Foundations of success in academe: Research, writing, organization …and reflection Dannelle D. Stevens, Portland State University Joanne E. Cooper, University of Hawaii AERA Professional Development Workshop San Diego, 2009

Agenda I. Introductions II.Challenges: Focused Freewrite III.Research: Reflection in adult development IV.Writing: Lists V.Writing production: Research-based strategies BREAK VI.Journal keeping as a teaching, writing and research resource VII.Writing: Dialogue with inner mentor VIII.Writing: Concept-mapping & stickies IX.Writing: Letter from the future with action plan X.Final thoughts….

II. Let’s Write: Focused freewrite Focused freewrite on challenges/opportunities in your current work

III. Research on role of reflection in adult development “Our narratives are the means through which we imagine ourselves into the persons we become” (Hopkins, 1994, p. xvii).

III. Research on the role of reflection in adult learning “…any writing and reading of our lives presents us with a challenge that is at the heart of every educational experience: making sense of our lives in the world” (Grumet, 1990, p.3).

III. Our Research: Role of Reflection on Professional Life Academics use journals in their professional lives for:  Organizing  Collecting ideas  Conversing with themselves  Reflecting  Examining assumptions (Cooper & Stevens, 2006)

IV. Let’s write: Lists  Lists: Make a list of what you know about academic writing and how to produce it.

V. Writing production: Research-based strategies  Freewriting & Focused Freewriting  Dialogue  Concept Mapping  Becoming a student of writing  Daily writing- even 15 minutes

BREAK! 15 minutes Meet and greet someone new…

VI. Journal keeping: Teaching, writing & research resource Formatting the journal Using for metareflection on teaching or research and…. ….. Check the handout for many other ideas

VII. Let’s write: Dialogue Dialogue: Write to someone, something, even some feeling. Change lines for each speaker.

VIII.Let’s write: Concept mapping  Concept mapping: Generate ideas. Cluster. Connect. Write sentences below. Organize…… start writing!

IX. Let’s write: Letter from the future Letter from you to you from 1, 5, 10 years in the future. Consider your challenges. Consider an action plan..

X. Final thoughts… There was so much to write. He had seen the world change; not just the events; although he had seen many of them and watched the people, but he had seen the subtler change and he could remember how the people were at different times. He had been in it and he watched it and it was his duty to write of it. Hemingway from The Snows of Kilimanjaro (p. 64) And thank you…from Dannelle & Joanne