PC Lecture 9-.pdf

Critical Thinking,
Collaboration, and the
Writing Process

Is writing a product or a process?

Then Now
Many students think of
writing as a matter of
placing words upon paper.
Writing is a social activity;
therefore, it can be a means
of learning and discovery.

When people think of writing as a
process, they are more involved in
the process of learning about the
subject, other people’s ideas, and
their own writing.

• The pre-writing stage is defined as “everything that
takes place before the first draft”.
• It begins with brainstorming exercises and preliminary
research to select a topic.
Choosing a Topic and Limiting it

Once a topic has been chosen,
this should be limited based
on the type of written output
required.
Choosing a Topic and Limiting it

Student writers should ask the following practical questions:
1) What are the objectives (of the course or the professor) that
need to be met by this paper?
2) What are my objectives in writing this paper?
3) What are the length requirement of this paper?
4) How much time do I need to write it?
5) What are the other restrictions or limits imposed by the
professor or the course?
6) What has already been written about the topic, and what
new ideas can I add to the conversation about it?

Examples of notes leading up to the selection of a narrow
and focused topic:
Brainstorming: Philippine culture expressions, terms behavior, and
practices unique to the Philippines like “Ano ba yan!”, “ukay-ukay”,
“Philippine hospitality”, bringing home pasalubong, and the so-called
tingi-tingi-system
General Topic Selected: The tingi-tingi system (the practice of
buying and selling by piece or small amounts, e.g. one stick of
cigarette versus a pack, a sachet of shampoo versus a bottle)
Specific Topic: The cultural significance of the tingi-tingi system in
the 21st century

The next helpful step is to
barrage the specific topic
with questions to come up
with the essay’s main
research questions.
Asking Research Questions and
Establishing the Significance of One’s
Research

The answers to the questions listed here can
be readily looked up?
1. What does tingi-tingi system mean?
2. What is the nature of tingi?
3. Who exactly practices this?
4. When did this practice begin?
5. Where is this practiced? In what
context/s?

Questions that ask how and why are more likely to invite a
deeper research and lead to more interesting answers:
1. Why is tingi-tingi a prevalent practice in the
Philippines?
2. How did it develop? How was it practiced in the past?
How is it practiced today?

Finally, the student should pose a tougher question, the ”so
what?” question: Now that I know all of this, so what? What
makes my research socially or culturally significant?
Brainstorming Research Question: What cultural and social
values, as well as realities, led to practice of buying and
selling by tingi? What impact does it have on buyers and
sellers? What larger implications does this have about life in
the Philippines and its socio-economic system, especially today?
Main Research Question: Why is the continued use of the tingi-
tingi system in the 21st century Philippines significant?

This is the explicit statement of what
will be the paper’s central idea,
point, or argument, that is-–the main
assertion that will be supported by
the entire essay.
It is also, essentially, the tentative
answer to the research question.
Composing a Thesis Statement

Research Question: Why is the continued use of the tingi-
tingi system in 21st century Philippines significant?
Thesis Statement: The continued use of tingi-tingi system
in 21st century Philippines reflects a lack of change in
the economic situation of the Philippines, as those from
the many poorer sectors are forced, due to lack of
available funds, to buy both small and think in short
term.
Composing a Thesis Statement

The thesis statement should be
provided early in the essay, in
the introductory paragraphs, so
that the readers will know at the
outset what to expect.

An outline consists of three
main sections, the introduction,
the development, and the
conclusion.
Preparing a Writing Outline

In an academic paper, an introduction typically consists
of an interesting opening to draw the reader into the
subject, background information on the topic, and a
statement of the paper’s thesis.
Optional components are the papers objectives and its
plan of development, which is an explanation of how the
main idea will be developed.
Preparing a Writing Outline

• In an academic paper, an introduction typically
consists of an interesting opening to draw the reader
into the subject, background information on the topic,
and a statement of the paper’s thesis.
• Optional components are the papers objectives and its
plan of development, which is an explanation of how
the main idea will be developed.
Introduction

• The next section called the development will make up
the body or largest part of the essay.
• It should be more detailed and specific.
• The subheadings in this section should consist of
three or more subtopics that act as supporting points
for the essay’s central idea.
Development

• This typically contains a wrap-up or summary of the
essay’s main points and a final point: prediction or
recommendation, a reiteration of the main idea,
and/or a final insight.
Conclusion

• The main headings of the first level use Roman numerals (I, II,
III, and so on).
• The second level headings use capital letters (A, B, C, and, so
on).
• The third-level headings use numbers (1, 2, 3, etc.).
• The fourth-level use lower-case letter (a, b, c, and so on).
• The fifth-level headings use lower-case Roman numerals (i, ii,
iii, and so on).
• An outline for an academic essay typically has two to four
levels.
Format of the Outline

• A student may opt to write a topic outline in which items are
written as phrases, or sentence outline, in which items are
written as complete sentences.
• Whichever is chosen, it is important to maintain consistency
and parallelism.
• The first letter of the first word of each item should be
capitalized.
Format of the Outline

Thesis: The abuse of alcohol and drugs can affect a person economically,
psychologically, and physically.

• A writer must first do research and gather information from a
wide variety of sources available.
• While doing research is not necessarily a separate and isolated
step, it is sometimes helpful to spend an amount of time
focused on evaluating sources, gathering useful information
from these credible sources, and taking notes on what can be
used for and cited in a planned essay.
Doing Research and
Finding Credible Sources

It is important to remember that
the Internet, while a very helpful
resource, is a public venue or
forum where any person may make
a claim or assertion.
Anyone may represent opinion and
falsehoods as news, facts, or truth.
Doing Research and
Finding Credible Sources

• Check the URL on the browser’s address
bar.
• Sites with “.edu” domain names are
generally viewed as as credible as
these are run by educational
institutions.
• Sites with “.com” domain names are
commercial sites with monetary
incentives as their main agenda.
How to verify that the source is
valid, credible, and reliable?

• Read the “About Us” section of the
website.
• This will help one to verify whether or
not the information is being provided
by an expert or authority on the
subject.
• It also adds credibility as this is an
indication that authors and publishers
are accountable for their work.

• Review the content for relevance, depth,
breadth, and accuracy.
• The information should be related to the
subject one is studying and provides
the appropriate depth and coverage of
the topic.

• Look at the sources cited.
• If the website is credible and reliable,
the information will include ideas cited
from other sources.
• Review the website for broken links
which indicate that the information may
bot be valid or legitimate.

• Use search engines that lead
researchers directly to scholarly and
reliable sources like Google Scholar.
• Also, there are good reasons teachers
and academics prefer print sources
because they go through long and
rigorous publishing process.

PC Lecture 9-.pdf

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PC Lecture 9-.pdf