I just got this part time gig this week. They assume I'd have all these fresh ideas and since their whole curriculum is still a project, I was asked to make a proposal and a detailed syllabus for one of their semesters focusing on writing. Thanks for all the input. The more the merrier. Also these are business students... so it's more like business English. I hear most of the students very much dislike writing and tend to make simple mistakes on essays and such. So I recommended we do a creative writing class in hope to increase their interest in writing. And they want me to organize one with the curriculum and errthang. So I'm like "wut? this my first day doe." So that's why I'm asking your fresh ideas.
Send them a business article and tell them to re-write it in a way that makes it clearer, better, more straight forward, shorter, whatev. That's how Ben Franklin improved his writing skills. Oh, I see.
If they're not interested in writing, let them write about the obstacles/reasons for their disinterest in writing.
This! I don't see how being imaginative and doing creative writing is going to help business students learn technical writing. In fact I think it will just make them hate writing even more since this is just another ishtty assignment that occupies time. Instead assign them badly written articles and ask them to re-write them. You might just give them a formula for writing (this is what the Testmasters and similar courses do to teach writing for the SAT/GRE/GMAT). The formula can be fairly simple e.g. outline the idea and how to split that up into paragraphs; what each paragraph will contain; Write a topic sentence for each paragraph; Expand the topic idea in 4 sentences that logically follow from each other; Write a summary paragraph of the ideas suggested above and what the main takeaway is for the reader I think a key part is to give them enough examples and practice the formula.
Why, NO, I do not want to chime in on your silly thread and-- Spoiler You know what...? you know me too well, man. Way to lure me. Start with the foundations. Make sure that GRAMMAR is too legit to quit. Bring down the hammer on spelling, but keep the foundations. Try to get them to sound like they're native speakers. Everyone with whom I talk believes I'm a native speaker and it helps me get through to some people who think I was born-n-raised in 'Murica. Do a good job, man.
Make them watch a movie about writing, like Freedom writers (good movie) and make them write a review of the movie.
Have them craft out some trade scenarios that bring Dwight and one other superstar to the Rockets.... I work in elementary school so I think it is quite different.
