Research in the news.

A new research study on composition reports

An analysis of research papers written in first-year composition courses at 15 colleges reveals that many students simply copy chunks of text from the sources they cite without truly grasping the underlying argument, quality or context...

The researchers analyzed the students' 1,832 research citations and assigned each of them to one of four categories:

• Exact copying -- a verbatim cut-and-paste, either with or without quotation marks.
• "Patchwriting" -- the copying of the original language with minimal alteration and with synonyms substituting for several original words (patchwriting is often a failed attempt to paraphrase, they said).
• Paraphrasing -- a restatement of a source's argument with mostly fresh language, and with some of the original language intact; it reflects comprehension of a small portion, perhaps a sentence, of the source material.
• Summary -- the desired form of citation because it demonstrates true understanding of a large portion, if not the entirety, of the original text; summarizing was identified by the researchers when student writers restated in their own terms the source material and compressed by at least 50 percent the main points of at least three consecutive sentences

The paper speculates that this indicates a lack of engagement: apathy. Students don't care. They provide an example and conculde

students tended to rely heavily on their sources -- so heavily, in fact, that students rarely seem to fully own the material and marshal it to form a novel argument, the researchers said.

“The compelling, unnerving issue is that the student has nothing to say,” said Howard of the piece that drew so heavily on WebMD. “How could she, since she's writing a research document from reference materials?”

This is the big question. Why do students seem to have nothing to say? Part of the problem may stem from deficits of reading comprehension. Many students don't seem to understand what they read and balk at, or shy away from, meaningful resources. They don't read, but is it right to assume they can't? Or are they accustomed to pretending to be ignorant to keep instructors' expectations low. I used to do that. It was a big mistake.

The article also speculates that most sources are merely the first hits from a google search. Do students understand how lame that sounds? Why or why not?

I'm seeing this on the iSearch, which necessarily is topic that students care about. Maybe the research only looked at early drafts. I do want to see the process, but on the final paper reference material won't cut it.

This relates as well to something I'm seeing in the Metaphor paper. What's up with people quoting the dictionary? That's common knowledge. By college - dictionary definitions are assumed to be common knowledge - In the past I've chalked this up to a lack of sophistication or understanding of rhetoric, but perhaps it is instead (or as well) a deficit in research skills.

Research is an active process. It is a hunt: an exploration; an adventure. At least it is when it's done right.

I need to make reading logs regular assignments - and we need to do more "think/pair/share" in the classroom.

Most Basic MLA format.

It starts with the heading (yourname/prof's name/class name/date) followed by the title - always a title then the body: all double-spaced with no extra hard returns (empty lines) stuck anywhere. Look at the sample student paper on page 41 on the free Norton MLA guide. It's real easy to spot any visual anomolies like 1.5 line spacing and non-standard fonts / point sizes/ margins. Margins should be 1 inch on each side and on the top - which is standard in every word processor program I know.

Book titles get italics - no longer do they get underlined. The underlining is a throwback to the days of typewriters. Underlining a title would be like using the expression "carbon copy" or "cc" when sending a duplicate message to someone. It wouldn't make sense today ;) Titles of short stories/ poems/ chapters in books get quotes around them.

Every page with the possible exception of the first page gets the author's last name and page # in the top right-hand corner.

Keeping things uniform makes my reading easier. When I read it's like I'm running a marathon and the format of student papers is the shoes they give me to wear. Cowboy boots are great shoes and in no way of less quality or inferior to running shoes - unless you have a marathon to run. Standard MLA format performs like top-of-the line running shoes.

Nobody expects one pair of shoes to serve every need. Don't expect one format or writing style to serve every communication purpose either.

Thanks.

Response to Comp 2 literacy reflection.

This term's Literacy Reflections impress me. We have some bright and thoughtful classmates. I'd like to note that for the first time in my almost-2-decade career in higher ed. about 90% of the class got the MLA heading right! What happened? I've never seen more that 30% get the heading even close on the first paper. I 'm verklempt.

Then, as is too often the wont of composition instructors, I get distracted by less than optimal usage and rhetoric. Too often it looks like students merely type rather than compose their papers. Most often, waiting until the last minute and rushing through a paper, then neglecting to proofread causes this. This may be the root cause of the following:

• over-use of passive verbs: while it didn't affect the grade on this paper, excessive use of passive voice will be considered in all subsequent papers. Passive voice is the "to be" verbs: is, are, was, were, be, being, been, am.
  
• passive language occasionally betrays a lack of responsibility or involvement with the educational process in expressions such as, "I received _(good/bad)_ grades in high school." Didn't you earn them? If they were unfair didn't someone give them to you? Also seen repeatedly, "the classes I was enrolled in." Did the student have a choice? Was there parental or institutional pressures that aren't being directly communicated? Passive verbs hide agency - the "who was responsible for what"ness of good writing.
  
• use of semicolons (;)Technically it acts like a period - which means it should be followed by an independent clause. Too often fragments (dependent clauses_) follow. If that's the case use a colon (:) or comma. Really a trivial issue - but I'm glad to see people using semi-colons and I want to see them used correctly, so as not to diminish their effect.
  
• 5 paragraph essay - legit for this assignment but overused. Be willing to try new and more sophisticated forms of organization.
• Conclusions not summaries. Summaries come across too often as redundant.I know someone somewhere once said, "Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Tell 'em what you've told them" but that was an oversimplification and/or questionable advice. I read quite well and remember what I've read. I expect more nuanced and sophisticated rhetoric (congrats to AH for being the first to use the word in class).

Several writers appear to have gone down the list of possible ideas to respond to found in the assignment prompt, and then addressed them one at a time in that order with little or no attention to transitions or organization, rather than adjusting the suggestions to the individual student's experience and crafting a coherent approach to organization. (Wow that was a long sentence).

These issues commonly, if not always, appear early in a semester. Let me reiterate that the content and reflection was exceptionally good.

Reponse to Literacy Reflection: Comp 2

This term's Literacy Reflections impress me. We have some bright and thoughtful classmates. I'd like to note that for the first time in my almost-2-decade career in higher ed. about 90% of the class got the MLA heading right! What happened? I've never seen more that 30% get the heading even close on the first paper. I 'm verklempt.

Then, as is too often the wont of composition instructors, I get distracted by less than optimal usage and rhetoric. Too often it looks like students merely type rather than compose their papers. Most often, waiting until the last minute and rushing through a paper, then neglecting to proofread causes this. This may be the root cause of the following:

• over-use of passive verbs: while it didn't affect the grade on this paper, excessive use of passive voice will be considered in all subsequent papers. Passive voice is the "to be" verbs: is, are, was, were, be, being, been, am.
  
• passive language occasionally betrays a lack of responsibility or involvement with the educational process in expressions such as, "I received _(good/bad)_ grades in high school." Didn't you earn them? If they were unfair didn't someone give them to you? Also seen repeatedly, "the classes I was enrolled in." Did the student have a choice? Was there parental or institutional pressures that aren't being directly communicated? Passive verbs hide agency - the "who was responsible for what"ness of good writing.
  
• use of semicolons (;)Technically it acts like a period - which means it should be followed by an independent clause. Too often fragments (dependent clauses_) follow. If that's the case use a colon (:) or comma. Really a trivial issue - but I'm glad to see people using semi-colons and I want to see them used correctly, so as not to diminish their effect.
  
• 5 paragraph essay - legit for this assignment but overused. Be willing to try new and more sophisticated forms of organization.
• Conclusions not summaries. Summaries come across too often as redundant.I know someone somewhere once said, "Tell 'em what you're going to tell 'em. Tell 'em. Tell 'em what you've told them" but that was an oversimplification and/or questionable advice. I read quite well and remember what I've read. I expect more nuanced and sophisticated rhetoric (congrats to AH for being the first to use the word in class).

Several writers appear to have gone down the list of possible ideas to respond to found in the assignment prompt, and then addressed them one at a time in that order with little or no attention to transitions or organization, rather than adjusting the suggestions to the individual student's experience and crafting a coherent approach to organization. (Wow that was a long sentence).

These issues commonly, if not always, appear early in a semester. Let me reiterate that the content and reflection was exceptionally good.

JCCC Writing Center resources

Located on the 3rd floor of the library in room 308, the Writing Center (or WC) holds a slew of resources. they have a copy of each textbook used by English and Journalism faculty - maybe each text book used by humanities. MLA Handbooks, EasyWriters, and other style and usage texts also litter the tables.

Many instructors keep a binder with assignment prompts and examples of student work. Sometimes an example is worth more than any other kind of explanation. Look for mine.

They also have scads of handouts, but the most useful resources are the peer consultants. Talk to them.

REMEMBER: you need your JCCC ID card for many services.

Students Right to their Own Language

Perennial old-school curricular curmudgeon Stanley Fish has recently published a series of blog posts on composition instruction (see also part 2, part 3). He speaks directly to a writing prompt I've given one of my classes. As something of a coup de grace of rhetorical flourish he concludes,

First, you must clear your mind of the orthodoxies that have taken hold in the composition world. The main orthodoxy is nicely encapsulated in this resolution adopted in 1974 by the Conference on College Composition and Communication: “We affirm the students’ right to their own patterns and varieties of language — the dialects of their nurture or whatever dialects in which they find their own identity and style”[hotlinks mine].

His post is a fairly lengthy response to my prompt; he just didn't know it. Personally I feel about his ideas the way I feel about my grandma's rendered pork cracklings: way salty, good with beer, and satisfying, despite the fact that you can feel your arteries hardening. We're talking a serious fat and cholesterol cocktail of epic proportions. Everything has consequences.

His comment, on the advisability of dialogue with students re: linguistic systems and democratic values, gives me pause for thought. Have we not done that in class? Has it been successful?