Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing: Write Like You Teach
Taking Your Classroom Skills to a Bigger Audience
- 255 pages
- 9 hours of reading
This engaging guide offers practical advice for teachers on leveraging their classroom skills to become more effective public writers. Scholars, having honed their expertise, often struggle to adapt their writing for a general audience, as they are used to addressing peers. James M. Lang emphasizes that academics frequently pitch their research to undergraduates, suggesting a method to translate classroom skills into writing. Lang distills key elements of effective teaching into guidelines for writing for a broader audience, urging authors to consider how readers learn and to embrace creativity in their writing. He prompts readers to reflect on essential questions that great teachers ask: How do I capture students' attention? What stories will clarify complex concepts? When should I allow breaks for deeper thinking? How can I reinforce key messages to spark further curiosity? With examples from successful writers and anecdotes from his own experiences, Lang varies the format of each chapter to maintain engagement. Each chapter concludes with writing prompts to help readers practice their skills, and an appendix offers additional publishing and promotion advice. Teachers who apply Lang’s insights will discover new ways to connect with their audience, transforming their approach to writing.