Post 14: Thanks for All the Great Ideas

It was luck that had me look at Twitter 14 days ago.  If I hadn't, I would never have joined #28daysofwriting.  I would never have started to write on this blog again and I would never have read so many interesting posts by other writers.

Last night a tweet by Ewan McIntosh led me to notosh and that post and the site has had me thinking all day.  I am giving a workshop on citation and research techniques and sources after my half term break to our diploma students who will be starting their extended essays.  I am not happy with the effectiveness of past workshops.   Students need this information and yet don't seem all that interested in taking it on board.

Then I read the following:

• "KFC:What do you want your reader / student / parent / teacher / peer to know, how do you want them to feel about it, and what do you want them to commit to?
• Don't use the 'F' word - use the 'B' wordDon't list off the features of your latest product / school / initiative / programme of work / technology roll-out. Tell us the benefits in our lives. This works in the same way as I suggest people should pitch new ideas to their peers: start with a 'pain', turn the thumbscrews until we're begging for an answer, and then tell us all about how your idea is going to make our lives so much better.
• FAB: Grab me by the ... benefitsFeatures first, then tell me the general advantages of working in this way might be, and then tell me the benefits to me personally.
• Don't assume I'm paying attentionToo many governmental policies, school strategies and "research-based" approaches to learning simply assume that the audience should be receptive to the new idea. This is a fatal flaw, and undermines even the best ideas. Assume that your audience has plenty of other far more interesting things to be doing, and write your strategy or pitch to wrestle their attention back towards you. Try starting the strategy with the words "How" or "Now" and see how people want to take part in making it happen."

From it I realised that I did need to pitch 'the pain' to these students by showing what would happen if they didn't cite their work correctly, how using inappropriate or unreliable sources would lead to a lower mark. Then I would go on to pitch the benefits of taking on board what I had to say in the workshop and subsequent subject specific workshops.  I do make the mistake of assuming that students want to to know what I have to tell them, despite the fact that in my heart of hearts I know that only some of them believe that I know more than they do and that what I have to tell them will help.

This has given me much food for thought as I prepare for the week after next.

As for the website, Notosh, I went on to look at that and found riches galore!  I will definitely be working my way through this week.  I particularly like this PDF to be used when developing the resources for a topic.