  urlLink Writing Activities: A Primer for Outdoor Educators. ERIC Digest. This ERIC Digest is by Alan Brew. It examines how outdoor educators can use writing to teach students. From the ERIC Digest: Composition specialists agree that effective writing activities are planned in advance and integrated with experiences (Lindemann, 2001). To facilitate the development of such activities, instructors might begin by asking themselves a series of questions: * "Why am I asking my students to write?
" (to prepare for a discussion? to reinforce the teaching of a skill? to encourage reflection? ) * "What type of writing is appropriate for my purpose? " (freewriting? journaling?
) * "Given my purpose, when should I ask students to complete the assignment? " (after a specific experience? at intervals during the experience? at the end of the experience? ) * "How do I want the students to complete the assignment? " (on their own?
in groups? in a single sitting? in stages? ) * "For whom will the students be writing? " (themselves? members of the class?
me? ) * "How, if at all, will I respond to what the students write? " (in a discussion? with written comments? with a grade? ) Having answered these questions, the next step is to prepare a description of the writing activity for the students.
This description should communicate concisely and in language familiar to the students the purpose, form, and audience for their writing during the activity. Although it is tempting, especially in the field, to present these assignments verbally, Lindemann (2001) emphasizes the importance of providing written directions, which students can review throughout the writing process. Planning and communicating writing activities in this manner assures that they will be integrated fully into an experience and that they will contribute to the process of transforming experiences into knowledge. 
