I'm not an educator and I don't think of myself as a good writer either, 

I am a teacher and I have been paid to write learning materials. I always listen politely to advice offered by people who are not teachers. I listen especially carefully to my students of course as that is a critical part of teaching.

Activities similar to the ones that you have suggested here are used quite often in Further Education colleges in the UK. There is a general emphasis on 'active learning'. For more on this idea, read anything by Geoff Petty.

http://www.geoffpetty.com/

especially

http://www.geoffpetty.com/activelearning.html