Topic 1.2: Writing Communities and Peer Support

Writing Communities and Peer Support

In this course, you will be asked to read texts, record your thoughts and reactions, and then share those thoughts in writing. You will write drafts of essays that narrate, describe, and relate personal experiences, and then share them in discussion forums where you will rely on peer support to work toward fully developed and refined essays. By participating in these activities, you will build a writing community; you will develop a relationship with other writers through open discussion about writing in general and your writing in particular.

For some fearing judgment and criticism, posting to discussion forums can be intimidating. For others, posting to a forum may feel as informal as posting a status update to some social media website. To build a successful writing community, all participants need to keep the following in mind:

1. Manage time well and stay organized.
   You will post often in this course, and you will want to make sure you develop enough in the way of conscious and critical writing that you're providing your peers—your writing community—with quality analysis and insights. Active reading and preparation will ensure that what you post is, indeed, something you would like to contribute toward a lively and engaging conversation.

2. Participate fully.
   This course is designed to be highly interactive and collaborative. Plan to log in to the course often and to be at your best when you interact with your peers and the course content. Post frequently to the discussion forums. Comment on students' posts, volunteer to share a written assignment, be a group leader, and ask thoughtful questions.

3. Have a good attitude.
   Even if you do not enjoy writing, keep an open mind and be willing to try out new things. If you do enjoy writing, encourage others by explaining some techniques that have worked for you—so they might enjoy a little of your confidence!

4. Share only what you want to share.
   While many of the discussion topics will be drawn from your personal experiences, students are not asked to share information that is so personal they feel exposed before the rest of the class. Think about what you would not mind sharing and choose those topics.

5. Respond with support and respect.
   Make sure you follow the syllabus guidelines for netiquette on forum posts, and when participating in peer revisions of essay drafts, support your peers with constructive feedback—find the strengths of the work, look for the big ideas, note where details bring the writing alive. When offering advice, don't be afraid to examine writing with a critical eye; just make sure you offer advice in a manner you would like to receive it! Also, be specific in your praise or advice. Saying "I thought the essay was really well done" does not tell a writer what, where, or how the writing was "well done." Your job as an editor in the writing community is to focus and to communicate with other writers as precisely as you can!