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JOIN THE CONVERSATION
Say something insightful
about everything you read
and leave people thinking,
Wow! I never thought about that.
Join the Conversation teaches you to start doing all the things you know you need to do - explain more, be more critical, engage with ideas - but haven't actually been taught.
HEADS UP!
This isn't a quick fix tutorial. It's for students who actually want to learn how to think about what they've read and have something of their own to say about it.
P.S. writing shortcuts are an oxymoron
Interpretation. Analysis. Critical thinking.
You know how to use these words in a sentence. But - your writing? Probably not so much.
For most students, they're a little mysterious. They sit on a shelf alongside other known-but-unknown phrases like dig deeper and unpack.
Join the Conversaytion makes those words make sense. More importantly, it teaches you the thinking moves you need to make your writing analytical, critical and interpretive - all the things at the core of academic writing that most students are never explicitly taught, but are somehow expected to know.
No philosophizing. No theorizing. Just practical thinking frameworks, loads of examples, and actionable steps to help you develop your ideas, express them with confidence, and have something meaningful to say.
ANOTHER DEFINITION WON'T HELP.
You need to see and hear the thinking that makes academic writing possible.
Let me explain.
Until I was in my second or third year of university, I thought critical thinking was something you added to your writing, kind of like a quote or a citation. But, then I took a class with Dr. L. His lectures were completely unscripted and completely fascinating - and not just because he was well-read, wore suit jackets with pocket patches and most likely had never owned a hairbrush.
It was because he modelled the messy, internal thinking process that we never see - the thinking that makes insightful and interesting essays possible.
And that's exactly what I teach and model for you in Join the Conversation: the messy middle thinking that generates academic writing.
take what an author says and think about the decisions behind it
discern between summary and interpretation
work quotes into your writing and avoid clunky phrases (This shows / This means)
make your thinking academic - not just "sound" academic
take a simple observation and use it to build a defensible argument
Inside Join the Conversation, you'll learn how to:
Critical thinking isn't something you either have or don't have. It's a way of reading, a thinking practice and a willingness to look for and consider possibilities all rolled up into one amorphous shape. Join the Conversation makes that shape not only recognizable, but one that you can make sense of and practice on your own.
- SOMETHING I NEED YOU TO KNOW -
This tutorial isn't magical. It just makes the magic visible.
Join the Conversaytion doesn't make every passage you read fascinating. And, it doesn't hand you a foolproof formula for saying something thought-provoking about every text you encounter.
But it doesn't need to. Because academic writing isn't something that only people wearing top hats can do. It just feels that way when you don't understand what's happening behind the scenes.
That's what I reveal in this tutorial: the thinking behind the words on the page.
SOUNDS GOOD, BUT...
is Join the Conversaytion really for you?
It's for some people, but not everyone.
Let's see which camp you're in...
You read something but aren't sure what to say about it
You understand what you read, but don't have anything interesting to say after you've finished
You've been told you need to explain more, elaborate more or be more critical
You'd like to become a more observant reader, a more confident writer and more willing participant in conversations (in & outside the classroom)
Most students think writing starts with the words on the paper. It actually starts with the thoughts in your head.
Ohh, I should probably tell you
What's Inside
40 pages. 5 sections. A solid few hours of learning.
Let me give you a snapshot of what's covered.
What is interpretation?
Section 1
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Interpretation isn't just something you do when you read. In this section, you'll learn what analysis is and isn't - what it does do and doesn't do - as you explore art, music and literature.
Section 2
Starting a Conversation Between Content & Form
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Often times, students focus on what an author says. But, that's not all critical readers look at it. They also pay attention to what an author does. In this section, you'll learn how to put the words on the page in conversation with the decisions that were made beforehand.
Section 3
OOPs! A Thinking Framework to Interpret What You Read
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Critical thinking doesn't follow a formula, but it does ask that you slow down and pay attention to what you read. OOPs! is a four-step thinking framework I created to help you think more closely about what an author's doing to point you in the direction of deeper thinking and richer insights.
Section 4
The Top 5 Common Interpretation Mistakes
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Quite possibly my favourite section! Here, we have a little fun as I introduce you to the top 5 mistakes I see students make when they first start trusting themselves to arrive at an interpretation. If you've picked up my Thesis Thinking tutorial, this section will sound familiar - not in content, but in form and style.
TAUT: An Interpretation Barometer
Section 5
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Some interpretations are better than others. That's partly why analytical writing can feel a little risky - you're never too sure which side of the line your interpretation will fall. TAUT changes that. It's a simple but effective tool that I created to help you evaluate your thinking and minimize your risk of interpretation atrocities. (Just kidding. As my kids would say, those are Super rare!)
Oh, and here's a sneak peek of what it looks like...
PREVIEW REAL PAGES FROM THE TUTORIAL
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JTC-page-4
JTC-page-23
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1/5
THE TUTORIAL TEACHES. THE PRACTICE BOOK LETS YOU PRACTICE.
JOIN the CONVERSAYTION
THE PRACTICE BOOK.
I've kept The Practice Book separate so you can get the full tutorial without paying for additional practice materials you may not need.
The tutorial includes the teaching, explanations, and models you need to understand how to develop your own interpretations. The optional practice book gives you additional opportunities to put that thinking into action.
The Practice Book doesn't introduce new teaching. It does include possible for answers for *most* exercises - but I've deliberately left out some to encourage you to start trusting your own writerly sensibility and critical eye.
ONE MORE THING:
The Practice Book is designed to accompany the tutorial, not replace it. On its own, it won't provide the instruction or guidance needed to make sense of the exercises.
BETTER WRITING BEGINS WITH BETTER READING.
AND BETTER READING BEGINS WITH BETTER THINKING.
If you've ever wished you could read a text and share a thought or two on it, or sit in a lecture and participate in the discussion, this tutorial was made for you.
It's not about saying the "right" things.
It's about learning how to arrive at ideas you feel good sharing.
YOU DON'T NEED TO READ MORE. YOU NEED TO THINK DIFFERENT.
LET'S ANSWER SOME
F A Q
Not sure if this is right for you?​
LET'S CLEAR A FEW THINGS UP
I haven't done any of your other tutorials. Is this a good place to start?
Who is this for?
How long will this take me to complete?
It depends what you're looking for.
Join the Conversaytion focuses on developing a set of thinking habits that help you interpret what you read so you have ideas worth sharing in your writing. If you want specific essay help, like crafting a thesis statement or developing research skills, then this is not the course for you.
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university / college students
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over-thinkers
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​students who have been told to "explain" their ideas more
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people wanting to develop their critical thinking skills
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anyone who struggles with having something to say after reading a text
You could read it in an afternoon.
But, it's not something you want to rush through. I recommend working through it at a slower pace and giving yourself time to study the examples, explanations and apply what you learn to a text you are currently reading.
How is this different from Find Your Voice and Write Like A Grad?
Does the tutorial include practice questions?
Depth & Substance.
Find Your Voice & Write Like A Grad is a good introduction to this tutorial (but not a prerequisite.) Join the Conversaytion gives you a much more up close and personal look into the thinking moves that lead to analysis.
Nope.
I've kept the tutorial and practice questions so I could keep the tutorial price lower. The Practice Book is completely optional and isn't necessary to understanding or applying what's taught in the tutorial. The tutorial is complete in and of itself.
Is this only for writing better essays?
Nope.
This tutorial isn't really about essay writing. It's about developing the thinking habits that are used in analyzing, interpreting and engaging with a text.
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