Good ideas Mai. I give more and more work requiring data problems (eg in language variation), lit reviews (sociolx generally), or case studies (language rights, American languages).
Of course they have to use the definitions, concepts, etc. from class but they have to apply them to new material we didn't talk about, so there is little way around thinking for themselves.
I get other problems in this work - unclear argumentation, structure is mechanical/not well integrated, poor referencing, superficial analysis - but not parroting lecture material.
-p-
Peter L Patrick
Dept. of Language and Linguistics
University of Essex
Colchester
[log in to unmask]
-----Original Message-----
From: Teaching Linguistics [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Kuha, Mai
Sent: 04 May 2016 15:31
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: reproducing lecture content in coursework
Dave,
I donıt have anything of substance to add regarding grading; when Iıve communicated the grading criteria, then I stick to them, and sometimes that means a really low grade.
However, it is possible that some students genuinely donıt know how to do what you are asking them to do. As you point out, itıs hard. In case you donıt do this already, one helpful thing is to provide samples of good essays, maybe even with comments from you in the margin pointing out what the strengths of those essays are, and how exactly those writers met the criteria. It is also helpful to have homework or in-class activities earlier in the term where students can practice the skills they will need for the essays. For example, provide a prompt or small case study for a group of students to discuss (maybe an opinion piece or video where an uninformed person makes clueless claims about language), with guiding questions that model the kind of thinking we use in putting together an argument of our own, maybe something like ³Which concepts from this course are relevant in this situation?², ³Is X accurate?², ³What might happen if...² Maybe you are doing these things already!
Mai
--
Mai Kuha
Department of English
Ball State University
On 5/4/16, 10:09 AM, "Dave Sayers" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>Every year I try to get clearer and clearer about this, but still a few
>students turn
>in essays that more or less just quote my lecture back at me (usual
>caveat: most
>students don't do this and I'm finding more really strong essays than
>really poor
>ones). I'm generally sympathetic, especially in the first year, because
>for many
>students this is the hardest part of the transition to undergraduate
>study, having to
>put together an argument off your own bat rather than simply reproducing
>information
>you've already been given. But still, I tend to mark students down pretty
>strictly
>for it, especially when I've been so clear about it beforehand.
>
>I get the feeling this is one of the less 'standardised' areas of grading
>though.
>What are other people's approaches to this?
>
>Dave
>
>--
>Dr. Dave Sayers
>Senior Lecturer, Dept Humanities, Sheffield Hallam University |
>www.shu.ac.uk
>Honorary Research Fellow, Cardiff University & WISERD | www.wiserd.ac.uk
>[log in to unmask] | http://shu.academia.edu/DaveSayers
>
>---
>This email has been checked for viruses by Avast antivirus software.
>https://www.avast.com/antivirus
|