Can students use each other as sources? Could this help
students learn to properly cite their work?
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I think that something like this would be a
great way for students to not only learn how to properly cite their work, but
to also learn from each other. It would give students an opportunity to see how
much their writing could be worth, even to someone else. This could build
confidence, and allow them opportunities to see the ideas and thoughts that
their classmates have that they normally do not share in class. I would have to
see if other teachers have done this and, if not, what they think about it.
The reason that I think students
using one another as sources could become a meaningful I-Search, is because it
serves two purposes, should it be successful. One, students can learn how to
properly cite sources: each other. Teachers claim they spend so much time
explaining MLA format over and over again, and so, consistently reference Owl
Purdue so as to avoid repeating themselves and show a valuable tool at the same
time. However, once these students are in college, they have no clue how to
cite their 15 page assignment in proper APA or MLA format because the site
consistently changes or they are out of practice. Citing one another could be a
great way to practice proper citation.
More importantly, number two,
students can see how one another write. This could become a great opportunity
for students to collaborate on ideas, see examples of other writing processes,
and, as Linda S. Flower likes to emphasize, see if the writer is actually
writing for their reader: is it in “reader-based prose”?
This may be a little harder to do
in comparison with my other I-Search ideas. This one will involve more digging
with secondary sources. Maybe, I may find nothing fitting the exact criteria I
am searching for. I would have to do a “preliminary search” to see what I find
before interviewing teachers and students of the like. I am more curious,
however, about how students would feel about learning from one another in this
manner. Teachers already use peer editing in their classrooms, so what is to
stop them from using student assignments as sources? Be it peer editing or
allowing students to gain insight from one another, both serve as a useful
learning tool.
Some topics I could research, on
the site of this topic, include some fears about plagiarism or students
“missing the point”. As said, this may be more tedious than some other topics
in terms of finding solid information. However, it will also keep me fairly
busy in terms of finding relevant information as well as finding new ways for students
to work collaboratively.
Danielle: I think these questions, while relevant to classroom practice, are too finite and grounded in binaries. When I read them, I worry about your ability to relate them meaningfully to the teaching of writing as we are conceptualizing it in this class (we are not advocating for peer editing, ever, for example!) and about your ability to sustain your and our engagement in this topic for the rest of the semester, as they seem to me to be closed questions with finite answers or, at least, "it depends" kind of answers. When should you use cellphones in the classroom? It depends. When should kids use each other as sources in their writing? It depends. Questions like these may lead to discovery of one or two new ideas, but they will not lead to transformation or even the beginning of an idea of transformation. So, please, accept my invitation to rethink your approach here. How can you dig a little deeper below the surface of teaching writing? Use the ideas I posted on the class blog to jog your brain, if you'd like...
ReplyDeleteThis project is about opening the doors to exploration, to traveling paths you might never otherwise travel, to seeking out a new way of thinking or doing that pushes you out of your comfort zone.
Your questions feel too comfortable to me. I want to see more evidence of you acting as a critical thinker, as someone who is going to have to model for kids--to show them, through practice and expertise, how to live life as a writer. How will you do that? What's essential for you to figure out before you stand up in front of kids (and in front of me!) and need to do that? Maybe your inquiry should begin with the self and then move outward...maybe this will help you locate a more authentic place from which to ask a more meaningful and deeper question about teaching writing.
Danielle,
ReplyDeleteWhat an interesting idea. Hmmmm....it would defintally get conversation going. Discussions in the classroom are my favourite things to do in a classroom, maybe that's why I love English classes. I think this is a way to do just that and because they get to talk about themselves, makes it even more inviting for the students. I feel like other than making the classroom a safe space, working together is the most important aspect-this would certainly do the trick!