Effective communication skills, both verbal and written, are essential for human services professionals. By effectively communicating with clients and other professionals, you better meet client needs and influence change. In this course and throughout the program, you have the opportunity to hone these communication skills through Discussions and Assignments.For this Assignment, view the webinar Developing a Paper: From Discussion Post to Course Paper in this weeks Learning Resources. Consider how you might use this weeks Discussion posting to create a cohesive paper and effectively communicate your ideas.To complete this Assignment:
Write a 2- to 3- page paper.With the Developing a Paper: From Discussion Post to Course Paper webinar in mind, use this weeks Discussion posting to develop and write a 2- to 3-page paper on service strategies.Reminder: Proper formatting and APA citations are required. Refer to the Writing Template for Course Papers for additional guidance.
DISCUSSION:Human services professionals address needs at the micro level for individuals, the meso level for families and communities, and the macro level for whole systems (i.e., by making changes to laws and policies in response to social needs). This range from individuals to entire systems forms a continuum of possible services strategies (Bronfenbrenner, 1994). For this Discussion, review the media program Defining needed services: Chapter 2, and consider issues that are presented in the case. As you think about service strategies you might recommend at the micro, meso, and macro levels, reflect on your role in the continuum of services.With these thoughts in mind:Post a description of two service strategies that might be helpful to the clients in the media presentation, and explain why they might be helpful. Then, explain your role(s) in the continuum of services (refer to the Learning Resources) if you were the human services professional assigned to the case. (Service strategies used was *****Financial services and family Therapy)****
TRANSCRIPT of webinar
Life Cycle of a Paper
Presented Monday, April 18, 2016View the webinar recordingLast updated 5/2/2016Visual: The webinar opens with a PowerPoint slide Housekeeping in the main pod. It shows the ways the webinar will work which Beth discusses. Stacked to the right are the captioning, Q&A, and files pods.Audio: Beth: My name is Beth Nastachowski. Im going over housekeeping notes. Before I hand it over to the presenter, a couple of notes. First, we are recording the webinar. If you need to leave or would like to come back to review the session you are welcome to do so. We have different recorded webinars in the archive. You will receive a link to the archive as the follow?up for attending the session.I also note theres lots of ways to interact with us today. If you were in the lobby before the webinar started, we have polls, quiz questions. We will have some at the end and have lots of chats Jes will use today.The links in the slides are interactive. My message is to interact, engage with the session as much as possible. The more you do so, the more you engage with Jes, links, fellow classmates, the more you will be able to focus in on the session, the more you will get from the session.Note there is a Q&A box on the right side of the screen. Myself and my colleague, Sarah, will monitor it throughout. We welcome your questions and comments. We will make sure to get you an answer as soon as we can. We will also save questions for Jes to answer aloud and as part of the big group as well.However, do note if you do not get a question answered, if we are tight on time or if you think of questions later, feel free to write us at .Im happy to take technical issues you have. Let me know in the Q&A box. There is a help button at the top right corner, Adobe Connects help option.So with that, I will hand it over to Jes.Visual: The slide changes to the title of the webinar with Jess information and her picture.Audio: Jes: Thanks so much, Beth. Hi, everyone. My name is Jes Philbrook. I am a writing instructor at Walden University. Im from Columbia, Missouri. I thank you for taking the poll questions at the beginning about your writing process and things you do when working on papers and for sharing your favorite parts of the writing process.Visual: Slide #4 opens Todays Learning Objectives which Jes reviews.Audio: So thank you so much for that. So today our objectives are to work on the following. Were going to work on understanding that writing is a process. One of the questions in our little poll was about whether your process is circular and recursive. It is about that. What steps you go through.We will also work on visualizing various parts of the writing process. So, looking at different steps you can go through as you are writing a paper to help you be successful. In addition, we will look at identifying tips, strategies, to use in each part of the writing process so you will have some things in your tool belt to work on your paper and try to avoid writers block. I hope you will work together to identify areas of the process you will work to develop or improve.So. Thats what were going to be working on today.Visual: The layout and the slide changes. Slide #5 opens with the chat prompt What parts of the writing process do you find challenging? The pod with the slide is a bit smaller and a large chat pod opens at the bottom right. The Q&A and captioning pods move side-by-side to the top right corner. The files pod is not visible.Audio: To get us started, I know earlier you wrote about your favorite parts of the writing process. Take a little time, maybe a minute or two, to write about what parts of the writing process do you find challenging. Examples could be choosing a topic, creating an outline, revising, proofreading. Whatever is hard for you. Maybe just getting started. Take a moment in the chat box. I will mute myself. Then we will reconvene.[Pause]Audio: Thank you for sharing. I see a lot of having trouble getting started. You know what? You are in the right place. A good chunk of what we will focus on today is about the prewriting process, what to do to get you to drafting. I notice choosing a right topic, outlining. Awesome, yes. Those are things we will talk about today. They are things I struggle with, too. Im still writing my dissertation. And it still is a challenge to choose a topic and to outline. So we are in this together.Revision, I am noticing some of that. Excellent.Well, thank you all for sharing. I hope that todays session helps you with these areas you find a challenge. So lets move on, then, to talk a little bit about the different aspects of the writing process and what you might be working through.Visual: The layout changes back to the previous setup and slide #6 The Writing Process opens. It shows a list of steps for the process from prewriting to reflecting on your writing that Jes discusses. A large green arrow points down along the left margin of the list.Audio: So, this is an outline potentially of what the writing process looks like for writers. Usually it begins with prewriting which includes things like brainstorming and critical reading and planning and outlining. This is where people might do a mind map or might do free writing or might create an outline. It is all that stuff you do before you actually write the paper. Then typically the next step is drafting. Actually sitting down and using the critical reading notes, brainstorms, outlines to write the paper. Then sharing work and receiving feedback. That can be done a number of ways. Kind of final steps are revising based on that feedback or your own ideas. Editing, proofreading and reflecting on your writing. So while I love the outline of the steps, one of the troubles of putting it into a line like this is it does not show what the writing process is actually like.Visual: The next slide opens The Circular and Recursive Writing Process which shows the same steps but in a clockwise circle. Prewriting is at the top. Each step is in a green circle and has a thick arrow that points to the next step so that the reflecting step points back to the prewriting step.Audio: Lets go with this circle. The process is circular and recursive. Not too many people go straight from prewriting to drafting to sharing to revising to editing to reflecting. Oftentimes we are jumping back and forth. You might start with prewriting, draft, and receive feedback and realize, oh no, Im not writing what Im supposed to.Visual: Thin green arrows appear pointing across the different steps as Jes discusses the recursive process of writing.Audio: So you go back to prewriting and drafting and sharing and revising, then revising, and you realize I should add another body paragraph, then you go back to the start. So its the circular and recursive process.Visual: The previous slide with the writing process as a one-way list is briefly shown.Audio: You do not have to go from one step to the other in a line like we see in this slide.Visual: The circular and recursive writing process slide returns.Audio: Please consider this a circle, to go back and forth from the different steps as needed.Visual: Slide #8 Writing Process Case Study: An Assignment opens with a writing prompt. It reads: Choose a historical figure who lived by the Golden Rule: Treat others as you would like to be treated. Write a 2-page essay convincing your reader of that persons adherence to the golden rule. Use examples and credit sources.Audio: So to frame our discussion we will use a sample assignment and will talk through to illustrate the different things we can do. Here is the sample hypothetical assignment for philosophy class. It reads: Choose a historical figure who lived by the Golden Rule.[Referring to slide]Write a two?page essay convincing your reader of the adherence to the Golden Rule. This is a typical assignment we might see where you are directed to do an activity and told what to write. This person needs to write and convince, so its an argument, the reader about the persons adherence to the Golden Rule.Visual: Slide #9 Brainstorming through Freewriting opens. It shows three text boxes describing this which Jes talks through. The word Brainstorming is hyperlinked in the title.Audio: Many of you talked about having trouble choosing a topic. I would like to give you strategies today for potentially choosing that topic. So brainstorming and free writing are a really great way to get started in the prewriting stage.So with the sample assignment in mind, you can try free writing and you can do it with the next assignment you see coming up. A free write is a short, 15?minute burst of writing on anything that comes to mind. The 15 minutes is subjective. You can write for ten, five, 20, whatever you want to do but the idea is to write about it. Dont worry about structure or grammar or proofreading, whatever you might do for a formal paper. See if you have narrowed your focus or have usable information. For example, with this sample prompt you might look back at your writing. Did you see who is an historical figure? So I would like to encourage you to try this free writing the next time you find yourself stumped, having trouble choosing a topic. Write about the different ideas you have for a topic.Visual: Slide #10 What it Looks Like: Freewriting opens. It shows an example of a freewrite with arrows pointing out potential topics, questions about the assignment, and where the writing hones in on a specific topic. The example reads:I can think of a few different historical figures who might work for this: MLK Jr., Mother Theresa, Ghandibut I guess I dont know that much about Ghandis personal life. Although is this assignment really about personal lives, or is it more about people standing up for other people and against injustice? It seems like most of my ideas have to do with civil rights and freedom: people who stood up against authority to advocate for disadvantaged people. You know who might be fun to write about: Abraham Lincoln. Because he was both an authority figure and a game changerhe really inspired change while also being in charge. I feel like thats unique among the other historical figures who come to mind At the bottom of the slide are three text boxes reminding the participant to use casual language, to talk to yourself, and to identify the focus of the paper.Audio: Lets look at a sample. Heres a sample using this prompt. I will read it quick. It says [Referring to slide]I can think of a few historical figures who might work [reading]Visual: Jes uses a green cursor to point out different aspects of the freewrite.Audio: So what we can see here is this writer potentially was having trouble choosing the topic but then did free writing, got ideas for people that could be written about like Martin Luther King, like Mother Theresa, but maybe they realized they didnt know enough about them and came to the conclusion of Abraham Lincoln. This free write shows the writer is thinking about topics, honing in on specifics of topic. It is helpful for finding the focus.You also notice it is casual language and the writer talking to him or herself in order to identify focus of a paper.So. In the future, if you are having trouble deciding a topic, consider using free writing to help you get through it.Visual: Slide #11 Prewriting through Reading Critically opens. Prewriting and reading critically are both hyperlinked. Three large textboxes are arranged side-by-side and show Reading critically is reading and , Judging a sources scholarly value: and Considering yoru own agenda: The last two boxes have bullet points for clarification that Jes discusses.Audio: Moving on, then. Another prewriting strategy is reading critically. Now, it is easy in a class when you get readings to scan your eyes over them and hope that something sticks.What is not so easy is reading critically so you can find the important meaning of a source and what is relevant to you. So I would like to talk a little about different ways to read critically. If you would like more strategies, just so you know all of these blue?underlined components in the slide are links to material on the website. You can always read more after todays presentation if you would like.So critical reading is reading and judging a sources scholarly value which means asking questions, assessing the source and information provided. So really think about is the source credible, is the author writing this in the current moment, is this information backed up by data. Is the study something worth reading.While it is important to look at the scholarly value of the source it is also important to think about your own agenda. You can be reading the most scholarly, wonderful source out there but if it doesnt have relevant information to you, it is not useful for your paper.So you will also want to think about the source in relation to your own agenda. Do this, you can view the source with your own interest in mind and consider your assignment. As you read you will want to think about how might this source be relevant to me as I read it. We will look at a sample in a minute.Visual: The layout and slide change. Slide#12 opens and shows a chat prompt: What note-taking strategies (if any) have you used? What has worked best for you? The chat pod opens at the bottom right of the screen and the Q&A and captioning pods move back to the top right. The files pod is not visible.Audio: But first, I would like to invite you to share some of your note?taking strategies that you have used when you have written in the past. Part of critical reading and prewriting is taking notes. Oftentimes writers have unique ways to take notes that work for them. Please take a moment and describe what note?taking strategies, if any, you have used and what has worked best for you and I will mute myself while you write.[Pause]Audio: Thank you for sharing these different strategies.So I am noticing patterns throughout, again. So a lot of people write down or highlight key points. And some people said they write after they read to kind of reflect on what they learned. That is an excellent idea, to take a moment to pause. Another person said they write down summaries of information and key points and then jot responses down. That is an excellent idea. I heard that called a double entry notebook before. You write on one side of the paper summaries or quotes from a source and on the other side write your response to it. So that is another great idea. Someone said they write out questions before starting to read and highlight or write notes in the margins in response to questions. That is another excellent idea. What else am I seeing? Lots of summary writing.I like this one. It says: I write down topic sentence of an idea or concept I believe is a potential source of information in a notebook designated for class. I note references at the end of the article for further information on the topic I am interested in and look up the article later when I am free. Another excellent idea.So thank you all so much for sharing these excellent notetaking strategies. We will look at a sample. This chat will be recorded. If you want to look back at other peoples strategies you can do that when looking at the recording or archived version of the webinar.Visual: The layout reverts back to the previous setup so that the captioning, Q&A, and files pods are stacked to the right. The chat pod is gone and the PowerPoint slide is in the main pod. Slide #13 What it Looks Like: Note-Taking is open and shows an excerpt from a text with student notes pointing to different parts of the text. Jes uses the green cursor to point out parts of the text as she discusses note-taking.Audio: Moving forward. Heres a sample text about Abraham Lincoln using the hypothetical situation. Heres what a writer might include in the margins. Critical reading means think about whether the source is criticalor credible. But also thinking about how it is relevant to you. You notice a lot of notes in the margins are more about how the source is relevant to the writer. Again, the writer is trying to find ways that Abraham Lincoln demonstrates the Golden Rule. We see hereuse my arrow, this shows there is no malice, revenge [reading] that definitely relates to the Golden Rule. [reading] not being self?righteous. Shows slavery is evil, uses moral that action may lead the writer to do research and find another source talking about his actions.So another strategy to take home with you is work on notetaking and think about different ways to take notes and read critically to help yourself prepare for writing your sources.Visual: Slide #14 Prewriting: Planning and Outlining opens. It shows two stacked textboxes: Synthesize your reading and Form an argument with details about each that Jes discusses.Audio: Moving forward, then. The third stage of the prewriting process we will talk about today is planning and outlining.So part of planning involves synthesizing your research. That means considering what your notes say and what you can determine from your notes and how your sources might overlap or not. If any of you have written a literature review before, this is kind of what that is asking for, is thinking about what are the common themes among the things you have read. How do those overlap or not. So you are doing that synthesizing to think about sources and how they will be useful in your paper.Next, after you have done that synthesis, you can think about your argument. So what is the argument you want to make based on your reading? What are you contributing to the scholarly conversation? One of the foundations of writing an argument is writing a thesis statement.Visual: A large green arrow labeled Thesis statement points to the second textbox. Then the layout changes to show the chat prompt: What is a thesis statement? The chat pod opens in the bottom right corner, the files pod closes, and the Q&A and captioning pods are side-by-side at the top right.Audio: Before I tell you what a thesis statement is, letsthesis statement is, lets move to the chat pod. I want to see what you have learned in the past.So, from what you have learned up to this point in your educational career and life as a writer, what is a thesis statement? What do you know to be the definition of a thesis statement?[Pause]Audio: So I see a lot of people saying a thesis statement is the main point of the paper. Or a problematic statement. Or a general statement of the paper. I like: Tells the reader what to expect in the upcoming study. The heart of the discussion. Its a concise, specific and arguable statement related to the topic of the paper. Oooh, I like that a lot. I think you are right there with what a thesis statement is.[Referring to slide]Visual: The layout stays the same, but a blue textbox appears on the slide with a definition for a thesis statement and an example. Jes reads this: A statement of the argument you will show, prove, and support for your reader in your paper. This example is shown: Abraham Lincoln demonstrated the Golden Rule throughout his life.Audio: [reading] So it is the main idea, as many of you said. It is concise, specific, arguable, as one of you said. It is something that you are going to work to prove and support with evidence in your paper.So one example for this kind of mock example we have been using today is Abraham Lincoln demonstrated the Golden Rule throughout his life. You know, this is a simple statement. Doesnt quite fit the concise and specific someone mentioned in the chat box. For a beginning thesis statement it works. It lets the reader know what you will work on. Once you write your paper you can always go back to make your thesis concise and specific.So lets see how this works.Visual: Slide #16 Rewriting: Planning and Outlining opens. It shows three textboxes that highlight how to develop your outline from the thesis statement. The first textbox says Thesis statement and points to Argument which points to Outline. To the left of the textboxes is this statement: Let your thesis statement be a road map for the argument in your paper, guiding your writing and organization. Thesis statement and argument are hyperlinked. Jes uses the green cursor as she discusses how to move from the thesis statement to the outline.Audio: So when you are planning and outlining and write a thesis statement as we just did, you can use that thesis statement as a road map for the argument in your paper. That argument will guide your writing in organization. So you, say, write your thesis statement that Lincoln demonstrated the Golden Rule throughout his life and that forms your argument. Then you base your outline based on that argument. And this example, your outline would be the different reasons that, or different ways that Abraham Lincoln demonstrated the Golden Rule. Remember that. Thesis statement leads to argument which leads to the outline.Visual: Slide #17 Prewriting: Planning and Outlining opens. Outlining is hyperlinked. This slide shows a chart labeled Prewriting: Build off the argument to map out a paper. The top row of the chart gives details about a mind map and the bottom row gives details about outlining. Jes discusses all of this.Audio: So looking at this in action there are different ways to write your outline. You can build off the argument to map out your paper.So one method is a mind map. I will show you a sample in the next slide. The mind map connects ideas and provides a visual of ideas on the paper to help you move from brainstorm to first draft. Those who find it troubling or difficult to draft your paper might find having a mind map or outline helps you get from initial brainstorming to writing of the paper. Another method is traditional outline establishing order and gives a birds eye view of progression, helps plan where sources will be placed.Visual: Slide #18 What it Looks Like: Mind Map opens. It shows a organization tree with the thesis at the top and short phrases for details of the argument branching down from it.Audio: This is a mind map using the sample. We have our main idea up here. I might ask how did he demonstrate that. One reason is through his speeches and writing. Another is through his actions. So beyond that, what actions demonstrated this? Actions like the Emancipation Proclamation, the 13th Amendment, and counterargument showing the opposite of what was being done.Here then we have speeches and writing. What kinds of speech? How about where he talked about where he talked about people as being equal. So a way to take the initial thing you have, thesis statement, and break it into pieces that can be used to make paragraphs.Visual: Slide #19 What it Looks Like: Basic Outline opens. It shows an example of an outline for the mock paper on Abraham Lincoln. The main headings of the outline are: Introduction to topic/Thesis, Lincolns speeches showed his belief in treating others fairly, Lincolns actions toward freeing the slaves also showed his devotion to the Golden Rule, and Conclusion. Each heading has subheadings about what the author will include in the body of the paper for that section. Jes uses the green cursor as she discusses the outline.Audio: So an outline, then, looks like this. I admit I like mind maps a lot. I tend to write more a basic outline. These are helpful for me because when you write these you often find sentences you put in the outline can become topic sentences or beginnings of body paragraphs. First you have your introduction to the topic and thesis. Then this would be your first body paragraph where you focus, for example, on the first reason the thesis is true, so the speeches.Heres sub points to the speech at Peoria, note to include some quotes. This is the second body paragraph or a section looking at actions toward freeing slaves, showing his devotion to the Golden Rule, looking at abolishment. Finally, including a point for the conclusion mostly as a reminder to write one.So this is what a basic outline looks like. So as we think about different ways to outline and prepare, I would like to encourage you to think about these mind maps and basic outlines as you are in the planning and outlining stage.Visual: Slide #20 Drafting: Writing the Rough Draft opens. Drafting is hyperlinked in the title. The slide introduces the MEAL plan for writing paragraphs which Jes discusses. MEAL plan is hyperlinked. The last two bullet points are: Craft an introduction which includes your thesis and write a conclusion. Introduction and conclusion are hyperlinked.Audio: Once you have your outline the next exciting step is drafting, where you write the rough draft. Im including the MEAL plan because I think it can be helpful for students who maybe get stuck writing body paragraphs. You used to have a lot of trouble writing clear body paragraphs. The MEAL plan has been helpful for remembering. I will go through it in the next slide.Things you want to draft are your body paragraphs but also an introduction and a conclusion.I put the introduction here, after all of this with the MEAL plan, because sometimes it can be a challenge to write your introduction until you actually know what it is you are writing about in the paper. Some find it easier to write the introduction later.Visual: Slide #21 Drafting: Writing the Rough Draft opens and shows a detailed breakdown of the MEAL plan that Jes discusses. She uses the green cursor to direct participants attention as she talks.Audio: What is the MEAL plan. It stands for main idea, right here. Meaning this is the topic sentence. The sentence showing the transition from the previous paragraph [reading]Then you go to evidence.[Referring to slide]This includes often citations. If you write a paper requiring citations or to bring in sources, evidence is often cited.A is analysis of evidence.[Referring to slide]The L is leadout, or conclusion. Where you wrap up the idea and conclude a paragraph.So in a way it is kind of like your paragraph is a sandwich. The top piece of bread is your own idea. The meat of it is evidence and analysis of the evidence. The bottom piece of bread is leadout or conclusion. You create a nicely framed paragraph providing information for the reader. You can include framing and evidence in your outline.Visual: Slide #22 What it Looks Like: The Rough Draft opens. It shows an example of a paragraph from the mock paper. The example reads: Abraham Lincoln demonstrated the Golden Rule in his speeches as president. These quotes from one of his speeches demonstrates his belief in equality: The proposition that each man should do precisely as he pleases with all which is exclusively his own, lies at the foundation of the sense of justice there is in me, and As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master (as cited in Johnson, 2007, p. 45). These speeches show that Lincoln believed that people should be treated the way he wanted to be treated: If he wanted to be free and not be a slave, then nobody else should have to be enslaved. Jes uses the green cursor as she discusses how the paragraph follows the MEAL plan.Audio: So heres how this might look. I will talk through different parts of the MEAL plan. This is the topic. [reading]Here is our first piece of evidence. [reading] his belief in equality: The proposition each man should do precisely as he pleases with all which is his own there is in me.And: As I would not be a slave so I would not be a master. That is evidence.The analysis [reading]And here the evidence is merged withor analysis is merged with the leadout. We end with [reading] then nobody else should be enslaved.A start, getting the rough draft out there.Before I move on, I want to check in quick with Beth and Sarah to see, are there questions about this prewriting or drafting stage of the writing process before I move on to ways to revise?Audio: Beth: Hi, can you hear me?Audio: Jes: Yes, I can.Audio: Beth: So one student had a question about the introduction specifically. So when you are crafting that outline, thinking about your introduction specifically, how much of the information should be general to the prompt and how much should be very specific in terms of what you yourwhat your draft is about?Audio: Jes: That is an excellent question and a good reason for putting off introduction writing to the end when you know what information you provided in the paper.So I like to, when writing an introduction, think about my instructor or the person who will be reading and grading it. But also thinking of someone not in class who would not necessarily have background information an instructor would. For me its my grandma. I always think about her. I try to present the right amount of background information so there is something helpful for the instructor but also something helpful for a lay reader not in class and doesnt have context. So its a balance.So its a tough question. I would say try and provide some background information relevant to the prompt but mostly provide background information useful to the topic. For example, with this paper you might consider an introduction that talks a little about the Golden Rule and how different people embody it in dif