Anyone who studies must be able to write scientifically. This podcast provides tips, tricks and instructions studierendenWERKs BERLIN.
season 2
Episode 1: Time management and scheduling
Welcome back to Writing conversation – the Writing Center podcast studierendenWERK BERLIN! We are now back with a second season in which we would like to introduce you to exciting topics relating to academic writing and work and give you little tips and tricks. In this first episode we focus on the topic of time management, a “perennial favorite” among students as well as in our writing consultancy. Ana and Eszti will guide you through the phases of a thesis, explain the difference between macro and micro schedules, and introduce you to different types of weekly schedules and other exercises that might be useful in structuring your work and free time. In this episode you will also find out why it is advisable to “keep the soup simmering” and what flower plants on the balcony have in common with planning writing projects.
Many thanks to Danilas Abukevicius for editing the episode!
Journaling: Classic diary writing, mental “garbage removal” or an effective method for self-reflection? In the second episode, Constanze and Eszti talk about what journaling is all about and what lasting, positive effects it can have. What is a gratitude journal or a success journal? How can journaling techniques help you reduce stress or boost your creativity? How can a work journal support you in the academic writing process? And how do you even start journaling? At the end we will also introduce you to a short exercise so that you can try it out straight away and do a little journaling!
Creative writing and academic writing: Two seemingly completely different worlds and approaches to text production. In this third episode, Ana and Eszti ask themselves what exactly the differences are and how creative academic writing is “allowed” to be. This episode also highlights how creative and academic writing can benefit from and promote each other. Ana and Eszti will present you with concrete creative methods that can be helpful in the academic work process as well as tools from academic writing that can also be used in the creative writing process. And at the end you can grab paper and pen yourself, because there's something little for you to try out!
In the fourth episode we address the big question of what text feedback is and immediately establish what it is not is or cannot afford. Juliane and Eszti look at both perspectives, that is: giving feedback and receiving feedback. Whatever the “end point” of text feedback you are at, in this episode you will find out why text feedback can be beneficial and what you should keep in mind when, for example, you give your fellow students or friends feedback on their academic work. Juliane also tells us a lot about process, processing incentives from a benevolent outside perspective and her own experiences with really good or really bad feedback. And a little spoiler, in case you didn't know: text feedback is also offered in our writing center - so you can send us your text excerpts (up to 5 A4 pages)!
In the fifth episode we focus on a topic that, although not directly related to academic writing, is still part of the everyday life of most students: contacting and communicating with lecturers. First-year students in particular can find it difficult to find the right tone and interaction with lecturers or supervisors. In the anonymity of larger universities, students sometimes feel left alone with theses and subject-related questions. In this episode, Constanze and Anna talk about such difficulties and also give you practical tips on how you can solve them, what is important when arranging consultation hours and how, for example, a change of perspective when writing emails to lecturers could help you. They also introduce other contact points for support during your studies and finally give you a little suggestion on the topic.
Episode 6: Academic writing as a first generation student – working class child
What is it like to be the first person in the family to study and handle the writing tasks that come with it? Kirsten talks about this in episode 6 with Adelina and Katharina, who look back on their experiences during their studies. The two of them are involved in the initiative on a voluntary basis arbeiterkind.de and thus also support young people who are the first in their family to aim for a university degree. What specific difficulties did Adelina and Katharina face in relation to their written assignments? What helped them overcome it? And is it perhaps also an advantage to come from a family with no academic background and to have an appropriate perspective on course content and methods? Are there any tips you would give students from your current perspective? Both have now completed their studies, but they also report that the topic of “writing” is still important to them.
Why do we read in college anyway? What are the differences between academic reading and “private” reading, i.e. reading for leisure? What different purposes can reading serve and what different reading techniques are there? In this seventh episode, Merle and Eszti explore these questions, among other things. They talk about the challenges of reading and give you a few tried-and-tested strategies: For example, how to cope with the mountain of literature, how to put an end to your research at some point or how to sort your notes that may have degenerated into chaos. In this episode you will also learn why it is advisable to set reading goals and how you can research more consciously and save time and energy by choosing the right reading technique.
What actually characterizes my writing process? Which writing strategies can help with my specific problems when writing academic papers? Anna and Charlotte talk about the division of writers' approaches into structure-followers and structure-creators and their own experiences as structure-creating and structure-following writers. They give tips on which writing strategies can help in which phase of work in order to change disruptive behavior when writing.
In this first episode of the “Writing Conversation” podcast, our student writing tutors Paula and Julian introduce you to what the Writing Center is for studierendenWERKs Berlin is there, and what writing advice and peer tutoring actually mean. You will get an overview of the different phases of writing and what the writing center has to offer, which is available to you as a member of partner schools studierendenWERKs Berlin can be used for free. This includes individual advice, text feedback, our learning materials and our numerous workshops. We also try to clarify some of the questions students may have before contacting us.
Many thanks to Danilas Abukevicius for editing the episode!
Episode 2: How do I motivate myself in the online semester?
In this second episode there is a special – on the topic of motivation. Kai and Julian will give you an overview of typical problems that arise when it's in the basement again, and then try to offer you some helpful solutions to get the engine going again. Here you will learn how important exchange with other students is and why structure and realistic scheduling, for example by means of a weekly plan,To do list or the Pomodoro method, can have a motivating effect.
Many thanks to Danilas Abukevicius for editing the episode!
The third episode, “Writing Conversation,” is about the first phase of the writing process: finding and narrowing down topics. Kai and Julian will discuss for you how you can activate your own knowledge and convert it into a suitable topic, and why a question (the research question) and an exposé can represent great intermediate goals on the way to the finished work. You will also find out what the infamous “methods chapter” actually is and why asking good questions is your best preparation for it. We'll also tell you how you like it Topic delimitation table help you find a topic and a question, and that Flash exposé can help with writing an exposé.
Many thanks to Danilas Abukevicius for editing the episode!
The fourth episode, “Writing Conversation,” is about the second phase of the writing process: the procurement of material, or in other words: the collection of sources. This time Juliane and Julian talk about why working with sources is actually so important in scientific discourse, how you can identify and evaluate good sources, and how dealing with sources is reflected in scientific practice, among other things different reading techniques different from the reading you are used to in your private life. We'll also clarify once and for all how many sources are actually enough for a term paper, where you can best find them, and whether you really have to read every article from start to finish.
Many thanks to Danilas Abukevicius for editing the episode!
The fifth episode, “Writing Conversation,” is about the phase of material structuring – preparation for writing. In this episode, Kai and Julian explain how the structure of your exposé can be further developed so that it offers you a roadmap for the writing phase itself, and what questions you have to ask the individual chapters red thread can have to do. You will also learn why the so-called “enrollment period” is part of the writing process and that getting into writing also means acquiring knowledge through writing.
Many thanks to Danilas Abukevicius for editing the episode!
The sixth episode, “Writing Conversation,” is about what many students find most difficult about academic work: getting into writing. In this episode, Kai and Julian focus on the different types of writing, the importance of reflecting on your own writing style, and the question of how to do that Freewriting and the Focus sprint can help intellectual people to start writing. We also explain the principles of writing thinking, the benefits of separating a rough draft from the final draft, and briefly discuss writing in multiple languages towards the end.
Many thanks to Danilas Abukevicius for editing the episode!
The seventh episode, “Writing Conversation,” is about revising and correcting, the final steps before submission. In this episode, Juliane and Julian talk about the difference between correction and revision, the so-called “higher-order concerns” such as comprehensibility, congruence and the pursuit of a goal in the text, and the so-called “later-order concerns” such as grammar, spelling and linguistic elegance. You will also learn why it can make sense to do several revision steps, how you can set a goal for each of these individual stages and what should be taken into account when revising the individual components of your work.
Many thanks to Danilas Abukevicius for editing the episode!
Episode 8: Writing in German as a foreign language
The eighth episode, “Writing Conversation,” is about writing academic papers in German as a foreign language. Kirsten and Julian talk about difficulties that can arise from using German as a foreign language when doing academic work and about the special formal requirements of German homework. We look at the problems of multilingual writing from a writing didactic perspective and point out assistance such as this Handout on scientific speech or Digital dictionary of the German language while giving you strategies to turn these problems into strengths.
Many thanks to Danilas Abukevicius for editing the episode!
Special - Episode 9: How do I apply for a scholarship?
For a change, the ninth episode “Writing Conversation” is not about writing academic texts, but rather about the application process for scholarships and the application letter contained therein. Constanze and Julian report why you should apply for a scholarship at all, exactly which ones are available, and why it is of great advantage to work out your own profile as precisely as possible when choosing the right scholarship and writing the application letter.
