reading and writing, which is why our disagreement with Law's thesis is so helpful. Although I eat meat every day with a clear conscience (I'm one of the people who voted against Law's thesis), Law's short essay is a strong example of the sort of critical thinking skills we want to practice. In particular, we are going to write a persuasive essay later this term, and although we will use a more modern format than the traditional dialogue that Law chose to present his ideas, "Carving the Roast Beast" is also a solid piece of persuasive writing. 

Since most of us think Law is wrong, he has to work hard to persuade us, his readers, that his thesis is right. And as we read him, we should be looking critically at what he gets right, and where he makes mistakes. 

Mmm ... duck confit 

If we cannot find a serious mistake or two in Law's argument, then we should admit that he is right. And that means we either decide we want to be morally bad people or stop our bad meat eating habits. 

I don't want to give up beef steak, pork chops, duck confit, prawns, lamb shank, salmon or the other tasty animal flesh that I love. 

___________________________________ 

My question

• If you agree with Stephen Law that it's morally wrong to eat meat, what do you think is the strongest argument to persuade those who disagree with you?
   or
• If disagree with Law, why do you think that he is wrong when he says that "It's morally wrong to eat meat"? 

Write a comment to tell your reason(s) for or against Law's controversial thesis on the morality of eating meat. 

It's OK, and very likely, that your ideas will evolve as we read Law's support in the body of his essay. For now, we just want your response to his thesis, with a short account of why you agree or disagree with him before we look at his supporting reasons.  

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Law, S. (2018, August). Carving the roast beast [MS document prepared by P. Filicietti for use in EAP classes at AUA, retrieved from https://1drv.ms/w/s!AvLRvG3dUEtbw3Fm4_Mn-_T6Be_S ]. From S. Law, 2003, The Xmas Files: The Philosophy of Christmas, [Kindle Edition] (pp. 124 - 140). Weidenfeld and Nicolson. Available from https://www.amazon.com/ 

Getting into Unit 6 = Disease (SkR&W3, p57, Discussion point)

What we read

As usual, Bixby and Scanlon introduce "Disease" with a large photograph and some questions to get us thinking about the coming topic and ideas in Unit 6 of Skillful (2013, p. 57). 

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

Discuss these questions in a comment. 

• How have medical technology and treatment changed since your grandparents were young? What about your parents? How have they changed in your own lifetime?
   
• What are some interesting or amazing uses of technology in modern medicine? Give as many examples as you can.
   
• What types of medical advances do you think, or hope (fear?), the future will bring? 

Write two or three paragraphs to address the questions in any order. Remember, it's response writing where we want your ideas written down in sentences as quickly as possible. Think for a minute or two, and then write. Then write your next idea, and the next one. And repeat. 

Write as though your readers have not seen the questions. Your writing should make sense as an independent piece of work. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education

Participating in online discussion boards (SkRW3, p66, Study Skills)

What we read

Skillful RW3, page 66
Click it to see the image full size

The study skills page that follows Unit 6 of Bixby and Scanlon (2013, p. 66) gets us to think about and gives some tips for participating in online discussion boards, such as our class blog. Although you might not have done this before, it is a common part of reading and writing in a modern academic environment. 

This class blog is our online discussion board. 

___________________________________ 

My response 

One reason we use an online discussion board in our reading and writing class is that the research solidly shows that brainstorming or discussion activities for groups are more effective if participants start by working individually (O'Connell, 2010; Markman, 2017). In fact, experts at Harvard University's School of Management and elsewhere are sure that this can be very effectively done using online tools (Chamorro-Premuzic, 2015). Blogging is one effective way to do this, which is the reason I've turned Bixby and Scanlon's discussion exercise into a quick blogging discussion. Over the coming weeks, we will do several of the discussion exercises as online discussions, which is also a common aspect in university classes today. 

Dorothy Zemach's introduction

Another advantage of using a class blog is that it is an effective way for us to practice a couple of the strategies for successful learning that Dorothy Zemach suggests in her introduction to students on page 6 of Skillful Reading & Writing 3 (2013), specifically, asking questions and interacting, practicing new language, and being an independent learner. 

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions (+ one of Peter's) 

We have already done a quick class survey on whether we have previously used online discussion boards, and we have also thought about the scenario in which Bixby and Scanlon describe Fatima's first experience using an online discussion board. 

Now, read the six tips that they give for participating in online discussion boards. Think about them for a couple of minutes, and then write a response in a comment to these questions: 

• Why are academic writing skills important for an online discussion board?
   
• How do you think an online discussion board, such as this class blog, might improve your learning in a course?
   
• Which of Bixby and Scanlon's six tips do you think the most important or useful? Why?
   
• Do you disagree with or would you revise any of their tips? Why? (I do not entirely agree with all of them. How about you?) 

Writing tips

I changed the numbers to bullets because it does not matter in what order you address the questions. Also, your writing should make sense as an independent piece of work. It might help to imagine that your reader has not seen the above questions you are responding to. 

Although you want to use a formal style of writing, this is not an academic writing exercise. You want to express your ideas quickly in complete sentences and paragraphs, but you do not have time to spend five minutes planning of worrying about grammar and other language details. One of our purposes here is to practice writing for fluency: we will do accuracy exercises and formal, academic writing later. 

___________________________________ 

References

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education
   
• Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2015, April 2). Why brainstorming works better online. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/04/why-brainstorming-works-better-online
   
• Markman, A. (2017, May 18). Your team is brainstorming all wrong. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2017/05/your-team-is-brainstorming-all-wrong
   
• O'Connell, A. (2010, February 4). Sometimes, it’s better to brainstorm alone. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2010/02/when-its-better-to-brainstorm
   
• Zemach, D. E. (2013). To the student. In J. Bixby & J. Scanlon, Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3 (p. 6). Oxford: Macmillan Education 

Welcome to RW2c and to our class blog

What I read

Although I've read a bit in preparation for it, this post has a different purpose than summarizing and responding to something I've read. I want to welcome you to your EAP class on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

So, welcome.

___________________________________ 

My response 

Thank you for joining our Saturday class in Reading and Writing for academic purposes. I hope you find the next four weeks useful, productive, also challenging, and perhaps even fun. 

Click on them to
see images full size.

In her foreword to students on page 6, the series editor, Dorothy E. Zemach, gives some strategies for successful learning, one of which is to "be an independent learner" (in Bixby & Scanlon, 2013). This class blog is one way for us to do this. As Zemach suggests we do in her comment, it is one way for you to "find and then share information about ... different topics." Some of the topics you will write about here are the unit topics, but I also like Zemach's suggestion that "reading for pleasure and using the Internet in English" are important, so your writing here will not be limited to the topics of the units that we study over the next four weeks. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing, Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education 

Before you read "Designing Solutions" (SkR&W3, p20)

What we will read

We are going to read a text about two construction projects that were designed to overcome challenges, but before we read about those, Bixby and Scanlon want us to start thinking about the general topic of challenges and solutions to them. 

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's question

What are some solutions that humans have devised to overcome challenges in the following areas? 

• agriculture / farming 
• housing 
• transportation 

Comment on just one of these areas, presenting the challenges that occur to you and your solutions to them. 

Factors to think about include: 

• weather
• water
• limited space
• environmental issues
• energy efficiency
• geographical challenges 

Remember – imagine you are writing for readers who have not seen the question you are responding to. Your answer should make sense to her if handed, for example, to a randomly chosen student from a different class. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education

Getting into Unit 2 = Design (SkR&W3, p17, Discussion point)

What we read

On page 17 of Skillful, Bixby and Scanlon (2013) use a large photograph and some discussion questions to introduce the topic of unit 2, design, which is also the title of this unit. 

___________________________________ 

Click on them to see images full size

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

Discuss these questions in a comment. 

• Look at the picture (click to enlarge it). Do you know where it is? What makes it special? 
• What do you like or dislike about the way it is designed?
   
• Think of three other famous buildings or structures from around the world that you feel are well-designed. What makes them interesting or beautiful?
   
• Choose a famous building or structure from your country (just one). What do you like about its design? What do you dislike? 

Remember – write for readers who have not seen the questions you are responding to. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education 

Discuss it Online & Sports fans and identity (SkRW3, p. 12, Developing critical thinking)

What we read

We have now read and checked our understanding of both "Discuss It Online" (Bixby & Scanlon, 2013, p. 9) and "Sports Fans and Identity" (ibid. p. 11). 

___________________________________ 

Our responses 

As usual, Bixby and Scanlon now invite us to think critically about the issues that these readings raise, in this case by relating them to our own experiences much as Ali. K and Paul S. do in the reading on page 9 when they respond to their instructors question in an online discussion. 

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

Think for a couple of minutes about the ideas in "Discuss It Online" and "Sports Fans and Identity"; then write one or two comments to respond to these questions.

• What is your most important chosen or group identity? Why?
   
• Do you think that most people are more interested in being unique or belonging to a group? Explain why you think this. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education. 

Sports fans and identity (SkRW3, p. 11, Developing critical thinking)

What we read

We have read "Sports Fans and Identity" (Bixby and Scanlon, 2013, p. 11), and done the exercises that checked our understanding of the ideas in it. 

___________________________________ 

Our responses 

As you were reading, you might have been thinking to yourself things like: 

• Yes, that's right. 
• No way. I don't agree with that.
  or 
• Really? Is that right? 

This critical assessment of what we read is an important skill, and one that the following exercise practices. 

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

1. Read each statement based on "Sports Fans and Identity". Do you agree or disagree with the statement? Or are you unsure about it?
   Think of a comment or example to explain your agreement or disagreement.
   
   a. When you are a fan of a particular team, at a game or event, you instantly feel that you have thousands of friends. (Agree? Disagree? Not sure?)
   
   b. If a sports team is a very important part of a fan's identity, winning is extremely important. (Agree? Disagree? Not sure?)
   
   c. Winning a championship changes the way fans feel about themselves for a while. (Agree? Disagree? Not sure?)
    
2. Why do you think fans continue to support a team that does poorly year after year? 

Writing tip

To help make your writing a unified piece of work for your readers, one that makes sense read by itself, imagine you are writing for people you do not know who have not seen the questions you might be responding to. That also means avoid the use of numbering such as 1, 2, a, b, c. Just write connected sentences and paragraphs that communicate your ideas. 

___________________________________ 

Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education. 

Discuss it online (SkRW3, p. 9, Developing critical thinking)

Click them to see images full size

What we read

We have now read and checked our understanding of "Discuss it online," the first reading in Unit 1 of Skillful Reading & Writing Student's Book 3 (Bixby & Scanlon, 2013, p. 9). 

___________________________________ 

Our response response 

Having read the text a couple of times, Bixby and Scanlon now invite us to respond to the ideas in it in a critical thinking exercise. 

My response

The research solidly shows that brainstorming or discussion activities for groups are more effective if participants start by working individually (O'Connell, 2010; Markman, 2017). In fact, experts at Harvard University's School of Management and elsewhere are sure that this can be very effectively done using online tools (Chamorro-Premuzic, 2015). Blogging is one effective way to do this, which is the reason I've turned Bixby and Scanlon's discussion exercise into a quick blogging discussion. Over the coming weeks, we will do several of the discussion exercises as online discussions, which is also a common aspect in university classes today, as we see in the example that is the reading on page 9. 

___________________________________ 

Bixby and Scanlon's questions

Bixby and Scanlon ask two questions. We will do them as two separate pieces of response writing. 

• First question:
  If you had to write a response to the discussion board question, what part of your identity would you mainly write about? Why? 
• Think for one minute, and then write. Write complete sentences. Our main purpose here is to communicate our ideas fluently and clearly, which is why it's important to write in sentences. However, this is not a formal academic writing assignment. You have six minutes to write one or two paragraphs responding to the question. 
• Remember: write as though your readers have not seen the question. Your writing should make sense to readers who have not seen the question. 
• Do not go on to the second question until I tell you to. We will do something else before that.
   
• Second question:
  Why is the family an important part of a person's identity? 
• When I tell you to, again think for one minute, and then write for five minutes to respond to this question. 

___________________________________ 

References

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing: Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education
   
• Chamorro-Premuzic, T. (2015, April 2). Why brainstorming works better online. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2015/04/why-brainstorming-works-better-online
   
• Markman, A. (2017, May 18). Your team is brainstorming all wrong. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2017/05/your-team-is-brainstorming-all-wrong
   
• O'Connell, A. (2010, February 4). Sometimes, it’s better to brainstorm alone. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org/2010/02/when-its-better-to-brainstorm
   

Welcome to RW2a and to our class blog

What I read

Although I've read a lot in preparation for it, this post has a different purpose than summarizing and responding to something I've read. I want to welcome you to your EAP class on Monday and Wednesday mornings.

So, welcome.

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My response 

Thank you for joining our Saturday class in Reading and Writing for academic purposes. I hope you find the next four weeks useful, productive, also challenging, and perhaps even fun. 

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My question

As you can see, online discussion makes an appearance early on in Unit 1 of Skillful (Bixby & Scanlon, 2013, p. 9) and there is a more extensive coverage of this common part of modern university courses on page 66. 

Click on them to
see images full size.

Also, in her foreword to students on page 6, the series editor, Dorothy E. Zemach, gives some strategies for successful learning, one of which is to "be an independent learner" (in Bixby & Scanlon, 2013). This class blog is one way for us to do this. As Zemach suggests in her comment, it is one way for you to "find and then share information about ... different topics." Some of the topics you will write about here are the unit topics, but I also Zemach's suggestion that "reading for pleasure and using the Internet in English" are important, so your writing here will not be limited to the topics of the units that we study over the next six weeks. 

• Do you agree with Zemach and the authors of our book and myself? Is a class blog a useful addition to our class this term? (This is two sentences, but it's only one question for you to respond to.) 

You can respond as soon as you accept the invitation I will soon send you to join this blog. 

Writing tip

When you write your comment, imagine that readers have not seen the question you are answering. This forces you to make your work an independent piece of writing, one that makes sense by itself. 

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Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing, Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education 

Disease: readings 1 & 2, "Long-distance Care" & "Do We Know Too Much?" (SkRW3, p62, Developing critical thinking)

What we read

We have now read both "Long-distance Care" (Bixby & Scanlon, 2013, p. 59) and "Do We Know Too Much?" (p. 61). As usual, the authors now invite us to respond critically to the ideas from both readings.

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Bixby and Scanlon's questions

The questions that ask us to respond to both readings are: 

• Are all advances in science and technology good for humankind? Why or why not? Give examples to support your ideas.
   
• What might be some long-term consequences of so many medical developments that continue to extend human lives? 

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Reference

• Bixby, J. & Scanlon, J. (2013). Skillful Reading & Writing, Student's Book 3. Oxford: Macmillan Education

Music and games

What I read

According to Mark Savage in “Top Scores”(2019), the satisfaction that comes from them in games is not really from collecting the coins themselves. In fact, the sound effect of collecting it is the thing that makes you feel satisfied. Savage says that the soundtrack in the game is related to the player’s feeling. He asks readers to imagine playing racing games without any sound of the car’s accelerating or the breaking of the tires. That would make the game very tedious. He also adds that when the music is starting, the players don’t even notice when it actually starts or ends, but they feel thoroughly the tension of angriness or sadness of the song.

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My response 

Games have always played a major part of my life since I was young. I’ve played many kinds of games such as historical games or adventure games. However, I’ve never noticed that music and soundtrack are important things that make the game complete. There’s a logical example for this. In the past, when ‘Contra’, the so-called shooting game, or ‘Super Mario’ was very famous. I used to play those games with and without soundtrack. The feeling while playing it is totally different. When I was playing with soundtrack, the game felt very intense and emotional, whereas, playing it without soundtrack, the game felt so bland and lifeless.


Nowadays, games have developed so much that it becomes as realistic as movies. However, it’s not only the games themselves that make them realistic, one main reason is the soundtracks they give. Even though the graphic of the game is not as beautiful as others, beautiful can increases players’ attractions. Nevertheless, the soundtracks needs to be suitable for the situation in each scene. For example, in the game called ‘Undertale’, an Indy game with 8bit-style art. This game would be absolutely uninteresting without its beautiful soundtracks, which capture many players’ hearts. At first, I didn’t expect anything interesting in an old-fashioned fighting scene, which is completely tedious for young player like me,  in this game. Surprisingly, it turned out to be breathtaking and sentimental fighting scene because of the compatible soundtracks.

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 For My question

Soundtracks are very important to every type of games. Do you agree that music is relatable with games and make the games more realistic and enjoyable?

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Reference

• Savage, M. (2019, March 21). Top Scores. Retrieved from httpsz://www.bbc.co.uk/news/resources/idt-sh/top_scores_video_game_music