Zahler Closing Plenary

Today’s Talk
Closing Plenary:

Planning for Power!

Power of Planning
  Semester Planning
  Weekly Planning

Tara Zahler
MA, TESOL/Applied Linguistics
PhD Candidate, Second Language Studies
Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, USA

Background
Cycle of “Workrastination” and Binge Writing

  Scheduled Daily Writing

Background
National Center for Faculty Development and

Diversity (Kerry Ann Rockquemore, 2015, 2016)

  Full professional life

  Workshops for faculty

  Day to day – always working, no time for writing

  Strategies for professional success (research/writing)

  Deadline – intense weeks and late nights of writing

  Curriculum based on:

  Exhaustion

Boice (1990)
  Boyd (Inkwell Academic Writing Retreats)
Kelsky (2015)


If you don’t use
a calendar,
start now!

Strategic Semester Planning
Steps

Strategic Semester
Planning

Goal – Send my conference proposal to the
International Conference on Language
Teacher Education by 11/15/16
Tasks and Times:

  Determine time frame (e.g., 15-week semester)
  Write professional and personal GOALS

Analyze pretest data


Analyze posttest data

Write abstract

  Create a list of specific TASKS for each goal

Week 1

Week 2

Week 3

Get feedback
from Sarah on
abstract. Write
introduction.
Week 4

Revise abstract
and introduction.

Write bio.

Submit
materials on
conference site.

Week 5

Week 6

  MAP tasks to a calendar

Weekly Planning Meeting
  30 minutes on Sunday

Weekly
Planning Meeting

  Purpose: connect your tasks to your time


Steps
  5 min – Block out your commitments for the week,
including at least 30 minutes for writing each day
  10 min – List all to-do items and strategic tasks
  15 min – Give each task a specific block of time
(Rockquemore, 2015, 2016)

Scheduled Daily Writing
The Power of Daily Writing
(Rockquemore, 2015; from Boice)

Scheduled Daily Writing
Components
  30 minutes (or more) every day, Monday through Friday
  Timed – set a timer!
  Scheduled (as early in the day as possible)
  Expect resistance

The Importance of Daily Writing
(Rockquemore, 2015)


  Create Community
  Motivation and accountability
  Track Progress

Conclusion
  SIEC – hard work, community
  Keep the momentum with planning
  Longer-term strategic semester planning
  Weekly task planning
  Scheduled daily writing
  Don’t wait around for success…

Take the power of planning
into your own hands!

Thank you!
Much happiness and
success to you!
Tara Zahler

tarazahler@gmail.com