Sunday, March 6, 2011

SQR#5

SUMMARY:

In “Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively” Margaret Kantz starts off the article by going about explaining how research essays should be done, and what they should contain. Kantz then goes about telling the struggles that students face while writing essays. She explains that students simply summarize what they read, or summarize a quote but don’t explain how it is significant in proving their point. Kants tells us about a student named Shirley, who is writing a research paper, and she was very bright. The problem was, that Shirley did not write her essay, or present her research adequately. Shirley simply summarized her information, and never actually choose her side or her view. It is at this point, where her friend Alice told her why she received a bad grade on the essay. Alice told Shirley that instead of summarizing, that she should go against the writer, explain why she disagrees, and then provide textual support that supports her ideas. Kant’s says that we readers interpret things differently. She says that instead of using textual facts as facts, we should look at them as arguments or something to discuss or even write about not simply assume it is correct. Kants says that as students, we automatically assume that everything stated in text books is true. Later she says that students don’t know how to use sources, or textual support properly so the result being that it actually makes their paper weaker rather than stronger. She says that students know how to agree or disagree, but not go further and explain excactly why they agree or disagree. Kants begins talking about the encoder, and the decoder, the encoder being the writer and the decoder being the reader. She talks about gaps in the reading process from encoder to decoder, the gap being a misunderstanding, or a different understanding, she also explains that there is a gap between decoder and reality. Kants then goes on to the topic of plagiarism. She talks about how students pleadgurise without realizing it. She says that a way students pleagurise without realizing it, is summarizing a quote, or article. Kants says that students use quotes or support too much at time, and don’t put enough of their opinions and feelings like they should, they are just simply writing down what others think. Kants wraps up the article by talking about drafts. She says that drafting is a good idea because we can further develop our ideas, and encode them better, she believes students assume we can say what we need to say in simply one draft. Kants ends the article by stating that writers or students need to be problem solvers and be more creative in their writing and research.

Question:

Is there a certain way that a writer should write or encode?

Answer:

As far as writing a certain way or encode, no I do not believe there is a certain way. We as the writer have full authority in how we encode, or write what we write. We can choose to say things in any order, and say anything we please. What we must realize is that while there is no particular order, we must make sure that we encode in a way that the decoder, or the reader will comprehend, but we must not alter our ideas to make them more understandable to the reader, just reword them.

Monday, February 21, 2011

SQR #4

SQR#4

Summary:

Peter Elbow initiates his article by stating that while others like Bartholomea may say his theory is wrong, he believes that there is a conflict between the role of a writer and that of an academic. Elbow admits he is proud of his identities as a writer, and as an academic. He states that at times his identity as a writer, and as an academic conflict sometimes and he talks about their relationship to one another. Elbow teaches a first year writing class, where he wants the students to feel comfortable with both of these while writing. Elbow says that he loves writing because he loves to communicate and explore things through writing with others. He tells the students to all set goals for themselves in this class, he hopes that these goals either stated or accomplished include being comfortable with both roles. Elbow states that he will fight for the role of the writer in his class. A conflict that he deals with is “what we should read” in this writing class. He believes giving his students key texts would be important in the way they can see themselves as an academic. To see themselves as writers Elbow believes they should publish and read their own writing. In the class he publishes a magazine in which four times a semester one piece of writing created by a student is included. Elbow believes that they should read important texts, not to be sacred or referred to as correct but something to talk about, agree, disagree or to write about. He emphasis on treating texts as academics do, using texts and not serving them. Another conflict he arrives at is “how much to read”. Peter Elbow likes his class to write in class, because he feels that it helps him “coach students” with techniques and strategies. He emphasis on writing over reading, he said that he is doing this because every other course focuses on reading over writing. Elbow states that most courses honor reading but don’t treat writing as a central theme. He discusses some interests from both perspectives. From the readers, it is to their interest to say that the writers intentions do not matter. While it in the writers interest to have the readers interested in what is on their mind, to “stay alive” in the readers mind. Writers get frustrated when the reader misreads their writing. The reader or grader, always gets to decide what the material means. For that very reason students withdraw ownership, commitment in their writing. Elbow says that in Academia rules are turned around when it comes to lectures, the writer or the person lecturing is the one that gets to decide what the material means. One of the main points he tries to get across, is that teachers are not too open minded when it comes to answers, they already have certain ideas, or terms that they want addressed in order to tell a student he or she is correct. He uses the example where when we finish writing a paper we turn it in and ask, “is this ok” when he believes that we need to take pride in our work and authority and say, “listen to me, I have something to tell you.” His final arguments mention that when this method is applied, Elbow believes that we are becoming more like test takers, or reader than writers.

Question:

My question is, what do Peter Elbows students think about his theory? Do they agree with everything that is being taught to them? I would also like to know how they see themselves as writers after being in his class.

Answer:

I cannot really answer the part about whether or not they agree, because some may agree with Elbow, and some may disagree. I do believe that they came out of this class with a little more confidence in their writing as opposed to when they first enrolled in the class. I was not in his writing class, but I have to say that I agree with a good amount of his ideas, and they help me see a different perspective while writing.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

SQR #3

Summary:

Where to Begin
Bartholomea starts of this article with the section titled “where to begin”. Bartholomae begins his article with the subtitle where to begin in order to show the readers what he wants to introduce, bartholomea uses a basic standard introducion to explain his purpose for writing the article Writing with teachers. Bartholomea uses “academic writing” as a key focal point to his reason for writing this article. Bartholomea states here, “ academic writing is a single thing only in convenient arguments”. Bartholomea explains that there are different areas which different types of academic writing is displayed. Magazine writing, business writing, political writing, and sports writing are examples of places Bartholomea states different types of academic writing are integrated.

My position I think
In “My position I think” Bartholomea starts off by stating his point . He says that “academic writing” is a very vital term in writing, and writing practices. Bartholomea says that a person can’t just write how they want, they must be taught how to make it “writing”.
Barthalomea defends his view on academic writing. He does this by using examples to defend his perspective to try to get the reader to understand his point of view over why academic reading is so important. Bartholomea tried to explain why he believes what he believes to the people at the convention who have criticised him.

The Contact Zone
In the section “The Contact Zone”Bartholomea talks about power, transmission and authority. As an investigation he says there is no better way to go about this investigation, but to ask “students to do as academics do”.

Teachers As Writters
Bartholomea admits that academic discourse does exist. He says that acacademic discourse writing is not real writing but a “blurred genre not free writing”. Bartholomea desputes that assuming that one genre is more real than others. Bartholomea uses an example to explain what he categorizes to be “blurred genre”. Bartholomea writes an example using real life senerio. Bartholomeo provides an image for the readers that states that people write in in their own words and say everything they want to say which Bartholomea considers the structure to be called “blurred genre”. Then a well-recognized writer re wrote it. Lets say this author made it all fancy and stuff and makes it a narrative genre. It is difficult or maybe even impossible to state which genre is more real than the other.

A Brief History
Bartholomea says that the topic of writing freely, or writing like we would like, is what brings up some conflict. Not necessarily fighting, but arguments debating as to which writing , academic writing, or academic discourse writing is the real way of writing.

Conclusion, or, So how do I get out of this
Bartholomea concludes the article by asking some questions in the debate on academic writing. He asks if al students should be required to say what they want to say in order to make sense of reality. Bartholomea does not have an answer to that. He states that we students cannot simply learn to write appropriately on our own, but need teacher guidance. He believes that teachers should teach students how to write “…as though they could be free, smart, elegant, independent, the owners of all that they say.”

Question:
What if students were told to always write academically? Would we all be stating ideas in the same fashion? Doesn’t that in a way defeat the purpose of writing?

Answer:
In my eyes if we were all told to always write academically we would be little writing robots. It just wouldn’t be right. It would take our voice away from our writing and it would not make it ours. I believe that if we all speak or write differently it is proper because thats what makes every single persons writing different, or unique. As far as whether it defeats the purpose of writing, I do believe so because as I stated earlier writing is suppose to be “unique”.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

Research Question/ Proposal

My Question is:
Can an audience have a big influence in what we write? Can that influence be for the better or for the worst?

I plan to Prove that the answer is:
Yes, but we need to limit the affect it has on us, and write we want to say the way we want to say it.

I will do this by doing some research on articles, the internet. I will also survey students from my English class.

Monday, February 7, 2011

SQR#2

Summary:

Geoffrey Sirc simply contradicts David Barthalomea. Barthalomea states that we should speak as if we are all knowing, and speak as what he calls “the language of the university”. On the other hand, Sirc states pretty much the excact opposite. “I want to counterpoint this to a cultural undercurrent that has also been present atleast since 1954, which I’m calling virtual urbanism: a different textuality, one in which actual humas, with needs, fears, desires, memories drift through the important spaces of their lives, encountering other humas similary engaged in the ongoing mystery of existence.” (Geoffrey Sirc) As you can see, he counterpoints, or opposes what Barthalomea says. This is important because it makes you think, who is correct? Two different pont of views, that is to say not one way or the other is incorrect, those are just two differnet ways of writing. Sirc believes that when we write the way we speak, the reader will be able to relate better and get more emotion out of it than if we were to write in the “language of the university”.

Question:

After reading this article, there are a couple of questions I came up with. Are these two writing styles the only two writing styles that exist? Is there a certain time in which a style is needed? Or can these two styles be combined to create a hybrid style?

Answer:

I believe that these are not the only two writing styles that exist when speaking to an audience. There may be five, ten one hundred, or even infinite writing styles that exist and there is no wrong or right style. The time and place where you might be may affect the style you use. You may feel more comfortable following what Barthalomea says in a class presentation, while when speaking with your friends you may apply more of what Sirc states and just talk how you talk, or vise versa.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

SQR#1

Summary:

In the article “Inventing the University”, David Bartholomae shares his views and ideas over academic discourse in a community. He initiates by stating that a student should, “learn to speak our language, to speak as we do”. He is referring to to the language of academia not a spoken language. Bartholomae states that students have to appropriate themselves and speak comfortably in front of their audience and do so speaking in the language of academia. Even if they don’t fully know how to speak in the language of academia, they need to mimic it’s language. Bartholomae says it can cause problems.

Question:

Bartholomae states that in order to speak academically toward an audience of higher academia, students must master, or learn the techniques to carry off a “bluff.” For instances, the author explain that when you are approaching a specific audience that is of higher archy you must learn to speak their privileged language. What if the student basically “bull shit’s” his or her topic, but someone in the audience is more knowledgeable of that certain subject, and decides to challenge the students way of speaking/voice, what then?

Response:

I believe there are several solutions to this situation. In my opinion I think that stating you are not all knowing in a topic before you begin to talk about it would be helpful. If you began with that, people in the audience would atleast be more understanding if there are maybe some facts you state that aren’t one hundred percent correct. If you don’t do that you may be embarrassed by someone in the audience.

Friday, January 21, 2011

Questionnaire

1. ENG 1301 is a class that “affords the opportunity for students to develop their ability to communicate effectively and responsibly through written discourse.” Before we begin our semester, I’d like to know how you would describe a writer. You can tell me about anything you’d like, but just make sure you tell me why you think people write.

I would describe a writer as someone that writes his or her ideas and shares it with the world. I would describe a writer as a person who writes their feelings, emotions, character and uniqueness through their writing. People write because they simply want to get all those things out and share it with the world. We are all human beings and we are all different, the same concept applies to writing, we all write in our own distinct way. When we write we try to explain whatever we are talking about very thoroughly. We all talk in our own ways and the way we talk or act in certain ways can travel to your writing. A writer sets aside what others may say, and just gets his ideas or opinions out to the world without hesitation. That's not to say that a person who is writing a certain way due to the audience is a bad writer, he or she is just making her writing or voice reader based instead of writer based.

2. Now that you’ve told me why you think people write, tell me about the ideas, opinions, perspectives that have helped you understand the purpose of writing. Be sure and tell me who shared these ideas, opinions, and perspectives with you.

I learned a good amount about the purpose of writing in 1301. The main purpose of someone writing was to share what he or she has to say. It’s to see how someone feels about a topic. There are many ways to express and write down out opinions and perspectives. My teacher last semester had alot of ideas and opinions that kept me with an open mind. She taught me to try to not necessarily contradict someone on the spot, but to make sure you tell them to back up their ideas.


3. Based on why you think people write, what do you expect to learn about writing in ENG 1302? you have any ideas about how you will learn to write in this class, tell me about those too.

Well I expect to learn more about why people write. Why is it that we all write? Well obviously we don’t all write all the time but why do the people that write write? I hope I can learn how to get my ideas out there a little better than I do now.

4. What do you think you need to learn in 1302 to improve your writing? Tell me three (3) specific things you expect to learn in this class. Also, tell me three (3) things you can already do that you’d like to do better (and give me a number between 1 and 100 about how confident you feel in you ability to do these things). In doing so, feel free to tell me about what other teachers have told you in the past, but also tell me about the expectations you have for college writing.

For starters the one things I hope to improve in this class is my research papers. I know a good amount of what should be on a research paper but I'm positive I am leaving stuff out. I hope I can learn some things about research papers that maybe not too many people know or don’t understand too well. Obviously like I just stated the number one thing I expect to learn is how to improve my research papers. I also want to just learn something about reading and writing in general.

5. Not thinking about a grade or credit hours, how will you know you've been successful in this course? What will success look like for you at the end of the semester? How will you evaluate what you’ve learned over the 15 weeks?

Whether or not i pass this course, or get a good grade i hope to feel success within myself. I will feel successful if I leave the class with things that I did not know before I enrolled in this class. I look back at 1301 and I’m not to disappointed in myself. I learned a lot about reading and writing that I never would have even thought of before. I learned how important it is to put emotion and feeling through your writing to express yourself. Since it was mentioned in the first day of class that we are going to do a research project throughout the semester, I expect us to do a good amount of research and surveys etc. I also expect to learn some structure of a research paper that I didn’t know before. If I learn something about a research paper or writing in general, that is enough sucess in my mind and im not gonna put myself down if I don’t get the most amazing grades.