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When I returned to New Zealand from a stint working as an advisor in Abu Dhabi the education system had changed and so had the jargon of the English teacher. I often asked colleagues to moderate my marking while I got used to the new standards. "This student needs to develop her ideas more," and "They need to think perceptively if they want to move to that 'excellence' level," was often the feedback for both formal and creative writing. The more I thought about what these concepts meant, the more I wedged myself down the barrel of teacher fraud.
If I couldn't understand what these concepts looked like, how could I teach them? Worse, I'd see other teachers tell their students to "develop your ideas more" and "try to think more perceptively" and be rewarded with a compliant, "okay Miss" and "thanks Sir." If those students 'got it', why couldn't I? Yeah, nah... It took another couple of years to realise, those students weren't getting it at all! I mean, seriously, would you have understood what either of those things meant when you were a teenager? (I still struggled at 45!)
Here's how I help unpack these terms to help students with their writing. I'll let you pick out the parts that might apply more to creative writing or formal writing!
Develop your ideas
Another way this is pushed is by asking students to "add more details". But what details?
Developing your ideas is, in my opinion, your classic 'describe' and 'explain'. Tell your students that the aim is to 'show what you know'. To develop their ideas, students could:
Draw on the senses to describe more (hat is seen, heard, smelt, felt (emotionally and physically) and even tasted (a classic opportunity for figurative writing with that last one). Don't assume drawing on the senses is reserved for creative writing, though!
Describe the place, person, animal, object (see senses above for help).
Mention who - who does this, who is involved or who is affected.
Cite an authority, quoting or paraphrasing them to help prove the point.
Provide facts and statistics. (Research!)
Give examples - further proof, but also another way to help a reader understand a point.
Provide an anecdote – a snippet of personal experience engages the reader and suggests writer passion or empathy.
Give background details to help your audience see how things got to this point.
Provide a comparison to help your audience understand what you mean. Eg: an analogy, metaphor, simile, an opposite (contrast).
For a live presentation, use a prop or visual representation. You know the cliche - a picture speaks a thousand words!
Think critically...see below!
Think perceptively
Also known as thinking critically, being inciteful, including 'wider world' thinking.
Being perceptive is part of the 'analyse' and 'discuss' phase. To show how they can think perceptively, tell your students they could:
Debate the pros and cons
Consider cause and effect - especially from a speculative point of view - there's every chance this community could... This involves a bit of brainstorming using an 'If...then...' scenario.
Ask 'So what?' This happened. So what? So, what does it matter? In other words, why is this important?
Consider the perspectives of others. Put on a different lens. What do you see now? Eg:
Here in Aotearoa New Zealand we're blessed with a rich Māori culture. Thinking about: a person's mana (charisma, standing, presence); that place of 'magnetic belonging' - tūrangawaewae; the power we get through shared experiences - whanaungatanga; how we can move from a place of darkness to a place of light... All magic. If you don't have links to your country's native culture, learn more. Not only will it enhance perceptive thinking, but your students will also be privy to vocabulary and expressions that help explain concepts that traditional English just can't.
The elderly
Migrants
The wealthy...the poor...
Consider how something links to the past – how we got here, what we could have learned from our past, what we could still learn from our past. Note well: the past could mean many generations ago or last year.
Consider the present - what's happening at this time or what's illustrated about our current time. When you're in it, it's hard to see what stands out about the present. Breaking this down into settings helps to pick up trends. For example:
Physical setting (eg: climate change, animal endangerment)
Political setting (eg: elections, financial pressures, discrimination, laws, health, education…)
Social setting (eg: trends/fads (vaping, social media, health and fitness fads), what’s considered ‘socially acceptable’ (manners, tattoos), family dynamics…)
Consider what this suggests about our future. Nothing like learning from our past and present to speculate on the future!
Revel in the juicy details of human behaviour (aka human nature). This really does get students excited if you lead them in with things like:
Maslow’s hierarchy of needs (safety, love, sense of belonging, esteem). I always end up back at this pyramid!
Animal instincts (being reactive, protective).
The seven deadly sins (greed, sloth, envy, wrath, pride…).
The seven heavenly virtues (charity, diligence, kindness, patience, and humility…)
Pathos - sympathy, empathy, apathy…
Psychology - love being blind, peer pressure, consumerism, Pavlov's dogs, Robbers Cave, the first follower, the id, ego and superego...
Enjoy!
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