This page is dedicated to my teaching and learning resources.

This is where I share materials and links from my AKA HACKA (hacking academic skills) Intensives, Writing Retreats, Griffith Research and Writer’s (RAW) Studio sessions and other sessions.

These resources have no relation to bicycles.

Feel free to have a look around and grab anything of interest.

Enjoy! NG.

Social Media Links:

IG: @Bicycles_create_change
IG: @nina_griffith_uni
FB: nina_teach_english

Keep an eye out for more awesome content and materials.

IRU Writing Retreat

Aug 2022

2023

New sessions just released!!

The Dark Academy (and how to survive it).

While doing HDR research is usually seen an achievement and a positive, there are also dips, slips and flips encountered along the way that can be hard to deal with. At some stage, most postgrads experience some troubling times in ‘The Dark Academy’. The Dark Academy is the shadow side of university work – the less-spoken-of ‘tales from the crypt’. Dark Academy issues vary greatly, from isolation, rejection, being disrespected or taken advantage of, imposter syndrome, dealing with difficult supervisors and/or tricky personalities, grappling with inflated expectations or publishing perils, all the way through to various forms of bullying. While there are some good resources and services at Griffith to help with such issues, many postgrads are unsure, unconfident or do not want to access institutional help. In this situation, connecting with other postgrads in an informal and supportive space can be really helpful.

This 2-hour session is a unique candidate-led forum to air, share and manage some of the ‘sticky moments’ experienced at Griffith Uni. Some ideas discussed will be familiar to participants – others will serve as a warning. This session is run by Nina Ginsberg and is an academic staff-free, independent space that not only identifies key problems areas, but also provides strategies on how to more productively and professionally handle them. This session has 3 parts: A Keynote Presentation: The Dark Academy and how to survive it, 2) An open discussion/Q & A, and 3) break out rooms for small group discussions. HDR participants will leave this event with some new HDR contacts, a selection of useful ideas and strategies, and a renewed feeling of confidence moving forward.

For postgrads, PhDers & HDRers. Register via GUPSA or email Michael Carden.

PPT is provided during the session to participants.

Dark Academy Session Resources

Davis (2011) Bullying as neoliberal practice
Davis (2020) Life in Neoliberal Institutions
Griffith Uni’s Expectations in Supervision questionnaire
Giving & Seeking Feedback (Murry & Moore, 2006)
Griffith Salary Rates March 2022
iThinkwell PhD Meeting Agenda
Griffith Student Review and Appeals Policy
Griffith Student Review and Appeals Procedures
A/P Fred Leusch’s Authorship decision support matrix
McCarthy et al (2020) Confronting indifference and Uni bullshit
Griffith EDN HDR Handbook 2021
Powerful Phrases for Dealing with Difficult People – Summary
Podcast: ON THE REG: University bullshit and working out when to shut up.
McCarthy, I. P., Hannah, D., Pitt, L. F., & McCarthy, J. M. (2020). Confronting indifference toward truth: Dealing with workplace bullshit. Business Horizons, 63(3), 253-263. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bushor.2020.01.001

AKA HACKA

Hacking Academic Skills!

These 6 x 2-hr postgrad academic skills intensives run every Trimester 1 & 2.

The six AKA HACKA sessions are:

The Postgrad Critical Discussion Toolbox
Academic Style & Sentence Structure
Cohesion & Coherence
Extend your Academic Vocabulary
Get that Journal Article Published!
Being an Efficient Researcher
The Dark Academy (and how to survive it!)

More info below.

The Postgrad Critical Discussion Toolbox Session 1

Be that student in class who always has something interesting to say! This interactive session shows you how to initiate confident discussions and contribute intelligent and challenging ideas, evaluations and explorations of key themes in your course – in ways that are surprisingly easy to do. This session provides powerful strategies to increase critical thinking and will help generate ideas and thoughtful responses in tutorials, discussions and debates. These techniques also help when preparing presentations, essays and other assessments.

Workshop PPT: Provided to participants during the session.

Discussing Concepts PPT
EnglishHELP – Academic Hedging & Boosting Language
TED Talks. 10 ways to have better conversations: Celeste Headlee
YouTube. Crash Course: How to Argue – Philosophical Reasoning

Session 2

This workshop covers a range of quick and easy techniques to improve academic style and the fundamentals of the 4 types of sentences all postgraduate students need to know.

Domestic students love to have a quick grammar and sentence structure reboot to maximise expression and clarity.

Usually, international students have a much better understanding of grammar and structure than local students because they have been taught it explicitly as part of learning English – but many native English speakers do not have this kind of training. What a pity!

This session brushes up on the foundations – when you know these – you cannot go wrong!

Good grammar and kick ass sentences make an impact!

Once you know these techniques, they will transform your writing.

Workshop PPT: Provided to participants during the session.

Additional Academic Writing Resources:

Session 3

This workshop covers the most important academic writing techniques to increase clear and logical connections between ideas and paragraphs. In this session, we look at two ways to boost paragraph unity and how to successfully apply four academic cohesion techniques for maximum flow, clarity and impact.

Workshop PPT: Provided to participants during the session.

Other Cohesion & Coherence Resources:

Smart Words – Academic Coordinating Conjunction/Transition Words
Improving cohesion – Melbourne Uni
Developing clarity and focus in academic writing – Melbourne Uni
Help Yourself Resources – Griffith University
Q Manual – Monash University

The grammar book I recommend is:

Lott, H. (2006). Real English Grammar Intermediate to Upper Intermediate. London: Marshall Cavendish. Education. ISBN-10: 0462007448.

Session 4

Postgrads are expected to be able to write with higher precision and specific academic expression. Building the range and accuracy of your academic vocabulary is fundamental to being a successful academic writer. This session will cover how to increase your academic vocab, how to use new academic words, how to build your own academic/professional glossary and other useful resources that will help your word choices to be more flexible, sophisticated and precise.

Workshop PPT: Provided to participants during the session.

Additional Academic Vocab Resources:

Session 5

This workshop covers tips and advice on preparing an article for publication. Regardless of discipline or content, this workshop will provide key strategies to propel ideas into a draft article, how to develop a draft into a full paper with less stress and strategically polish papers to improve chances of publication. It also includes secret tips on how to upgrade papers for publication.

Workshop PPT: Provided to participants during the session.

Additional Journal Article Resources:

Session 6

Do you have the study habits and mindset to complete your degree with confidence, clarity and proficiency? All too often, students feel overwhelmed by the workload and expectations required at university. Learning how to bring it all together to proactively manage your work, time and energy is an advanced academic skill. This session covers strategies to establish an efficient daily schedule, develop a sustainable work practice and foster an ‘expert researcher’ mentality.

Workshop PPT: Provided to participants during the session.

Additional Journal Article Resources: