Inkshedding
Inkshedding is a way for individuals to explore and deepen their thinking on a particular issue or topic. It's the paper form of an electronic discussion list. Inkshedding is appropriate for any session.
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"Inkshedding is a favorite among the leaders and participants." |
Participants need to use looseleaf paper or legal pad paper since they will be passing their papers around. They begin with their own writing, as directed by the leaders, for about ten minutes. Then they exchange papers with each other and respond to what the person(s) before them has/have written.
The process continues for about twenty minutes or so, with participants responding to anything written above, and the paper is returned to the original writer whose name should be on top when the time is up. Samples can be read out. While the respondents don't necessarily have to identify themselves, some participants feel the need to write their names in order to follow the series of responses on the pages. Often the one page that participants start with becomes three or four pages.
There are many different uses for the Inkshedding once it's completed. Participants can share their papers with each other and then engage in a whole group discussion. They can also do further writing based upon what was said by others. Leaders can type up excerpts for distribution and discussion at a later session. One group did a gallery walk based upon excerpts chosen by participants from their papers. Inkshedding is a favorite among the leaders and participants.
Here's what one group did:
On Academic Literacy
Directions
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Write your name at the top of a clean sheet of paper. Next, based on our work together so far, write a statement about "academic literacy." Pass to person to the right. Read the statement on that paper, and then write a statement in response. Pass to person to the right. Continue reading, writing, and passing until 4-5 people have written something on each sheet. When time is called, return the sheet to its originator. (15 min.)
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Assess where we are re: describing academic literacy. Participants read aloud from sheets. Facilitators point to the four readings as further examination of literacy and distribute the assignment sheet. (15 min.)
Participant Responses
"I like the Inkshedding activity as a way to engage with a text and share responses to a text, as well as to responses to responses to texts."
"I found the Inkshedding a very useful exercise because it was in many ways like having a conversation with your group, but only it was in written form."