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On another thread I was chatting with some of you about essay prompts, and how I don't give them. I was asked for more detail, so here it is --
First, I teach students how to pay close attention to texts. I ask them to come to every class...
First, I teach students how to pay close attention to texts. I ask them to come to every class...
...having noticed one detail in the text, one that they can point to, as in it's actually there on the page and small enough to fit under their fingertip. Learning how to do this -- that I really mean it -- usually takes a couple of weeks...
...and there are lots of easy assignments to do. Write it down on a piece of paper and turn it in in lieu of attendance. Have everyone write them on the board and see if anyone noticed the same ones, etc.
Next, start building off that fundamental skill of close attention...
Next, start building off that fundamental skill of close attention...
...Keep pointing to a detail, but change one word. What did it change? Change the punctuation. What did that change? Change where it is in the text. Does it work as a title? Change who spoke it. Change the style, etc. I usually have them write informal paragraphs about these....
...Then start moving towards interpretation, towards claims and arguments. How should that detail be understood? What effect does it have? What would be lost if it were gone or different? How do you want someone else to understand it? What else does it connect to in the text?...
Here's where I give them a worksheet (we're usually getting close to their first essay at this point). But the worksheet doesn't work if they don't know how to notice details already.
I had to screenshot it because I am old and it doesn't already live online. But I can email you a real copy if you like!
Bonus: the real copy won't have an accidentally erased end of a crucial sentence. Here's that last page of the worksheet again --
And lastly, if you come for the worksheet, stay for @kripster16 's essay about the name test that I also use in most of my classes. I deleted the original thread about it a year or so ago during a purge. But now you have my whole pedagogy. https://twitter.com/kripster16/status/1329116704874639361
Okay, really the last thing I'll say about this, though I think it's probably pretty obvious:
It's wonderful for students -- and for me -- to take them seriously and give them more power while also holding them to a high standard.
Not using prompts helps, if they're prepared.
It's wonderful for students -- and for me -- to take them seriously and give them more power while also holding them to a high standard.
Not using prompts helps, if they're prepared.
I keep adding to this thread as I think of more things I should say about helping students build their own arguments:
- the first few weeks, a lot of what you will be saying is "can you be more specific about what you're noticing"
- you will never have to worry about plagiarism
- the first few weeks, a lot of what you will be saying is "can you be more specific about what you're noticing"
- you will never have to worry about plagiarism
-I've used this with every level of student and every length of essay. Yes, introduce it differently for freshmen than for grad students. But the worksheet asks students to identify the building blocks of their interpretation and put them together; it's scalable just fine.
-it's easier to get discussion going in a way that's more inclusive if you're just asking students what they notice (and eventually why they noticed it and how they think it should be understood) than asking students to do all that argument construction before talking.
-and if your students want more guidance about structuring arguments on the page, I've had a lot of success pairing this with @ehayot 's book The Elements of Academic Style, particularly the "Uneven U" chapter
