[英語教學資源中心] 談同儕和自我編輯寫作策略

國立政治大學英語教學資源中心於5月30日在指南校區達賢圖書館的達賢講堂舉辦了「Strategies for peer- and self-editing, in and out of the classroom」寫作工作坊，這是繼第一場「Strengths, Weaknesses, and Confusion: AI-Assisted Writing in the Classroom」之後的第二場工作坊。第一場工作坊介紹將LLMs運用在寫作及課堂教學前所需要具備的基礎知識。

本次工作坊同樣由擁有超過十年教學經驗的資深講師歐墨然（Graham Oliver）主講，旨在提高學術寫作和編輯能力。吸引了來自各個學系的師生參與，實體參與人數有40人，線上參與人數有15人。

活動開場由中心主任鍾曉芳介紹今天的工作坊及講師。歐墨然現任國立臺灣大學寫作教學中心講師，他表示：「編輯是我工作中最喜歡的一部分。我享受與作者合作，幫助他們改進自己的作品。」此次工作坊詳細講解並實作了有效的寫作編輯方法。他指出，寫作如同建造房子，結構和基礎需層層疊加，整體過程如同雕刻藝術。他強調，寫作是重複修正的過程，初稿往往充滿不當表達和結構混亂，編輯目的是刪除多餘部分、增加必要細節，使內容更清晰。他建議通過更多閱讀和寫作來提高編輯技能，因為「成為好的編輯者，可以幫助你成為更好的作家。」他還強調接受反饋的重要性，建議考慮不同讀者的需求，從不同角度看待寫作，並學會選擇性地接納反饋，以提高寫作質量和擴展思維。

在討論如何降低寫作門檻時，歐墨然引用了Anne Lamott的著名文章《Shitty First Drafts》，鼓勵參與者接受初稿可能不完美的現實。他表示，承認初稿可能不佳，有助於減輕自我編輯的壓力，並鼓勵提前在截止日期之前完成草稿，以便有足夠的時間進行編輯和改進。此外他強調，找到一個可靠的閱讀夥伴，是成為專業或學術作者的重要步驟。他建議參與者尋找同事、家庭成員或朋友，甚至是寫作中心的導師，閱讀和反饋自己的作品。現代工具如大型語言模型（LLMs）和搜尋引擎，在編輯過程中也能起到重要作用。他討論了這些工具的優缺點，並建議合理使用。大型語言模型可以提供立即的反饋，但其建議有時可能不夠準確。搜尋引擎（Google）則可以幫助確認某些短語的常見用法，從而提高寫作的精確性。

在寫作時，自我編輯常常是寫作者面臨的最大挑戰之一。由於長時間沉浸在創作中，作者往往難以察覺文章中的問題。針對這一普遍困境，歐墨然介紹了多種「陌生化」技巧，幫助寫作者從全新的視角審視自己的作品，從而有效發現潛在問題。首先是「間隔閱讀法」，將文章設定為三倍行距，迫使自己放慢閱讀速度，逐段審視，這樣可以更仔細地發現問題。其次是「倒序閱讀法」，從文章最後一個句子開始，倒著閱讀整篇文章，有助於打破慣性思維。再者是「更換字體法」，簡單地改變字體，能夠幫助作者用全新視角發現文章中的疏漏。最後是「打印和電子屏幕對比法」，在紙質版本上進行編輯，或者在不同的電子設備上查看文章，從而在不同工具下審視作品。歐墨然強調，這些方法能幫助作者跳出固有思維，特別是在語言冗長或句子結構方面，發現潛在問題。

歐墨然特別推薦大聲朗讀作為自我編輯的方法。通過朗讀，寫作者能更容易發現冗長句子和語病。讓他人或電腦朗讀文章也能提供不同的聽覺反饋，使編輯更全面。他建議參與者根據自身需求定制編輯策略，專注於個人易犯的錯誤，更有針對性地提升寫作質量。他還提供範文讓參與者運用所學技巧進行修改，現場討論熱烈。他指出，成為優秀編輯需綜合考慮文章整體性，而不僅僅是語法錯誤。他強調提供建設性建議的重要性，解釋問題所在及改進方法，這能幫助作者更好地理解和提升寫作能力。在工作坊的實踐環節中，參與者首先閱讀並反思自己寫作文本的開頭段落，然後與夥伴交換草稿，提供反饋。不僅指出需要改進的地方，還要強調文章中出色的部分。這樣的互動不僅增進了參加者之間的交流，也讓他們學到了更多實用的編輯技巧。

工作坊也為教師們提供了寶貴建議，如何有效進行同儕審查。教師應先示範，讓全班一起標記範例文章，並在反饋過程中回答問題，這能提高學生的編輯技能和對寫作的興趣。寫作是一個持續進步的過程，應強調反覆修改的重要性，鼓勵學生提交多次草稿，從而提升寫作質量並增強自信和創作熱情。歐墨然建議教師在評估學生作業時採取以下策略：首先，分開反饋和成績，讓學生專注於改進而非成績。其次，重點標記重要錯誤，專注於反覆出現或影響較大的錯誤。此外，反饋應針對寫作目標，成績則根據提交作品評定，幫助學生明確未來改進方向。他提醒教師，標記語法和格式錯誤雖簡單，但應確保學生理解如何改進，必要時提供進一步指導。他最後表示：「成長心態至關重要。」教師應強調寫作是一個沒有終點的過程。要求學生提交草稿和重寫，將最終文章擴展為之前文章的改進版。指出文章的優點及進步之處，並建議下一步可以怎麼做。

在工作坊的最後，中心的寫作諮詢成員、博士生顏郁哲向參與者介紹了寫作軟體Writefull的應用。Writefull有許多功能，例如能夠在編寫文本時提供即時語法和拼寫檢查，幫助及時修正錯誤。此外，還可以透過查詢大量語料庫，以確保用詞和用法符合標準等。希望透過這次詳細的介紹，能讓學生和老師更好地了解並應用這項工具。

本中心萬分感謝歐墨然此次的精彩分享，使老師和學生等參與者對於如何進行有效的自我和同儕寫作編輯基礎知識，有了更深入的瞭解和應用。本中心也提供全面的寫作諮詢服務，歡迎學生預約報名，將根據個人寫作問題，提供個人化的建議和指導。此外本中心提供Writefull的使用指導，幫助運用寫作工具。（更多詳細資訊，請參考英語教學資源中心的官網及臉書頁面。）

更多訊息：

第一場工作坊新聞稿連結

https://www.nccu.edu.tw/p/406-1000-16636,r131.php?Lang=zh-tw

政大英語教學資源中心 寫作諮詢預約服務

https://www.eminccu.com/writing-consultation%E5%AF%AB%E4%BD%9C%E9%A0%90%E7%B4%84%E8%AB%AE%E8%A9%A2

Writefull軟體教學文章　https://www.facebook.com/share/p/wYfj7hoLsG2d9e9H/

英語教學資源中心官網　https://www.eminccu.com/ 

On May 30, 2024 (Thursday), the EMI Resource Center held a writing workshop titled “Strategies for Peer- and Self-Editing, In and Out of the Classroom” at the Dah Hsian Lecture Hall in the Dah Hsian Library on the NCCU Zhihnan Campus. This was the second workshop, following the first one titled "Strengths, Weaknesses, and Confusion: AI-Assisted Writing in the Classroom," which introduced the fundamental knowledge required for applying LLMs in writing and classroom teaching: https://www.nccu.edu.tw/p/406-1000-16636,r131.php?Lang=zh-tw. This workshop was also led by Mr. Graham Oliver, a senior lecturer with over ten years of teaching experience, and aimed to enhance academic writing and editing skills. It attracted faculty and students from various departments, with 40 participants attending in person and 15 joining online.

The event began with an introduction to the workshop by Professor Siaw-Fong Chung, the center's director. Mr. Graham Oliver, currently a lecturer at the Academic Writing Education Center of National Taiwan University, shared, “Editing is the favorite part of my job – working with a writer to take something they’ve created and help them figure out how to make it better.” The workshop provided detailed explanations and practical exercises on effective writing and editing methods. Mr. Graham Oliver compared writing to building a house, with structure and foundation needing to be layered like a sculptural process. He emphasized that writing involves repeated revisions, as initial drafts are often full of errors and structural issues. Editing aims to remove unnecessary parts, add essential details, and clarify the content. Mr. Graham Oliver recommended enhancing editing skills through extensive reading and writing, stating, “Becoming a good editor can help you become a better writer.” He also stressed the importance of feedback, advising participants to consider different readers' perspectives and to selectively accept feedback to improve writing quality and broaden their thinking.

Discussing how to lower the barrier to writing, Mr. Graham Oliver referenced Anne Lamott's famous essay “Shitty First Drafts,” encouraging participants to accept the imperfections of initial drafts. He suggested that acknowledging that the first draft may be rough helps reduce self-editing pressure and encourages early completion to allow ample time for revision. Mr. Graham Oliver also emphasized the importance of finding a reliable reading partner as a crucial step for professional or academic writers. He suggested seeking feedback from colleagues, family members, friends, or writing center tutors. Modern tools like large language models (LLMs) and search engines can also play a significant role in the editing process. Mr. Graham Oliver discussed the pros and cons of these tools, advising their reasonable use. LLMs can provide immediate feedback, though their suggestions may only sometimes be accurate. Search engines like Google can help verify common usage of phrases, improving writing precision.

In writing, self-editing is often one of the greatest challenges for authors. Immersed in their work, they may struggle to identify issues in their writing. To address this common problem, Mr. Graham Oliver introduced various ‘defamiliarization’ techniques to help writers view their work from a fresh perspective and effectively spot potential issues. ‘Spaced Reading’: Set the document to triple line spacing to slow down reading and examine each paragraph more closely. ‘Reverse Reading’: Read the article backward, starting from the last sentence, to break habitual thinking patterns. ‘Font Change’: Simply changing the font can help authors notice overlooked errors with a new perspective. ‘Print vs. Screen Comparison’: Edit on a printed version or view the article on different electronic devices to review the work with different tools. Mr. Graham Oliver emphasized that these methods assist writers in overcoming habitual thinking patterns, especially when it comes to recognizing problems with wordiness or sentence construction.

Mr. Graham Oliver highly recommended reading aloud as a self-editing method. By doing so, writers can more easily spot long sentences and awkward phrasing. Having someone else or a computer read the text also provides different auditory feedback. He advised participants to customize their editing strategies based on personal needs. Mr. Graham Oliver emphasized that being a good editor requires considering the overall coherence of the article, not just grammatical errors. He stressed the importance of providing constructive feedback, explaining issues, and suggesting improvements to help authors better understand and enhance their writing. During the workshop, participants first read and reflected on the opening paragraphs of their texts, then exchange drafts with a partner to provide feedback. They not only pointed out areas for improvement but also highlighted the strengths of the articles. This interaction not only enhanced communication among participants but also taught them more practical editing techniques.

The workshop provided valuable advice for teachers on effective peer review. Teachers should demonstrate by having the whole class mark a sample article and answer questions during the feedback process to enhance students' editing skills and interest in writing. Writing is a continuous improvement process, so it is important to emphasize the value of revisions. Encourage students to submit multiple drafts to enhance the quality of their work, build confidence, and foster enthusiasm.

Mr. Graham Oliver recommended the following strategies for evaluating student work: separate feedback from grades to focus on improvement rather than scores; highlight significant and recurring errors; tailor feedback to writing goals while grading based on the final submission to clarify future improvement areas. He advised that while marking grammar and formatting errors is easy, teachers should ensure students understand how to improve, offering further guidance. Mr. Graham Oliver emphasized the importance of a growth mindset, highlighting that writing is an ongoing process. He suggested requiring drafts and rewrites, making final articles revised versions of previous ones, and pointing out strengths and areas for further improvement.

At the end of the workshop, Yen Yu-Che, a writing consultant at the EMI Resource Center and a Ph.D. student, introduced the participants to the application of the writing software Writefull. Writefull offers many features, such as real-time grammar and spell checks while writing, helping to correct errors immediately. It also allows users to query large corpora to ensure proper word usage and standards. The detailed introduction aimed to help students and teachers better understand and use this tool.

The center is very grateful to Mr. Graham Oliver for his excellent presentation, which gave teachers and students a deeper understanding and application of effective self and peer-writing editing. The center also offers comprehensive writing consultation services and welcomes students to make appointments. We provide personalized advice and guidance based on individual writing issues. Additionally, we offer guidance on using Writefull. Please visit the EMI Resource Center's website and Facebook page for more information.

On May 30, 2024 (Thursday), the EMI Resource Center held a writing workshop titled “Strategies for Peer- and Self-Editing, In and Out of the Classroom” at the Dah Hsian Lecture Hall in the Dah Hsian Library on the NCCU Zhihnan Campus. This was the second workshop, following the first one titled "Strengths, Weaknesses, and Confusion: AI-Assisted Writing in the Classroom," which introduced the fundamental knowledge required for applying LLMs in writing and classroom teaching: https://www.nccu.edu.tw/p/406-1000-16636,r131.php?Lang=zh-tw. This workshop was also led by Mr. Graham Oliver, a senior lecturer with over ten years of teaching experience, and aimed to enhance academic writing and editing skills. It attracted faculty and students from various departments, with 40 participants attending in person and 15 joining online.

The event began with an introduction to the workshop by Professor Siaw-Fong Chung, the center's director. Mr. Graham Oliver, currently a lecturer at the Academic Writing Education Center of National Taiwan University, shared, “Editing is the favorite part of my job – working with a writer to take something they’ve created and help them figure out how to make it better.” The workshop provided detailed explanations and practical exercises on effective writing and editing methods. Mr. Graham Oliver compared writing to building a house, with structure and foundation needing to be layered like a sculptural process. He emphasized that writing involves repeated revisions, as initial drafts are often full of errors and structural issues. Editing aims to remove unnecessary parts, add essential details, and clarify the content. Mr. Graham Oliver recommended enhancing editing skills through extensive reading and writing, stating, “Becoming a good editor can help you become a better writer.” He also stressed the importance of feedback, advising participants to consider different readers' perspectives and to selectively accept feedback to improve writing quality and broaden their thinking.

Discussing how to lower the barrier to writing, Mr. Graham Oliver referenced Anne Lamott's famous essay “Shitty First Drafts,” encouraging participants to accept the imperfections of initial drafts. He suggested that acknowledging that the first draft may be rough helps reduce self-editing pressure and encourages early completion to allow ample time for revision. Mr. Graham Oliver also emphasized the importance of finding a reliable reading partner as a crucial step for professional or academic writers. He suggested seeking feedback from colleagues, family members, friends, or writing center tutors. Modern tools like large language models (LLMs) and search engines can also play a significant role in the editing process. Mr. Graham Oliver discussed the pros and cons of these tools, advising their reasonable use. LLMs can provide immediate feedback, though their suggestions may only sometimes be accurate. Search engines like Google can help verify common usage of phrases, improving writing precision.

In writing, self-editing is often one of the greatest challenges for authors. Immersed in their work, they may struggle to identify issues in their writing. To address this common problem, Mr. Graham Oliver introduced various ‘defamiliarization’ techniques to help writers view their work from a fresh perspective and effectively spot potential issues. ‘Spaced Reading’: Set the document to triple line spacing to slow down reading and examine each paragraph more closely. ‘Reverse Reading’: Read the article backward, starting from the last sentence, to break habitual thinking patterns. ‘Font Change’: Simply changing the font can help authors notice overlooked errors with a new perspective. ‘Print vs. Screen Comparison’: Edit on a printed version or view the article on different electronic devices to review the work with different tools. Mr. Graham Oliver emphasized that these methods assist writers in overcoming habitual thinking patterns, especially when it comes to recognizing problems with wordiness or sentence construction. 

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