So am I being stupid if I don't spot the really obvious flaw?
Sounds really great Ed, since teaching/explaining/helping another is one of the best/most active ways to learn, so I'm sure benefit will be exponential, if you see what I mean. I think even two terrible writers could help each other, as long as they both have some awareness of their own weaknesses - which might be key for the whole thing - a key benefit as well as potential problem... hmm, conundrum.
I don't have an ethical problem really with pure, non-interventice proofreading - though of course being able to do it for oneself is a valuable skill - but this should enhance, not preclude, that?
Yes, there might be some more challenges (off the top of my head - got no experiece in this as such):
* students from different disciplines may have very different academic literacies without knowing it, and throw each other; how about just students from a different course, same school?
* confident students may intimidate under-confident ones - matching personalities might be a factor
* I'd apply clear, detailed and strict rules on proofreading/feedback only, no corrections
Would love to consider doing it here, wonder what my team mates think, keep us posted?
Cheers.
Eloise
Eloïse Sentito
Learning Development
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From: learning development in higher education network [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Foster, Ed [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 12 May 2010 16:36
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Proof-reading
Proof reading has popped up again.
I'm trying to think creatively here and am thinking how we might deal with it in the future.
We're considering the maths cafe model next year in one of our catering outlets and even possibly a writing cafe using the same basic structure.
So I'm thinking student-to-student proofreading.
We provide a facilitator who over a lunchtime matches up students at the same level, but in different disciplines and basically two students proof-read one another's work for clarity etc
Problems
* Fear of collusion
* Two equally terrible writers proof-reading one another's work
* No-one uses it
Advantages
* Students want it, but we have real ethical problems providing it
* Mutually beneficial
* Cheaper than paying for a private proof reader
* May help students to reflect on their own work, particularly if we provide resource sheets
* Probably quite cheap
What's the really obvious flaw?
Has anyone tried anything like this?
Ed
Ed Foster
Quality Enhancement Team
Centre for Academic Standards
Nottingham Trent University, Burton St, Nottingham, NG1 4BU
t 0115 848 8203
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