Essay Writing

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Essay Writing
Dr. Mark Matthews Student Learning
Development http//student-learning.tcd.ie
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Discussion (5 mins)

• How do you go about completing an assignment?
• When do you start?
• How do you get from the question to a
• completed answer?
• 1 Thing you would like help with today

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Writing Stages/Phases

1. Planning
2. Thinking
3. Researching
4. Writing
5. Editing

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Planning the assignment

• Understand the question
• Breakdown
• Verbs
• Requirements
• Length, Wording
• Referencing

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Planning time frame

• Create deadlines
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• List tasks
• Preliminaries
• Gathering Information
• Organising Information
• Rough outline
• Draft 1
• Draft 2
• References
• Proofreading

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Brainstorm Organise Key message
ideas
What do you want to say? Structure
planning
Communicating your ideas
writing
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Thinking

• Brainstorm
• Ideas
• What know
• Try mindmapping
• Preliminary reading
• Refine topic
• Continues throughout process

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Questions?

• Who are your readers ?
• Why are they reading?
• What is your goal?

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Structure

• Introduction
• outline of essay
• Main section
• Main point A
• details, evidence
• Main point B
• Conclusion
• summary of main points
• personal conclusions

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Discuss the contribution of nursing models to the
development of practice

• Key Words?
• Discuss
• Nursing model
• Practice
• Key themes arguments
• Define model
• Arguments
• Advantages Disadvantages of using models

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Discuss the contribution of nursing models to the
development of practice

• Key Message
• The are well-identified weaknesses with the
  dominant Nursing model that are overcome by using
  the new Vygotsky model.

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Outlining Level 1
1. Nursing and models 2. History of models 3. The
Markov Model Strengths Weaknesses 4. An
alternative Vygotsky 5. Conclusions
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Outlining Level 2

• Nursing and models
• 1.1 Brief history of Nursing practice
• 1.2 The purpose of a model
• 2. History of models
• 2.1 The first model
• 2.2 Development and timeline.
• 3. The Markov Model Strengths Weaknesses
• 3.1 What is the model
• 3.2 Strengths
• 3.3 Weaknesses
• 4. An alternative Vygotsky
• 4.1 What is Vygotsky Model
• 4.2 How overcomes weaknesses
• 5. Conclusions

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Outlining Level 3

• Nursing and models
• 1.1 Brief history of Nursing practice
• Began formally 1790 (Nightingale)
• Largely disorganised
• Original mission to heal
• 1.2 The purpose of a model
• Because of disorganisation, model.
• Argument for a model.
• 2. History of models
• 2.1 The first model
• Johnson 1820
• 2.2 Development and timeline.
• Model A
• Model B
• 3. The Markov Model Strengths Weaknesses
• 3.1 What is the model
• Multi-team.
• 3.2 Strengths
• 3.3 Weaknesses

Level 3
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• Title The Hazards of Moviegoing
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• Introduction
• Introductory statement
• Thesis statement I like watching movies but I
  prefer watching them at home.
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• Body
• First Supporting Idea (Topic Sentence) just
  getting to the theater presents difficulties
• bad weather
• long drive and limited parking space
• long waiting to buy ticket
• Second Supporting Idea (Topic Sentence) facing
  the problems of the theater itself
• old theater's problems such as smelly carpet,
  worn-out seat, etc
• new theater's problems such as smaller size,
  noise from next movie theater, etc
• both floors will be rubber-like dirty at the end
  of the movie
• Third Supporting Idea (Topic Sentence) Some of
  the patrons are annoying
• bad behavior such as running, talking loud, etc
• human noise and disturbance

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Introduction Outline (5 mins)

• 1. Good health v. imp
• Welfare
• Economic development
• Social development
• 2. WHOs goal
• Healthcare for all
• Balanced with countries able to pay for this
• 3. This report
• What can be done to change health systems to
  achieve universal coverage
• Builds on new research and countries experience

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• The world health report - Health systems
  financing the path to
• universal coverage
• Good health is essential to human welfare and to
  sustained economic
• and social development.
• WHO's Member States have set themselves the
  target of developing their health
• financing systems to ensure that all people can
  use health services, while being
• protected against financial hardship associated
  with paying for them.
• In this report, the World Health Organization
  maps out what countries can do to
• modify their financing systems so they can move
  more quickly towards this goal
• it builds on new research and lessons learnt from
  country
• experience.
• Taken from Executive Summary to WHO report
  http//www.who.int/whr/2010/en/index.html

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• The world health report - Health systems
  financing the path to
• universal coverage
• Good health is essential to human welfare and to
  sustained economic
• and social development. WHO's Member States have
  set themselves the target
• of developing their health financing systems to
  ensure that all people can use
• health services, while being protected against
  financial hardship associated with
• paying for them. In this report, the World Health
  Organization maps out what
• countries can do to modify their financing
  systems so they can move more
• quickly towards this goal it builds on new
  research and lessons learnt from
• Country experience.
• Taken from Executive Summary to WHO report
  http//www.who.int/whr/2010/en/index.html

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Reading Researching

• Bring evidence in as witnesses
• Gather information relevant to topic
• Keep good notes
• organise content according to outline
• choose what to include
• Keep references
• Digest and reflect on information

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Writing

• Start writing early
• extend outline
• one idea or section at a time
• get something down!
• Write first, rough draft
• Revise improve draft
• How many drafts?

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Develop your argument

• Use source material
• Compare and contrast
• Show awareness of complexities
• Show line of reasoning
• link points
• central guiding line
• Your conclusions - based on evidence

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References

• Why?
• Credit sources of information ideas
• Reader can locate for further information if
  required
• Demonstrate breadth of reading knowledge

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References

• When?
• Direct quotes
• Paraphrases
• Statistics/Studies
• Theories
• Interpretations
• Facts

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Plagiarism

• Using someones words or ideas and presenting
  them as your own (Marshall Rowland, 1998)
• Inappropriate use of ideas from books, articles,
  internet, or other students work

???
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Referencing

• Harvard referencing system
• Endnote
• Library video
• http//www.tcd.ie/Library/support/referencing.php
• Cite2Write
• http//www.cs.qub.ac.uk/emm/10170987/cite2write/

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Sample marking criteria

• Focusing on a topic
• Structuring an essay
• Content
• Formulating arguments

• Presentation
• Referencing
• Evidence of language skills
• Use of learning resources

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Editing

• Proof read
• out loud
• time out
• peer
• Write up references
• Final draft
• presentation

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Submit!

• Final deadline
• Checklist
• Feedback

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Student Learning Development
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.ie Email qs to student.learning_at_tcd.ie Phone
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