Academic writing

Hi everybody! This is just to welcome you all to this Discussion thread, so do start posting up any queries, comments, suggestions, etc. I'll pop in every few days and respond.

I look forward to hearing from you all!

Gillian

Hi Gillian,

It has been about 10 years since I was last at university, and so I am a bit rusty and nervous about academic writing. When I began my unit 1 assignment I had my ideas in my head, but struggled to get them onto paper. I didn't know whether to write in the first person, the third person in the active or passive tense. For example, I originally wrote in my text "I visited a pilot school and saw……." then I deleted the sentence and changed it to "the researcher visited a pilot school…." Your thoughts would be useful.

Hi, I can totally relate to what you're asking. Getting started is often my struggle and how to begin. fist person or second. My concern is that now that I have school to work in, I still don't have much autonomy to implement or develop in great detail. I am observing and reading literature. Putting all that information into words freezes me up. I don't feel that my english language is sophisticated enough, though fluent in english, I speak other languages. My organization of thought needs help. What strategies can I use to organize my research and put it all down on paper?

Hi Jessica,

Thanks very much for this - you have mentioned a number of difficulties which are common to so many students. I'll try to deal with them in turn.

1. Getting started. Yes, this is definitely a tricky one. I think that the important thing is to try to just relax and let your ideas flow. They may be quite jumbled at the beginning, but if you make a rough plan (possibly using mind mapping techniques), you will have the beginning of an assignment. Also, try to tolerate the anxiety of 'not knowing'. Academic writing proceeds in slow stages - planning, a bit of writing, realising that you need more information, more research, more planning, more drafting, redrafting, etc. It is always rather messy, as it means that you come up with some ideas, review them against your experience or the literature, reformulate them, rewrite them, etc. So it is normal for things to only fully fall into place at the end.

2. Observing and reading literature. This stage may involve lots of 'paraphrasing', which means trying to put the ideas from the literature into your own words. This is a real plus in your final assignment, as it shows your lecturer that you have really understood what you have read. But it can 'freeze you' trying to do it. So, can I suggest that when you read:

a) you try to pick out mainly what seems relevant, either to your assignment title or your own interests (and this means ignoring what is irrelevant)
b) if something is relevant, read it a few times and then try to say it aloud to an imagined sympathetic listener. This will encourage you to paraphrase the information. Please also use dictionaries to help here - a good English thesaurus can give you lists of words with similar meanings that you can substitute for words in your reading. But, a thesaurus does not always tell you how to use the word properly in the right context. So, I would recommend this online dictionary (www.ldoceonline.com) which does.

Your message to me is written in really fluent English, and I am sure that, with practice, you will find that your paraphrasing will really improve.

3. Organising your research.
A few suggestions:
a) keep sheets of paper/cards with a heading on each one. As you find info relevant to that heading, add it to the sheet.
b) make a plan before you write based on the information you have gathered.
c) keep referring back to your assignment title to ensure that your plan is relevant to the title.
d) see the online tutorials entitled 'Stages of Writing' and 'Organising essays' in the ELLS on Oasisplus module. These can be found by clicking on the 'Writing icon' on the homepage.

Hope some of this is useful! Which suggestions sound helpful to you, and which do not? Do let me know!

Gillian

Thank you so much for the information. Your direction has eased up much of my worries. They were very helpful. I am struggling with finding that topic, though. I just started at a special needs school, but as a student. I am not employeed by the school to implement much. They have been great in offering help and opportunities. We are working on targeting new needs. In my original assignment I thought I would be able to implement more inclusive programmes, but they had their most recent ofsted statement that they have achieved all the inclusive requirements. That came out ofter the completion of my last module. Hopefully I'll find my way and regroup. Thank you so much.
Jessica

Hi Jessica,

I'm sure that you will find your way and regroup! Sometimes it can take a while to find the right topic, but this in itself is a process of discovery and learning, so nothing is wasted really!

Gillian

Hi Diena,

Thanks very much for this - I am sorry it has taken me a while to reply, but I have had some technical problems accessing the discussion board.

Your question is very useful and relevant. The question of whether to write in the first person (I) or the third person is often quite controversial in academic writing, and can cause a lot of confusion.

First of all, it is important to understand why academic writers often use the 'third person' and the passive voice. This would involve saying:

A number of different factors have been considered INSTEAD OF:

I have considered a number of factors.

It is in order to make the writing sound more objective, distanced, evidence-based and 'academic'.

However, there are times in academic writing, particularly when what you are discussing is based on your own reflections on personal experience, when you may want to sound more personal. This is because in educational studies a valid form of academic evidence is reflection on personal experience in the classroom.

So, I think I would offer the following advice:

On the whole, try to use the third person as it does make your writing sound more academic. However, there are times when it is valid to make reference to your own experience, and then a careful use of 'I' might be perfectly acceptable.In an assignment involving lots of personal reflection this would obviously be more acceptable than in an assignment which was just reporting views and data from theorists you had studied. So, you need to think about what the assignment is asking you to do.

Different academics also have different responses to this, so we can also ask Ruth what she thinks of my advice, and whether she is happy for the first person to appear at times where personal reflection is taking place.

You also mention difficulties in getting started with the assignment. Sometimes it is much easier to simply relate your personal response or experience and then to think about converting it into something that sounds more academic. So you may want to think about first writing a very rough draft/plan where you just let all your ideas flow, in order to get them on paper. You could then rework this in order to make it sound more academic. Would this help do you think?

Finally, there are some quite useful tips about using the first/third person in the ELLS on Oasisplus module. YOu can find instructions on how to access this in the 'News' section at the top of this page. Please go to the icon on the home page called 'Writing', then 'Academic Style' and then click on Section 1.7, Tips for avoiding I. Hope this helps!

What do other people think about using the third person in academic writing?

Have a nice day!
Gillian

I completely agree with Gillian's view of the use of the 1st and 3rd person. I really prefer to read the more academic third person in the assignments but as Gillian says when you are reflecting in a journal type entry it would be quite appropriate to use the 1st person.
Ruth

Thanks Ruth!

I hope that it all seems clearer now, Diena.

Gillian

Thank you Diena and Gillian I did get there as yet I have not been thinking of writing I am just reading. I am still unable to log into the library or oasisplus. Thanks I will get there. I have just joined this course January 2009.

HI Hyacinth,

Thanks for posting, and nice to hear from you! Hope all the log ins finally fall into place.

Reading is fine - it is often an excellent (and extended) prelude to writing. It allows you to survey the field, and to get a sense of all the different debates. Perhaps start jotting down any more 'technical' vocabulary, and keep a glossary of key terms for the field of Inclusive Education. Studying a newish subject is often about learning a new language, and reading is an excellent way of increasing one's knowledge of key vocabulary or terms for that subject.

Enjoy the day!
Gillian

I experienced technical difficulties. I am now back thanks Yes in my reading I have encountered many new words expanding my vocabulary is happening. I will try getting into oasis plus today. Happy to be back pray no more technical difficulties. Hya

Hi Gillian, Hi everybody! I think, I should greet most of you for the first time as I do not often take part in discussions. Of course, I could easily count out at least a few reasons why is that... like difficult work in autistic department, mother of two, lots of reading to go through, but frankly speaking the most significant reason, I feel, is that English is my second language and I have huge reservations in presenting it openly. You will not believe how hard and stressful it might get. Even this short passage I have corrected at least twice. But do not feel sorry :-).I am aware that this is completely unreasonable threat but it is so hard to break the barrier for me. Anyway, I hope to talk to you more and promise to be more productive and creative in my writing. By the way, "It does not rain but it pours" and my second weakness have become my IT skills. My expertise in this field really needs a huge update. I had loads of trouble in accessing midwheb at the start and all registration process and now I am running late with everything. I have managed to access ELLS just today after updating my browser to a required standard. I did not know that all before. Last but not the least I still cannot transfer my files from PC onto my folder on midwheb. Can anyone instruct me how you do it? So far I transferred bits and pieces of content from my files by copying and pasting but then I could not control the layout and so on... Sorry for that heart on the sleeve,maybe its "January blues"?

Hey. Ok, i hope I am right about this so here it goes:
a) sign in and enter the "my folder" link.
b) Once you are in there click on the "add new" link which then subopens a number of choices for you.
c) click on file
d)that opens an "add file" page. Enter a title and a short description if you wish and then click on the "browse" button. That automatically pops up a window with your files. It might not be in the correct location so change the "look in:" information to wherever you've saved your work. Once you find your file click on it and then click on the "open" button.
e) when you are finished click on "save" and you are done!

Hope this helps!

Thanks Christiana - this is helpful!

Gillian

I just tried and it worked to put something in my folder. Thanks again Christina. I am so concerned the 20th. is around the corner.

Hi Iwona,

Lovely to hear from you! I find your message highly communicative and very well expressed, even though I know how very difficult it is to present your ideas in another language. I speak French and some Modern Greek, and I know how inhibiting it can be to worry about whether my grammar and vocabulary are correct when I am writing or speaking. But I guess the key point is to concentrate on getting meaning across - this is what most readers or listeners will focus on! And I think you do this effectively in your message to us all.

So, maybe this is a useful strategy when writing academically too - to first concentrate on MEANING, and then 'tidy up' the grammar afterwards. Of course, sometimes incorrect grammar can alter the meaning, but this is something that should perhaps be dealt with after trying to communicate the key points of what you want to say. Of course, you are all welcome to send me drafts of work and I will then try to identify key grammar errors for you to work on in the future. I can this being a Grammar Doctor - identifying the 'symptoms' and then suggesting a 'cure' (which might involve some self-study of a particular grammar area.)

Are there any other strategies that can help with the difficulties of doing an academic course in another language? Does anybody have any other suggestions? Please let me know!

Cheers!
Gillian

Hi Iwona, I'm glad that you have found Gillian's discussion a good place to join in. As you can see all of the students are a huge resource to each other and personally I am full of admiration fro anyone who can write academically in a 2nd language.
As for ICT each one of us struggles with technology at some point - you are certainly not alone! Christiana's advice below is a great help. Also be aware that I have trouble opening up Word docs that are in a 2007 format.
All best, Ruth

Hi
You did not say your name I have not tried placing anything in my folder as yet. IT i am now learning so I am learning to write learning IT learning more about inclusion learning learning so you are going with many of us. Thanks for sharing Hya

This is February and I am like you were in January and nervous as I read that March 20th. we are to hand in assignment.
Gillian I have been coming along sssssllloooowwwwly with the IT and updating the computer etc. As I read I have been writing in my physical note pad, am I to try writing there notes in my folder?

HI Hyacinth,

Thanks very much for this - I know that it is really frustrating getting the hang of things. Just keep plugging away and I am sure that eventually it will fall into place.

I am really sorry but unfortunately I can't answer your question as I can only answer questions relating directly to academic writing in general. Can anybody else give Hyacinth the advice she needs?

Gillian

Hi Gillian. Sorry for this is not an actual question but I cant seem to find your email address. Where could I find it as I could need some help with my references?

Hi Christiana,

My email address is G.Lazar@mdx.ac.uk, and you are welcome to email me. However, if your questions are likely to be relevant to everybody on the discussion board then why not post them up here? That way, everybody benefits!

Gillian

Hi. I know my referrences are wrong but I am not entirelly sure in what way they are incorrect so I would like to send them to you!Thanx!

That's fine Christiana! I'll take a look! Do also have a look at the 'Referring to sources' section on the homepage of ELLS on Oasisplus, as this has a lot of information about referencing.

Gillian

hi, i have got my references all wrong, can u give some tips on referncing style, thank u
Aliya

Hi Aliya,

Thanks for this – you are not alone in wanting information about referencing!

Getting the hang of referencing can be quite tricky initially, but it is really worth doing as once you know how to do it, it is rather mechanical and automatic. Here are four key points to bear in mind:

1.References need to go in a) the actual body of your essay (this is known as in-text referencing) and b) at the end of your essay in a list of references/bibliography. For in-text referencing, we do not include all the information – just the name of the author and the date of publication, and if you are quoting directly the page number. All the information comes at the end in your reference list/bibliography.

2.When referencing, you need to consider the differences between:

-direct quotation (copying exactly the words of the writer)
-paraphrasing (taking the original words, trying to keep the meaning the same, but changing the words)
-summarising (taking key points only from the original writer, and putting them in your own words.)

Most assignments should consist largely of paraphrasing or summarising, as this shows your lecturer that you really understand what you have read. It is good to use direct quotations for a) definitions b) if something has been said in such a striking or even poetic way that you cannot possibly paraphrase it.

3.This is the way that you should reference, both in your actual assignment and in your bibliography:

REFERENCING USING DIRECT QUOTATION

In your essay/report you write:

Tomalin and Stempleski (1993: 8) suggest that an important practical teaching principle is to “make the study of cultural behaviour an integral part of each lesson.”

OR
It is important to “make the study of cultural behaviour an integral part of each lesson.” (Tomalin and Stempleski 1993:8)

In your bibliography/list of references, you write:

Tomalin, B. and Stempleski, S. (1993) Cultural Awareness. Oxford University Press: Oxford.


REFERENCING USING PARAPHRASE

In your essay or report you write:
Tomalin and Stempleski (1993) suggest that a key practical teaching principle is to ensure that the study of cultural behaviour is integrated into the lesson and plays a key role.

Or

A key practical teaching principle is to ensure that the study of cultural behaviour is integrated into the lesson and plays a key role (Tomalin and Stempleski 1993).

In your bibliography, you write:
Tomalin, B. and Stempleski, S. (1993) Cultural Awareness. Oxford University Press: Oxford.

Can you see the differences between direct quotation and paraphrasing?

Please note that the title of the book Cultural Awareness should be in italics.

4. For details of how to reference different types of documents, such as journal articles, edited books, etc, please go to the ELLS on Oasisplus module. If you go to the section called ‘Referring to sources’ you will find something called ‘FAQs’ which gives the details of how to reference many different documents.

Hope this helps - it can take a bit of effort getting it right in the beginning, but that will pay off in the long run!

Cheers!
Gillian

thanks for the great tips, i am sure they will come in handy throughout the course, i hope i can get the hang of it soon.
thanks once again

Hi Aliya,

Pleased you found the tips helpful! Do keep them handy while you are writing your essays, and I am sure that they will start to become automatic.

Gillian

Hi Gillian

Thankyou for the useful tips you gave us about academic writing. I found the sections on paraphrasing and organising research really interesting and I'm sure your ideas and tips will be useful to me soon. I also agree that writing in the 3rd person makes the assignment more academic and enjoyable to read.

Thanks

Jacqueline

Hi Jacqueline,

I'm pleased you found the tips useful. Do take a look at the ELLS on Oasisplus module (Instructions at 'News' at the top of this page). You may find some more tips there.

Please do keep adding ideas and suggestions to this thread. Just to let everybody know - I will not be available from later today (Thursday) until Tuesday morning of next week. But please keep the discussion coming, and I really look forward to seeing all your ideas next week!

Gillian

Sept 08 SEN and Inclusion

Hi Gillian,
I found great difficulty with the organisation of Unit 1. (probably part of my dyslexic profile) I know it seems like I dumped everything in it, with folders within folders, within folders. But I couldn't see how to place the whole lot into a few folders and still be able to guide the tutors through it. Nor could I see how to include all the preparation tasks and background information. The second part of unit one I found much easier and simiarly unit 2 so far. I know I can improve it, but I want to make sure I do not waste any more time on it. I would appreciate knowing how others have tackled this and whether youself (Gillian) can look at my folder and help me.

Marion

Hi MArion. I am having a bit of the same problem with you. I started doing unit one and I just made it in a form that helped me understand and grasp the idea better. However, after the first review and seeing that i have to clearly show where each task fall I have managed to totally confuse myself. I cant quite understand whether and where i have all parts of all tasks and this is making me anxious. Similarly, I can do task 6 in unit 2 but get confused with the ones leading to that one. So I am really looking forward to Gillian's reply and anything anyone else has to advice us!
Christiana

Hi Christiana, I think that your query is more specific to the Module tasks. We would really like you to go through the Unit tasks and indicate to us how you have completed them. Then thread them together with clear headings of what you are covering and how you are linking them.
I wonder if making a checklist would be helpful to you. You could then go through and ensure that you have covered everything and then use it to submit as a Contents page. I think maybe it is the added problem of seeing the work on - line. Maybe you need to print it out and see it as a whole? Try to distance yourself from it and see it from the reader's perspective. Please email me with any particular problems. Ruth

Hi Christina
I am glad that I am not the only one having problems - I do feel that it would be beneficial if we could discuss the questions more openly.

You stated in your comment "Similarly, I can do task 6 in unit 2 but get confused with the ones leading to that one." I couldn't work out which is task 6 - I assume it is Planning Professional Development. I intial thought the same as you but also felt we seem to be repeating the same exercise but with a little bit more detail (like a spiral). However having completed these activities I have ended up with something of better quality then I started with.

Marion

Dear Marion, You could use lots of headings and sub -headings instead of folders. It is just so confusing for us when we are marking to keep opening so many folders. Everone found a different solution to the question of how to present the tasks but the most accessible ones had threaded a clear, logical pathway through them all. Headings were clear so you could work out which task was being covered and clear 'signposts ' were there to indicate the direction to be taken. Useful summaries provided a concise overview of the last section and then a key sentence was used to introduce the next section that you intend to cover.
Ruth
I also think that you will improve in working in this way. You will find your own ways to gather information and keep notes that you can then transfer into more formal academic writing.

Dear Marion and Christiana,

Folder organisation can be so bewildering, but I completely agree with Ruth's excellent suggestions about:
1. the use of headings and sub-headings (they choice of key words that sum up the main point of that section is key)
2. the use of a 'Table of Contents' that can be used as a checklist
3. the use of summaries for each section
4. printing it all out so that you have a physical sense of how it all fits together.

A few other ideas:

1. Colour code different sections so that you write the titles for the same section in the same colour while you are working on the document. Once you have finished it, you can remove the colours before you send it to your lecturers.

2. Draw a 'tree' of the organisation of the folders. For example, if you are going to have two main sections then the top of the tree would split into two branches. If one of the main sections has six sub-sections then you can draw the sub-branches, each with a different heading. Sometimes plotting an assignment visually helps with organisation and allows you to see how all the different parts of inter-related.

Please experiment and let us know what works best! You'll probably come up with other excellent strategies, which it will be good to share.

Gillian

is there a visual example of that?

Good idea! Does anybody have a visual version of their folder organisation? I have some examples from other subjects, but I think it would be much clearer if it related to your course.

Can it be attached to this discussion board, or could you post it up somewhere else on this site?

Gillian

Gillian, I always get nervous when I try to critically analyse something. What does "critically analyse" something exactly mean? Challenge it, find its strengths and limitations or what?

Christiana, yes you are right about challenging, finding strengths and limitations as important elements of critical analysis. You are not alone in getting nervous about this - many students have the same problem. Prior to Gillian responding, I thought it might help you to think about how we critically analyse in our everday life, for example by critically analysing a film or TV programme that you have watched you might start by thinking about its limitations/ what was bad about it and then what was good about it/its strengths. One such (brief) reflection might be as follows “The last episode was really awful. I don't see why the story had to be so depressing and I felt that they were being very unfair as they didn’t portray the point of view of the young girl in the story. However, they certainly highlighted the problems that happen in such circumstances and made me question what I would do if I ended up in this situation”.

You can also think about having a discussion/debate/even an argument if you feel that strongly about a film/ programme/book/ with a friend and how you would develop your point of view in response to what you friend might be arguing, but always having something ready to support your side of the argument to make it stronger!
Whilst this is a simple example it helps to understand the basic concept of critical analysis – for the purpose of your work on this course it is analysing/considering individual theories say or policies, or people’s opinion/viewpoint, then questioning elements of the theory/policy/opinion, etc looking at the strengths and weaknesses and exploring and analysing alternative/other similar theories/policies, etc. It will help to make your argument a stronger one by drawing from relevant literature/research to support what you are arguing.
Hope this helps to get you thinking about it!
Pauline

Hi Christiana,

Thanks for this posting - I think this is an area that often causes difficulty in academic writing, and I completely agree with everything that Pauline has said in her excellent posting.

I think that it is a really good idea to start with your own experience, e.g. when thinking about implementing inclusion, you will have your own anecdotal experiences to draw on when considering how this can be done, what works, what does not, etc. So talking to friends or colleagues is a good starting point.

To analyse, you need to be thorough, systematic and methodical. This means trying to look at the ideas or theoreis in detail, while considering different points of view. To be critical, you need to consider the strengths and weaknesses of a particular view or theory, why these may be strengths and weaknesses, and how different theorists, writers or educational policies deal with these. This is where you try to link your ideas with the literature, so that, as Pauline says, you are able to support your arguments with reference to the field.

So, it's a kind of process of reflecting on what you already know, reassessing it in the light of what you read, and then trying to see the positives and negatives before reading a balanced conclusion.

Hope this helps!

Gillian

Thank you so much. This was indeed very useful and I am a bit more settled about what i should be doing when I critically analyse something!

I'm glad that the discussion has been so helpful. You could begin to read some of the suggested books (or books in the Book Club section ) from this perspective. Identify how the authors are critically analysing as they write.
For instance in the Jill Boucher book on Autism she manages to consider many of the recent theories on the causes of Autism over the last thirty years and critiques the strengths and weaknesses of these theories as the research and medical insights have evolved. She draws out from all the previous critical commentary the theories that might still have relevance and need further study.
Starting to read more critically and raising your awareness of such analysis will help you to get into the way of writing in that style.
Ruth
Ruth

Hi Gillian, thanks for your comments they were very helpful.

When presenting information in a table form I was often writing in bullet points and due to this I feel that I was being less elaborate/ detailed. Are there any suggestions in keeping tables concise without being vague?

  

Hi Diena,

An interesting question! I think that it is inevitable that bullet points in tables are not very detailed - the way of presenting information in a table demands concision. So, perhaps some points to think about:

1. Is a table really the best way of presenting the information if you need to describe it in more detail? Could you make a table with bullet points, which act as titles or sub-titles for longer sections that follow in which you give more detail? So, the lecturer will have the table as an overview that helps with navigation, but the details are given later.

2. If only some of the bullet points need further explanation, could you put this in footnotes at the bottom of the page?

3. To make the bullet points more precise, can you think more carefully about the choice of words to use in the bullet points, so that these are very accurate?

4. Could you have a column in your table entitled 'Notes' or 'Examples' or some other appropriate heading - here you could elaborate or give more detail about the information in another column. So you have one column for key info and another for more details?

What do you think? Do any of these sound like possible solutions?

Does anybody else have other suggestions?

Gillian

Hi Gillian,

Thanks these points they are helpful, and give one the solution to elaborating with a table. But due to having a word limit would you say that you could give examples or evidence within the appendix? Or are the appendices not really looked at in detail?

Dear Diena,

I would say that appendices are definitely looked at, but you should assume that really key information should go in the body of your assignment. An appendix is typically used to include information, which backs up what you are saying, but which does not require the same detailed attention. So in an appendix, you might include the questionnaires you used to gather your data, extracts from key government documents that you you have referred to extensively, transcripts of interviews you have conducted, etc. I am not sure that an appendix is really the place to put examples.

Is there another issue behind your comment - that you have so much material to include in your word count? I know that sometimes word counts can seem like a frustrating restriction, but they are useful in forcing you to extract the KEY or MOST IMPORTANT points to include. The fact that you could say more means that you are learning a lot...but not all of this needs to go into your final document. So, by all means, include all the information when you are drafting, but then do try to be a little bit ruthless in cutting out details later on.

What do you think? Does this help at all?

Does anybody else have any suggestions about how to conform to the word count?

Gillian

Hi everyone

I had the same problems as those mentioned above in Unit 1, that is using a lot of folders and problems with critical analysis. So I thank you all for your useful tips and hopefully I will perform better in Unit 2.

Can anyone please explain what is Gap Analysis ?

Thanks

Dear Jacqueline,

Lovely to hear from you, and I am pleased that you are finding this thread helpful.

Unfortunately, I don't know what Gap Analysis is. I can help with matters relating to academic writing, but as I am not a specialist in Education, I am not sure what this means. Can anybody else help?

Is it a technical term used for a kind of methodology? In that case, would it be useful to look it up in a dictionary of educational terminology, or a book about research methodology? If you do an internet search, does the term come up at all? What does it seem to mean?

What other strategies are useful when we encounter a new term in a subject, and we don't know what it means? Does anybody else have some suggestions?

All the best
Gillian

Its been really interesting to read all the comments on this thread and thanks to Gillian for all her very practical advice. Now to gap analysis! So far in this module in Unit 1 you have all been gathering together some evidence of the current state of play within your own establishments and discovering that what you are researching is very much based on the research of others.e.g. Ofsted Reports. As you have been doing this and reading what you have found from your audit ( with some healthy scepticism it is hoped) you have probably been formulating in your heads ideas for what else you want to find out. You are now beginning to put that into a more formal plan in Unit 2. What else needs to be explored, what questions have come up that you care enough about to want to look into further, questions that you don't believe have yet been fuly answered. Its a tortuous and often uncertain process of course because as you go along the first questions that you asked will open up new and different ones and of course the ' new knowledge' that will evolve depends entirely on which questions are asked or have been left out!
Part of this process is reading so that you get a handle on the general context and from this you can then narrow the focus. The narrower the focus the more obvious become the gaps and in that stage you turn what was an initial interest into a research question, one worth asking and based on a perceived 'gap'.
Please add any commnents on this that come up for you now but there will be many more opportunities to discuss all of this in greater depth when you embark on your action enquiry modules and dissertations.

Thanks Ruth - this is very interesting and very helpful! It seems to me that this is exactly what all post-graduate study is about - identifying a gap in the research/your own knowledge and then systematically exploring what that gap is. Of course, finding the gap can involve a complex process of reading and reframing your knowledge. I think Ruth is absolutely right to describe it as a 'tortuous and often uncertain process', so one post-graduate skill is tolerating the uncertainty and 'messiness' until it starts to fall into place!

Good luck with it all.

Gillian

The torture is massive. I Give!! What ever information you need!!! Will it get better?

Hi Jessica,

It will get better, I promise! There is always a very steep learning curve at the beginning of a course, not to mention the additional complications of fitting it into already busy lives and the extra motivation required for doing it by distance learning.

So, I would say a good strategy for coping is to try to break bigger tasks down into smaller manageable tasks. Instead of feeling overwhelmed by having to write a whole assignment, break it down into tasks such as:
- brainstorming
- gathering information
- writing a draft of the first section
-writing a draft of the second section, etc

All the while, you could be noting down questions or queries to share with others on discussion boards such as this one.

Does anybody else have some good tips and suggestions for how to manage the 'tortuous process'?

Gillian

Thank you very much Gillian for the reasurrance.

HI everybody,

Just to say how impressed I've been by the interesting range of questions you have posed and comments that you have made so far on this thread about academic writing.

Do please keep posting! I'll be back again next Tuesday to respond or answer questions.

Have a good few days!
Gillian

Hello again everybody,

Hope you've all had a few good days.

Do post any comments or confusions in the next day or two - I'm around again, so will be happy to respond.

Gillian

Hi hope all is well with you.
I was wondering. If you could recommend a good academic dictionary or specific resource books to help us through. Thank you for all the other pointers.
I will be interviewing a few people. How would I put that on an academic paper and would I have to write down the reference/person involved. Wouldn't that affect the ethical issue?
 Jessica

Hi Jessica,

This is a very good question.

As far as dictionaries go, I wonder if there is a dictionary of specialised educational vocabulary in this subject? Quite a lot of what you need is technical vocabulary specific to education itself. Ruth, is there anything that you could recommend? Otherwise, any good dictionary such as Oxford or Collins should help.

As far as resource books go, do you mean resource books that can help with academic writing skills? If so, it might be easier to suggest websites, which I know that everybody can access. I would recommend the following:

1. http://www.palgrave.com/skills4study/index.asp
A very comprehensive website by Palgrave publishers that gives lots of handy advice about studying and academic writing. It is also a website that promotes their useful book: The Study Skills Handbook, written by Stella Cotrell.

2. http://www.uefap.co.uk
An extensive website written by Andy Gillett, who is an expert in teaching academic writing skills. This website is very linguistically based, so is particularly useful for students who want to focus on the language of academic writing or who speak English as a second language.

3. ELLS on Oasisplus - our module on oasisplus, which gives lots of tips about academic writing.

Do take a look at these, and let me know what you think of them.

As to your second question, I think you could avoid the ethical issue by saying 'In an interview with Ms X, she mentioned that........' In other words, can you anonymise your interviewees. In your bibliography, you could then say:

Interview with Ms X (YYYY school, Milton Keynes) 17/2009

Ruth, would you be happy with this?

Best wishes
Gillian

Gillian, I think the above suggestion covers the issue perfectly.
As to a glossary of terms with regard to Special Educational Needs - there is a useful one of these on
 teachernet.gov.uk
Hope this is what was required.
Ruth

Thank You Gillian and Ruth for the pointers.

all the best
Jessica

Dear Gillian,

I would like to thank you very much for your support. You have given me some useful tips which one would over look when writing, even something as small as commas. The website that you recommended was very useful. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handouts

If anyone is having minor mistakes in writing the website is very good and does have practical exercises which one could use to improve writing skills.

Thanks Diena - pleased you found it useful.

Jessica, this is another one that can help with writing skills - the nuts and bolts of writing, such as the use of commas.

Gillian

I appreciate you helpful recommendations so much. Thanks.

Hi, wasn't sure which thread to put this on to make sure it got noticed but is anyone else having problems as to where to put the literature review? I have read lots and made many notes which I am now ready to structure in some way but am finding it hard to see where it should be included. It is mentioned lots in Unit 2 and shows a more tabular way of recording it. However, it is also recommended as one of our planned activities in our indivdual learning plan and mentioned again in Unit 3. Also, whenever I have done a literature review before I have tended to write it in a more 'essay' form rather than tables as I am not sure that I could get the required depth and interlinking in a table - after all shouldn't we be comparing and contrasting different viewpoints and authors? I am getting to the point where I am feeling very confused about what should be handed in next month and also panicking slightly that I haven't got enough time to get it all done. Is anyone else feeling the same or is it just me?

Rachel, Unit 2 is intended to be the planning section - so with regards to the Literature Review - you should just be planning/identifying which literature you intend to use to review in the next section of the programmen(ie Unit 3). If you look at page 52 of the handbook (that is if your SEN page numbering in your handbook works the same as the SpLD handbook I am looking at) it lays out a suggested format for your Unit 2 and asks under bullet point 3 Literature Review Who are the major writers in this area of education? What has been written already on this research topic? So you would need to just refer to/identify the literature that you intend to use to answer these question according to the area you intend to focus on for your overall enquiry/research. The fact that there is a lot of information in Unit 2 regarding the literature review - is I believe to help you just to PLAN you literature review at this stage. The table format provides a useful framework in which to layout the literature you intend to review (in Unit 3) and then as you state you can then in Unit 3 critically analyse/evaluate the literature in more of an essay format where a comparison of veiwpoints and authors would be the correct way of going about it - so you are quite right here.

If you look in Unit 3 on page 60 of the handbook (again it may not be exactly the same) it asks for you to Develop a Critical Review of the Literature - so this is where you are intended to do what you are referring to.
I hope this helps!
Pauline

Thanks Pauline - this is very helpful.

Gillian

Thanks Pauline - very helpful indeed and you have really clarified things. I can now see why there is a lot of detail in the planning section. Seems I have got a bit ahead of myself and in doing so confused it all in my head!

Thanks, Pauline - you have clarified this very well and answered many questions. Unit 2 is only a plan in preparation for unit 3.

I'm sorry. I think I've done this all wrong. Was I to choose on literature item, such as a book or article, or can it be differenct forms of literature? I think I've lost my way some where. does a resource book count as literature?

hi everyone. It was good to read other peoples' reactions cause I was thinking it was just me! anyhow, I am not sure this is the place to ask this but I have found that as I progress into unit 2 i am thinking that everything that i said i d do at the end of unit 1 might not be plausible. For example although I want to focus more on two cases studies of behavioral and emotional difficulties I had also found a need for a general guidebook for my school. Now it seems a bit impossible to do everything. So my question is: Is it possible to make small changes so that it fits what i think i am able to do? so for example, instead of making a general guide on best practices, i could maybe do a guide on practices when teaching children with emotional and behavioral difficulties?does this make sense?

Christiana, Your plan sounds a good one to me but Ruth will need to confirm as she is your module tutor.
All the best
Pauline

HI everybody,

This is just to remind you that I will be with you all on this discussion board until the end of this week (28th February). So, please do use the next few days to post up any general questions about academic writing or English language skills. I'm sorry if I am not always able to help with the more specific questions relating to the Course assignments, but I am not a specialist in the way that Ruth or Pauline are.

Remember, of course, that you are welcome to email me with comments or questions after the 28th. My email is G.Lazar@mdx.ac.uk and I will be happy to respond to your messages.

So, any questions, comments, queries, etc?

Gillian

Dear Gillian

I would like to thank you so much for the brilliant suggestions you gave us regarding academic writing. I am sure that this hotseat was very useful to many of us on the course.

A special thankyou also to Pauline and Ruth for their contribution and help whenever I needed them.

thank you so much Gillian, your comments and tips have been very helpful.

Thank you both! I have very much enjoyed working with this group. Although I will not longer be dropping into this disucssion, please remember that you can all email me at G.Lazar@mdx.ac.uk, if you have any further comments or queries.

Good luck with the course!
Gillian

Hello Gillian, thanks for the posting. I listened to the sound file which is not too long and give enough info. I am looking thru' your weblink on Learner Unit. I look forward to you being on Hotseat come 1 Nov. I would like to know your email address please. It's hard to copy it down from the sound file. Thanks in advance! Cheryl