The Key Concepts Are:
- Theory explains how or why. Your explanation is the point of the paper. This is called the thesis/
- “Reading” (at the high school and pre-university levels) requires being able to understand something well enough to explain it correctly (knowing it).
- The writing process starts with having a theory. Then you develop it by working through the thinking process. This is step by step. The key is revision.
- The point of writing essays is because this the best and proven way to teach reading (at the high school and pre-university levels). Writing makes you think about, connect with, and reflect on what you are reading. Doing all this helps you be good at reading (at the high school and pre-university levels).
- Use the process. Start with a theory. Develop it. Take notes. Write multiple drafts. Think. Connect. Reflect. Explain. Organize. Break things into parts. Writing makes thinking visible.
Other Notes:
- Theory explains why or how using rigorous and systematic thinking.
- The thesis is the point of the paper, there is one and only one thesis, the whole paper must support the thesis.
- Writing is a system.
- Writing is a system for making thinking visible. It’s power is in systems, theory, and revision.
- The parts are Five Fs, Levels of Analysis, and Systems-Thinking.
- Five Fs:
- Focus
- Form
- Filler
- Flow
- Feeling
- Levels of Analysis
- Synthesis
- Metacognition
- Reflect
- Connect
- Explain
- Describe
- Systems-Thinking
- Bring things into parts
- Use models
- Explain how the parts work together
- Five Fs:
- Writing is a process.
- The Six Stages are a process for producing knowledge and sharing knowing.
- Six Stages:
- Wondering
- Preparing
- Planning
- Drafting
- Revising
- Editing/Publishing
- Six Stages:
- The Six Stages are a process for producing knowledge and sharing knowing.
- Systems-thinking is the key to writing well.
- Use systems-thinking to understand, describe and explain.
- Since writing is a system, know how to understand and use writing.
- The point of writing an essay is to learn how to read to understand, explain, connect, reflect, and apply. Reading at the high school and pre-university level is necessary for your survival.
- Learning theory helps you learn quickly and deeply, and puts you in control of your own thinking.
- Learning does more than help you know things. It builds your capacity; learning makes you smarter.
- You learn the most by being thrown off the cognitive cliff. You need to be “let go” and “pushed off” so you can enter ZPD and go from some help to independence.
- Approximation with intensification speeds it all up. Go to the next challenge before you have mastery. At first, approximation is enough, especially if there is untapped potential to develop first.
- This course helps you become smarter, more powerful, and more attractive.
- Smarter through the ZPD, approximation with intensification, and cognitive cliff.
- More powerful through theory, thesis, and systems-thinking. (LOAs and Five Fs, too.)
- More attractive by knowing how to understand and explain things, how to achieve your goals, how to bring the resources and people (and narratives) that you need to survive and thrive.
- This course is built on theory and storytelling by First Nations scholars and authors. You too are a scholar and author.
- To write well, do the following:
- Focus on theory.
- Focus on thesis.
- Use systems-thinking.
- Plan (topic, subtopic, theme, focusing question, theory, thesis, supporting points).
- Outline.
- Use the models.
- Read.
- Take notes.
- Draft and revise. Revise, revise, revise.
- Focus on understanding and explaining. Writing is thinking made visible. Think. Write. Think. Write. Repeat.
