Transcript CLA gtPath Orientation 2011

CLA Orientation for Writing
Integration—GTA Preparation for
Grading and Responding to
Undergraduate Writing
Sue Doe
Assistant Professor of English
Colorado State University
[email protected]
Overview of Orientation
Day One
• Introduction to the CSU gtPathways Writing Integration
• A Sample Assignment—Overview, Initial Read, Holistic Criteria and
Ranks
• GTA panel – How it really works
Day Two
• Initial Grading of the Paper—Use Course-Provided Scoring Sheet
• Develop and Apply Holistic Criteria
• Analytic scoring—strategies and choices
• The Writing Center
Day Three
• Commenting/responding to student writing
• Common problems students have with academic writing; grading
and responding as part of the instructional team
• Interventions through peer review, conferences, office hours
• International Student Writing
• TILT Teaching Certificate and Other Resources
Day One
• Introduction to the CSU gtPathways
Writing Integration
• A Sample Assignment—Overview and
Holistic Sorting
• GTA panel
Day 2
• Examination of Course-Provided Score Sheet
or other evaluation information
• Holistic scoring/sorting—developing criteria,
applying criteria, revising criteria—and why
• Analytic scoring strategies and choices
– standard rubrics
– anchor papers
– continuum approach
• The CSU Writing Center
Day Three
• Commenting & responding to student writing
• Interventions through peer review,
conferences, office hours
• The International Student Writer
• TILT and the TILT Teaching Certificate
• Feedback on orientation
Local Writing Resources
• http://writing.colostate.edu
– Google search possible on virtually any writing topic. Over
100K pages of writing information, most authored at CSU.
– Writing tools available through Writing Studio-keep track
of your drafts, your biblios, your reading, etc. Same tools
available for undergrads and others
• http://writing.colostate.edu/gtPathways
– specialized resources to support your efforts with your
assistantship
• The Writing Center and WAC
– Visit Eddy 6 (The physical writing center) or submit papers
electronically for feedback
– Request a workshop on any writing subject
gtPathways
What it is, where it came from
State Guaranteed Transfer:
gtPathways
• gtPathways Curriculum Adopted as part of the CCHE (now CDOE)
Academic Affairs Policy I, Part L: Statewide Transfer Policy.
• Built upon concepts found in the Student Bill of Rights (a.k.a, the
King Bill), § 23-1-125 C.R.S:
 “The Commission, in consultation with each Colorado public
institution of higher education, is directed to outline a plan to
implement a core course concept”
 “The core of courses shall consist of at least thirty credit hours,
but shall not exceed forty credit hours”
 “Individual institutions of higher education shall conform their
own core course requirements with the guidelines developed by
the Commission…”
One Policy Goal of gtPathways
Students shall have assurance of:
“A quality general education experience that
develops competencies in reading, writing,
mathematics, technology, and critical thinking
through an integrated arts and science
experience.”
Major Changes to Colorado Colleges and
Universities
Adams State College: Faculty Senate agreed to adopt gtPathways
curriculum for institutional general education curriculum
Fort Lewis College: Restructuring entire general education curriculum to
meet gtPathways requirements; modifying junior-level writing courses to
meet gtPathways requirements (i.e., 200-level)
University of Northern Colorado: Charting the Future; reducing general
education course offerings to 60-70 courses; restructuring curriculum to
meet gtPathways curriculum
Colorado State University: Integrating writing into general education
AHUM and SOCS courses (20% - 25% of grades in writing assignments);
adding 3 credit hours in AHUM
Memorandum of Understanding
MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
COLLEGE OF LIBERAL ARTS
WRITING IN AUCC COURSES IN LIBERAL ARTS
Effective Fall 2007
All AUCC courses in Categories 3B, C, D and E of the core must satisfy
the following requirements regarding writing. These must be clearly
stated on the syllabus for the course.
1. Goals for writing in AUCC courses:
There are two goals for writing assignments in AUCC courses:
(1) to improve students’ comprehension of course content
(2) to improve students’ proficiency in writing.
Note (1): Both of these goals are best achieved when students receive
feedback on their writing assignments and have an opportunity to
make use of that feedback.
MOU continued…
2. Writing requirements:
• At least 25 percent of the course grade must be based on
written work that satisfies the following:
– At least one writing assignment must be an out-of-class
piece of written work (2)
– In-class written work, such as on exams, must be in the
form of essays
• Note (2): While this represents a minimum standard, to
maximize the benefits to students of more writing, multiple
opportunities to write and respond to feedback are
recommended, such as:
• Several out-of-class writing assignments.
OR
• One or more rewrites of an out-of-class writing assignment.
MOU continued
2. Writing Requirements (continued)
•
Expectations of written work must be clearly stated on the
syllabus. Among other things the instructor considers
appropriate, those expectations should include students
demonstrating: (3)
– The ability to convey a theme or argument clearly and
coherently.
– The ability to analyze critically and to synthesize the work of
others.
– The ability to acquire and apply information from appropriate
sources, and reference sources appropriately.
– Competence in standard written English.
•
Note (3): Instructors should use their own discretion in
communicating to students the relative importance of the various
expectations in their own writing assignments in terms of how
they will be graded.
MOU continued
3. Plagiarism Statement:
• More writing in AUCC courses also brings the risk of increased
incidents of plagiarism. It is strongly recommended that instructors
have a statement in their syllabus that clearly states that plagiarism
in not acceptable and is a form of academic dishonesty.
• Plagiarism is a form of academic dishonesty. As per university
policy “Any student found responsible for having engaged in
academic dishonesty will be subject to an academic penalty and/or
University disciplinary action.”
• The CSU General Catalog defines plagiarism are follows:
“Plagiarism includes the copying of language, structure, ideas, or
thoughts of another, and representing them as one’s own without
proper acknowledgement. Examples include a submission of
purchased research papers as one’s own work; paraphrasing and/or
quoting material with properly documenting the source.”
Copies of
--Written Competency
--MOU College of Liberal Arts MOU
Simply send an email request to:
[email protected]
Say: Please send MOU or
Please send Written Competency Guidelines
These materials are also available on the gtPathways
web site at http:writing.colostate.edu/gtPathways
What Matters in College Writing?
• Write for a few minutes about
– the qualities of writing that you believe all first-year college
students should develop—essential abilities they’ll need
– your beliefs about student writing ability right now and what
that belief is based on
– the kinds of support students need to improve
– where, how, and when writing instruction should be given in
college contexts
• Put your name on this piece of paper as you’ll be turning
it in. Bring to front table at the end of session today or at
a break.
• Discuss your beliefs with 2-3 neighboring people
Select Paper 1, 2, or 3
If your last name begins with A-H, take a copy of P1
If your last name begins with I-R, take a copy of P2
If your last name begins with S-Z, take a copy of P3
Intro to Anthropology
Assignment
Pick a question to write about:
Option #1) Katherine went to Mali to address the issues of
childhood malnutrition.
A)What did she discover to be the primary causes?
B) How did she come to these results? (i.e., What questions did
she ask? What data did she collect?)
Option #2) Malian life is very different from American life.
A)
B)
What are some of the biggest differences Katherine
encountered?
Did Katherine embrace or resist these differences? Explain
your answer.
Guidance About Source Use
While you don’t need to formally cite my lectures, please use language
such as “according to lecture” or “as discussed in class” to alert me
to class-specific material. Please remember, any concepts taken
from the textbook the ethnography, or RamCT must be cited with
an in-text citation and bibliography entry.
Examples of how to cite a chapter/article from the textbook:
Labajo, J. (2003) Body and voice: the construction of gender in
flamenco. In T. Magrini (Ed.) Music and gender: perspectives from
the Mediterranean (pp 67.86. Chicago: University of Chicago Press
Tollifson, J. (197).Imperfection is a beautiful thing: On disability and
mediation. In K. Fries (Ed.), Staring back (pp. 105-112). New York:
Plume.
Additional Instructions
Write a 3-5 page response. Be sure to:
• Provide a short introduction (3 sentences or so)
• Include specific details from the ethnography
• Incorporate vocabulary and concepts from lecture and the textbook.
• Use 1-inch margins and 12-point font
• Staple your pages together
• Do NOT include a title page or title. Simply put your name and question
number in the right-hand corner of the first page
• Double space the paper
• Follow APA citation and bibliography guidelines
– Use proper in-text citation
– Include a bibliography
– Obtain information on APA format at
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/researchsources/documentation/apa/
Hierarchy of Rhetorical Concerns
Audience, Purpose, Occasion
Focus: Thesis, Reasons, Unity/Coherence
Development: Reasons, Evidence, Explanation
Style/Mechanics/Conventions: Readability, Care and
Polish, Patterns of Error
Hierarchical Concerns Detailed
Audience
• Who is the writer’s audience? Is this an
academic audience? What are the
expectations?
Purpose
• Is this piece of writing intended to inform?
Analyze? Explore? Summarize? Argue?
Development
• What kinds of evidence does the audience
expect? Does the context demand clarification
through examples, data, etc.?
Hierarchical Concerns continued
Organization
• Is the writing organized in a coherent way?
• Do transitions guide the reader through the logic of the
paper?
Style and Conventions
• What style is appropriate for the context in terms of
audience and purpose? What register or level of formality
Is appropriate? (For instance, can the writer use “I” in this
context?)
• Are there locations where the writing is hard to follow or
comprehension is disrupted? If so, can I discern why?
• Are there patterns of error showing any of the Top Five
error patterns: 1) subject–verb agreement, 2) run-on and
fragmented sentences, 3) unclear or incorrect pronoun
agreement, 4) verb tense inconsistencies, 5) weak comma
use
Holistic Process
• Before you begin reading the sample papers,
read the assignment information
• In groups of three, do a “read-around” of the
set of three papers you now have. Sort High,
Medium, and Low.
• As time allows, discuss the papers with your
partners
High Medium and Low
What are the standards you would apply to a minimally
satisfactory (C-level) performance for this paper?
Would the LOW paper meet these standards?
Homework Review
1) In general, does the High Medium Low sorting
method lend itself to a 6-point holistic scoring scale?
2) What parts, if any, from this scoring rubric would
work with the essay assignment we’re examining?
Muddiest Point
• What remains confusing about ranking papers
High, Medium, and Low?
HOMEWORK
With Care, Read the “Rubric for Holistic Scoring of a
Thesis-Restricted Paper.” Bring this rubric back to
training tomorrow.
Be prepared to discuss:
1) How does the High Medium Low sorting method
lend itself to a 6-point holistic scoring scale?
2) What parts, if any, from this scoring guide would
work with the essay assignment we are
examining?
DAY TWO
• Scoring and Grading Using Various Methods
• Working for consistency—either faculty-led or
GTA-led norming sessions
• Grading consistency (for yourself across a
stack of papers and also across a group of
GTAs or faculty) is possible but isn’t easy or
safely assumed to occur
• Agreed-upon priorities are essential
• Spot-checking by peers or others is desirable
Sort, Read, and Comment
(or Stop, Drop, and Roll)
Apply the sorting strategy for a set of papers. While this
sounds like a time-consuming extra step, it actually saves
you time in the long run.
The Sorting Strategy
– Sort into three stacks—high, medium, low
– If possible, stack within categories (High + and High -) so that you
have 6 stacks
– Read with hierarchy of concerns in mind
– Provide an end comment that is forward-looking and focused
– Substantiate end comment with a few marginal comments
Grading—Becoming Part of the
Instructional Team
• Consistency and fairness
• Criteria-based grading vs. norming
• Time management through Hierarchies of
Rhetorical Concern
• Holistic and Analytic Evaluation
• Grading and Responding—Two Tass
GRADING
Remember: you are only assigning a grade; students earn those
grades.
You do not GIVE grades. They do not GET grades.
Consider using a 24-hour moratorium and a conference
appointment system for grade protests
Ask Your Faculty Supervisor:
Will there be calibration or norming sessions to identify standards
and/or achieve reliability?
Are you allowed to return a paper ungraded in the case of careless
or unacceptable work with a 24-hour window of opportunity
before default to F?
Are revisions allowed? If so, what are the processes?
Grading For What Matters—Purposes of
Assignments
What is the TASK being required by the assignment—to inform, to explore, to
convince, to describe, to compare, to summarize, to persuade? Find the
VERB or VERBS and you’ll know the task.
Is this
• a thesis-provided paper for which students must defend of refute?
• a problem-solution paper in which students are given a problem or
question that demands a thesis and support? Is
• a data-provided paper for which students are expected to analyze and
explain?
• a genre-provided paper, in which students are expected to follow an
organizational structure or format in an accepted form, such as a memo,
case study, lab report, or executive summary?
• write-to-learn or write-to-engage writing for which students are expected
to explore and/or develop their thinking rather than to produce a polished
paper?
• an in-class essay, reflecting comprehension of course material?
Intro to Anthropology
Assignment
Pick a question to write about:
Option #1) Katherine went to Mali to address the issues of
childhood malnutrition.
A)What did she discover to be the primary causes?
B) How did she come to these results? (i.e., What questions did
she ask? What data did she collect?)
Option #2) Malian life is very different from American life.
A)
B)
What are some of the biggest differences Katherine
encountered?
Did Katherine embrace or resist these differences? Explain
your answer.
Grading Rubric
Item
Points
Available
Answers Part A
Option 1) causes of malnutrition
Option 2) biggest cultural differences
40
Answers Part B
Option 1) methods of discovery
Option 2) embrace or resist
40
3 pages minimum
10
Includes specific details from the ethnography
20
Incorporates concepts from lecture/textbook
20
Includes in-text citations
10
Includes a bibliography
10
E-Copy Submitted
On time?
Total Points Earned
150
Points
Earned
Holistic Grading
Ranking 1-6
Think of 3 as minimally acceptable—aims of assignment are being
met but only marginally. “Gestures” toward sound approaches are
there, but student will need a great deal of assistance. This is a
student who might be considered “at-risk” but also offers a
tremendous opportunity for development through GTA impact.
Use scoring tools to assist with grading
Consider Three Approaches
1. benchmark and anchor paper approach
2. traditional analytic rubric with dimensions
3. continuum approach
Approach #1: Anchor Papers
Consider writing an evaluation paragraph or narrative that explains
what’s necessary to earn a C paper on this assignment. In other
words, what MUST a paper accomplish to be deemed “adequate”
and to exceed this lowest, acceptable standard for this assignment?
--The C paper has a clear thesis or focus, shows a satisfactory
degree of development /support of points, and is reasonably
easy to read/follow
--The B paper does everything the C paper does but goes further to
provide deeper development of points, a more satisfactory
selection of evidence, a coherent structure/organization, and a
more compelling set of insights
--The A paper does everything the B paper does but goes further to
provide a more unified, fully developed, and polished paper that
is a pleasure to read because it offers good insights that are
expressed well
It can be useful to distribute or post this explanation
Approach #2: Traditional Rubric
Component Parts
• Assignment itself
• Dimensions/priorities/criteria
• Scale with levels of achievement. Levels can be
continuums or reflect categories such as
“proficient,” “competent,” “needs work.” Can
associate levels with points*
• Space for specific comments
* Be careful to not create a checklist effect. Remember that meaningful
quality indicators will be indicated so the simple presence or absence of
a feature is insuficient.
Traditional Rubric with both Holistic and Analytic Features
Dimension
Excellent
Competent
Needs Work
Clarity and
accuracy of article
summary
Focus of
response—clear
thesis
Development,
Organization &
Coherence of
Response
Readability,
Mechanics,
Source Citation
Overall Comment:
Grade: ___
Course-Provided Grading Rubric
Item
Points
Available
Answers Part A
Option 1) causes of malnutrition
Option 2) biggest cultural differences
40
Answers Part B
Option 1) methods of discovery
Option 2) embrace or resist
40
3 pages minimum
10
Includes specific details from the ethnography
20
Incorporates concepts from lecture/textbook
20
Includes in-text citations
10
Includes a bibliography
10
E-Copy Submitted
On time?
Total Points Earned
150
Points
Earned
Steps for Creating Traditional Rubrics
• List key elements/features to assess, based on course
and assignment objectives
• Refine and simplify key elements, then consider their
relative importance or weight
• Place most important dimension at the top
• Do a common sense check to see if weighting of criteria
is meaningful and rational. If possible, avoid points.
Percentages are better but keep them broad. Too much
refinement of points can lead to “grade-grubbing.”
• Decide where you will comment--on the rubric or on
the paper itself? Commenting itself is not optional.
• Decide if you’ll give feedback/comment on all criteria or
only on certain ones
• Make clear where the overall grade appears
Analytic Rubric for Anthropology Paper
The coherence of the argument reflected in the parts
Complete and appropriate use of evidence from ethnography, lecture, & textbook
The organization and coherence of the essay
Readability & Control of citation/biblio style appropriate for academic context.
Dimension and
Weighting
Excellent
Competent
Developing Score &
Dimension
2.7= C+
Answers Parts A & B—
50%
X
Supports points through
evidence-- 30%
X-
Organization &
coherence--10%
X
Citation Use &
Readability-5%
3 pages + logistics—5%
B (3)
B (3)
X-
X
C (2)
C (2)
A (4)
Course-Provided Grading Rubric
Item
Points
Available
Points
Earned
Answers Part A
Option 1) causes of malnutrition
Option 2) biggest cultural differences
40
34
Answers Part B
Option 1) methods of discovery
Option 2) embrace or resist
40
34
3 pages minimum
10
10
Includes specific details from the ethnography
20
15
Incorporates concepts from lecture/textbook
20
15
Includes in-text citations
10
7
Includes a bibliography
10
7
150
122
E-Copy Submitted
On time?
Total Points Earned
Hybrid Approach—Advantages/Disadvantages?
Dimension &
Weight—100
point paper
Excellent
Question
Answered –80
points possible
Competent
Developing
X Comment
about strength of
the argument
here
Score &
Dimension
Overall:
122/150
(80%)
68/80 (85%)
Text Evidence Well
Selected and
Organized—40
points possible
X Comment on
how to better
choose evidence
30/40 (67%)
Citation & Biblio—
10 points possible
X Comment on
key PATTERNS of
error here
14/20 (70%)
3 pages, logistics
check
X
10/10 (100%)
Consider the Point in the Semester &
Feedback Opportunities
• If there are several pieces of writing assigned
or if feedback is given with opportunity for
revision, then consider that you may shift the
expectations for a rubric
– Early in the semester, students will need to learn
about focusing and providing a clear thesis. Later
the emphasis can shift to development
• If there is only one paper assigned, then there
are fewer opportunities to support these
developing abilities
Revision Feedback—early semester
Dimension and
Quality
Argument-thesis
present and
maintained
Excellent
Competent
X
Evidence—use of text
examples
Feedback
You are
getting the
right idea;
See notes
about clarity
X
Organizationstructure
Grammar
Developing
You are not
using
enough text
support
Not ready
for ranking
X
Work on
comma
splices
Approach #3: The Continuum Approach
Once you have determined the most important aspects or
criteria for grading, consider using a continuum to describe
where the student is in their application of this criteria. This
avoids the oft-times awkward approach of assigning points
or percentages with criteria-based evaluation.
Example (criteria 3) from the Washington State U “Critical
Thinking Guide”:
Identifies and considers salient perspectives and positions
important to the issue’s analysis
Scant
Substantial
----------------------------------------------------------------
Likely Grading Criteria
1) Clarity of points and coherence of organization
–
–
–
–
clearly state the purpose of your essay
answer all questions related to the ethnography
accurately define causes of malnutrition or cultural
differences
explain methods of inquiry/discovery and explain
whether differences are embraced or resisted
2) Quality/depth of analysis. You need to make your
position on each development point clear. Provide
arguments that are supported by information (i.e.,
evidence from text, lecture & ethnography). Meet or
exceed the page requirements. MOU seeks synthesis!
3) Quality of writing. Your ideas need to be clearly
expressed. This includes proper spelling, grammar,
expression of ideas, and citation of sources
MOU continued
2. Writing Requirements (continued)
•
Expectations of written work must be clearly stated on the
syllabus. Among other things the instructor considers
appropriate, those expectations should include students
demonstrating: (3)
– The ability to convey a theme or argument clearly and
coherently.
– The ability to analyze critically and to synthesize the work of
others.
– The ability to acquire and apply information from appropriate
sources, and reference sources appropriately.
– Competence in standard written English.
•
Note (3): Instructors should use their own discretion in
communicating to students the relative importance of the various
expectations in their own writing assignments in terms of how
they will be graded.
Apply One of the 3 Scoring Systems
Number off 1-3 and prepare to do ONE form of
scoring—anchor, analytic rubric, or continuum
Write a description of your scoring procedure
for this assignment
Show others in your group the way your
application would look or how it would be
described to students
Select best example of 1, 2, 3 and show whole
group
Discussion
• Which forms of scoring do you like best or do
you like pieces of each kind?
• Would you combine strategies from the three
approaches?
• What strategy do you think you’ll take with
grading, if you’re allowed to choose your own
method?
• What recommendations would you make to
others about scoring?
Muddiest Point
What do you still find confusing about grading,
scoring, and rubrics? What would you like to
understand better?
(Your answer may become a topic for E608!)
Take one paper with you on your
way out today. For homework,
write down some ideas you
have about commenting on the
paper but don’t actually apply
those ideas yet. Bring the paper
back to orientation tomorrow.
DAY 3—Commenting & Responding
• Today we apply the hierarchy of rhetorical concerns to a
sample paper
• We rehearse “commenting” with HINT (How to Improve
Next Time) in mind
• We consider our role as coach, as teacher, as mentor, and
role model, as writer. We are part of the INSTRUCTIONAL
TEAM.
• We try out various kinds of comments—end comments &
opening comments; marginal substantiation of the end
comment; marginal questions; marginal reader-response
comments, marginal queries about substance; positive
reinforcement of good insights or writerly choices; error
pattern comments
Write to Engage
• What was the most helpful feedback you’ve
ever gotten on a piece of writing?
– What made it helpful?
• What was the least helpful feedback you’ve
ever gotten on a piece of writing?
– What made it less than helpful?
• As you hear others’ experiences, what
generalization(s) can you draw?
Managing Your Time Through a 3-Part End
Comment
1. Sum up the strengths of the paper
2. Identify the main problems to be worked on
3. Provide a specific suggestion for how to improve the paper,
based on the main problem(s) already identified
And Remember:
• You can’t respond to everything in a paper.
• There are real people on the receiving end.
• Comments are not principally for “justifying” a grade. Your
are providing formative feedback students can use with the
next paper, even if it’s not in this class. Remember: HINT
• Consider using questions and other response approaches
besides “correction” in your marginal comments.
Comment on the sample paper
• Now try the 3-part end comment with your
sample paper
• Find locations in the paper that substantiate your
observations in the end comments and add
marginal comments here
• Ask an important question in the margin at a
location where the writer is on to something but
not quite there
• Find a location where you can observe something
positive the writing is doing or trying to do
Reviewing Marginal Comment Options
• Substantiate the end comment by providing an exact
location where the paper problem occurs
• Identify KEY points that are missing and focus on these
learning needs
• Ask a question that will get the student to think further
• Provide advice on locations to add evidence or choose
different evidence
• Offer a “reader-response” comment that shows you are
engaged and interested as a reader
• Point out any location where the reader is making a good
decision in his or her writing
• Identify one of the Top 5 mechanical errors that the
student demonstrates
Opening Comment vs. End Comment
End comments are often not read because the
student is focused on the grade. Try writing
the “end” comment at the top of the paper to
direct the student’s reading of your marginal
comments and to briefly put off the inevitable
turn to the back of the paper for the grade.
Revision Plan
• Talk to your supervising faculty member about
“extra credit” for student submission of a detailed
“revision plan” when there is no provision for
actual revision or another draft.
– Construction of a detailed revision plan assures that
students have read your comments and provides
some level of accountability for their attention to your
comments.
• If a second paper is assigned, students could be
asked instead to submit a “memo” or “postscript”
along with the paper to explain their application
of advice from the first paper.
Basic Principles of Commenting-Also
Covered in Grade Reviews
• Remember that your goal is formative, to help students write better next
time so keep comments forward-looking, as in “Next time…”
• Use both end AND marginal comments. Consider having marginal
comments substantiate your end comments
• Focus on the most important advice a writer needs at this time. You
can’t—and shouldn’t –comment on everything. Use the hierarchy of
rhetorical concerns based on the assignment goals and task given
• Precede your commenting with holistic sorting and keep your comments
consistently focused
• Vary your comment types in the margins rather than only observing
deficiencies
• Play the believing game and find a positive feature
• Use a 3-part end comment at first but know how predictable it is
• Show how weaknesses relate to one another
• Make sure the grade and evaluation criteria are connected and accurately
reflected in your comments . . . Do a common sense check
Avoid the Grammar Trap
• Students’ writing usually contains fewer mistakes than
instructors and graders perceive. Errors are nearly always
“patterned” rather than discreet
• Students often have more linguistic competence than the
surface features of their writing suggests
• Errors in student writing increase in direct correspondence to
increasing difficulty of the assignment
• Errors often disappear in students’ writing as they progress
through multiple drafts
• You can expect to see more serious sentence problems in first
drafts and on essay exams
Avoiding the Grammar Trap
• Not all errors are equal! Imagine the Psychology student who
does not know the specialized use of the term “affect.” (This
is a more egregious error than typical misspellings of
affect/effect.)
• Don’t get into the habit of correcting/marking student errors.
It’s NOT helpful and it’s a poor use of your time. Mark ONE
paragraph or identify a pattern and say, “The problem
continues” and explain what the problem or error pattern is.
Perhaps it’s not grammar at all but “academic voice”?
• Traditional procedures for marking student papers may make
matters worse. Save your students!
• Traditional procedures for marking student papers may make
you sour and ineffective. Save yourself!
• Remember that once you start responding, you are the
WRITER and the student is the READER.
Reminder: You Are Managing Your Time By Choosing
Your Battles
• Apply minimal marking technique
• Avoid becoming your students’ copy editor as that is NOT your
job and error correction is not instructional. Remember you
are part of the instructional team, not an editor.
• To instruct students on grammar issues, look for patterns of
error or try to characterize error if you feel it is impeding the
student’s message. Work with a Top 5 list of errors.
• Severe cases should represent <2% of papers. For these, you
may need additional support.
– Non native speaker/writer issues: tenses, dropped articles,
strings of sentences arranged the same
– Learning Disabilities: misspellings even with spell check,
omitted words, homonyms
• Carelessness: Consider a “return to sender” policy on first
occasion or the “R” grade. Must be approved by professor and
not all will believe this is a good idea.
Peer Review of Comments
1.
Identify the major strength your partner noted in this paper. What locations did the
GTA point out to substantiate this claim of strength?
How accurate do you believe this evaluation is?
2.
Identify the guidance or advice your partner noted as a central concern in this paper.
What locations did your partner identify to substantiate the claim of “needs
improvement”
How accurate do you believe this evaluation is?
3.
Identify the concrete suggestion for improvement that your partner noted. Would an
undergraduate understand this advice and be able to follow it?
How accurate do you believe this advice is?
4.
Characterize the tone/attitude of feedback your partner has provided. Could it be
improved and if so, how?
5.
Are your partner’s comments forward-looking and formative in nature or do the
comments seem defensive, as if justifying the grade?
Has the grader used the HINT advice (how to improve next time)?
HOW MIGHT YOU USE PEER REVIEW (IN-CLASS OR ELECTRONIC) TO
INTERVENE IN STUDENTS’ WRITING PROCESSES? DISCUSS IDEAS WITH
YOUR FACULTY SUPERVISOR
E608 – Integrating Writing in the
Disciplines
Ask Yourself: How can helping
undergraduates with their writing
benefit my own?
E608 Guided by Questions
•Week 1: Why is writing important to thinking?
•Week 2: What role can I play as a GTA in helping students to
write better and learn through writing?
•Week 3: How can peer review be used effectively?
•Week 4: Challenges: What IS plagiarism and what are some
responses to it? Where does grammar and error fit it?
What do I need to know about student challenges like
these?
•Week 5: What are the challenges I face as a graduate
writer? What have I learned about writing that
applies to my own work?
International Student Writing
Nancy Berry
Intensive English Program
International Students at CSU
• About 1200 international students and scholars
from over 100 countries
• International Undergraduates
– Clear admission (TOEFL and IELTS scores)
– Conditional admission
• Completion of Intensive English Program required
• Generation 1.5 students
Intensive English Program (IEP)
• Primary mission: Provide quality English
language instruction to prepare international
undergraduate students for academic work at
American universities
• Placement exam
• 6 levels of instruction (Beginning – Advanced)
Writing Curriculum at the IEP
• Beginning levels – sentence to paragraph
• Intermediate levels – paragraph to 5-paragraph
essay
• Advanced levels
–
–
–
–
Paraphrasing
Incorporating information from outside sources
Citation formats
Specific rhetorical patterns (cause-effect, comparecontrast, argumentation, etc…)
• All levels – attention to language (grammar,
spelling, vocabulary)
International Student Writing Samples
Advanced Two Level
•
Peoples all over the world are buying and selling organs illegally. The
growing markets involve poor local donors and an international contingent
of wealthy buyers. In America, more than 95,000 peoples are waiting for
organ transplants and in the last year thousands died waiting for surgery.
As this result, many people need organs, but there aren’t enough to
provide to sick people. However, although there are lots of people who
are waiting, some people still buy organs illegally. Because of those who
obtain the organs in unlawful ways, the waiting list for organs is growing
longer and longer. As the waiting list grows longer more poor people
suffer. There is a 10-year-old girl named Jessica. She is suffering from liver
disease. She has been waiting for a donation for a year, but her illness is
getting worse. Her parents decided to buy an organ in an unrighteous way.
It means the other person who was waiting for the organ might have to
wait more and die. Should her parents be allowed to buy an organ with
sacrificing another life? Jessica’s parents shouldn’t be allowed to pay to
obtain a liver because it injures others who are waiting for the organ and
isn’t fair to others.
International Student Writing Samples
(cont.)
• The Family Doesn’t Have the Right to an Organ
• If you had a daughter, and she needed to transplant a liver, what would
you do for her? Were you going to hurt other people for her? Nowadays,
there are a few numbers of people who know what bioethics means, but
there are some who don’t. Bioethics relates to our beliefs and what is
right and wrong in medical science. Transplant organs by buying and
selling are very common these days because a lot of people who need
transplant go to buy organs from poor people by saying it saves time and
helps ailing people. There is a case study that tells there is a little girl who
needed a transplant in her liver from a wealthy family, and her name is
Jessica. She and her parents had been waiting to transplant a liver for a
year, so finally the family decided to buy a liver by saying she will die
before she reaches to the top of the waiting list. Jessica’s family shouldn’t
buy a liver because it is fair for people who don’t have enough money like
Jessica’s family and they harm other people by buying a liver before
people who were before her in the waiting list.
IEP Classes as Cultural Bridge
• Rote memorization to critical thinking
• Student as passive recipient to student as active
class participant
• Understanding the line between ‘helping friends’
and cheating
• Expectations of the American academic audience
– Explicit, concise prose
– Acknowledging and giving credit to the ideas of others
(avoiding plagiarism)
Challenges Faced by GTAs Related to
International Student Writing
What problems do you anticipate?
Challenges Faced by GTAs Related to
International Student Writing
• Grammar and incomprehensibility
• Students not understanding the assignment
• Issues of fairness: finding a balance between
maintaining standards and showing
compassion
• Plagiarism
• Time
Strategies for Dealing with the
Challenges
• Start with a well-designed assignment
• Provide explicit expectations and instructions
(oral and written)
• When grading, be clear about goals/objectives
of assignment
• Read paper out loud
• Become familiar with resources available
through the Writing Center and the IEP
IEP Contact Info:
Nancy Berry
Intensive English Program
[email protected]
491-7246
Commenting Advice
• “The writing teacher’s ministry is not just to the
words but to the person who wrote the words.”
--William Zinsser
• “The best kind of commentary enhances the writer’s
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/c
feeling of dignity.
ommenting/The worst kind can be
dehumanizing and insulting—often to the
bewilderment of the teacher whose intentions were
kindly but whose techniques ignored the personal
dimension of writing.”
--John Bean
http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/teaching/commenting/
TEACHING IN THE MARGINS
PROFESSOR KATE KIEFER -- UDTS
Revision Processes and Strategies for GTA
Intervention—Works Especially for Staged
Assignments
Early, mid, and late interventions
•
Early
–
–
–
•
Topic proposal (subject, topic, issue, question)
Research question + tentative thesis
Seminal source description
Mid
–
–
–
–
–
•
Annotated bibliography (text partners) or source evaluation
Summary and response to one source
Quote and paraphrase sheet for one source
Introduction review, especially if multiple sources. Use “templates” for
entering conversation
Prospectus in full sentences (one page)
Late
–
–
–
Full draft workshop on one paper
Full draft peer review on all papers
Conference—writers talk about the draft they bring and revision plan
E608
Fall Semester 2011
• Section 1 7:45-9:00 TR—8/22-9/25—Eddy 119
• Section 2 4:00-5:15 TR—8/22-9/25—Eddy 9
• Section 3 12:30-1:45 TR—8/22-9/25—Shepherdson
120
• Section 4 12:30-1:45 TR—9/26-10/30—Shepherdson
120
What are the questions you’ll ask
your prof?
Feedback on Session
1. What “stuck” from this week’s training? What do
you think will be the most useful idea you have
gained during the orientation?
2. What would you like to learn more about?
3. What aspects of your GTA position are you looking
forward to? What parts of your GTA position most
concern you?
4. Would you seek out help from Sue on these issues?
5. Would you benefit from support for your writing?