Hope Wilson
blog3
Writing in High School/Writing in College:
Research Trends and Future Directions
by Joeanne Addison and Sharon James McGee





                                                             Learned Behavior






         Is writing a learned behavior? Does it "warrant a closer look at whether the persistence of tracking is contributing to the degree to which the achievement gap between students of different socioeconomic and racial groups also persist as identified by the NAEP" as some students write the way their environment speaks. Environments are the basics of the results of the way some students write. Although some schools create a great writing plans "many students do not engage in best practice for learning how to write, calling attention to the need to find ways to encourage greater engagement among students for best practice in learning how to write"structurally according to the U.S. Department of Education. Some students manages to concord writing projects with a great grade "According to NSSE, the types of writing assignments that promote "deep learning" across the curriculum include those that focus on analysis, synthesis, and integration of ideas from various sources in ways that lead to engagement with course ideas both inside and outside of the classroom(22). But how much of the actual writing across the curriculum falls into this category? Further, how does the writing assigned prepared students for the writing beyond the academy? In large-scales studies, institutional studies, and our own research, it seems that mush of the writing assigned to the students across the curriculum does intend to promote deep learning, although very little prepares students for writing beyond the academy" resulting in a difficult transition into the workplace.

      Reading scholarly and academic sources may increase literacy and improve students writing ability and articulation. Promoting more engaging and structural behavior may be required " Like expressive assignments exploratory assignments are informal and focus on exploring ideas," encouraging students expressive behavior which may also encourage improvement in their personal growth.


How They Really Talk
Two Students' Perspective on Digital Literacy in the Writing Classroom
by Ann .M. Amicucci


       Reiterating my comments in agreement with" scholars have recognized that any given literacy practice is shaped by its social and historical context (Barton & Hamilton, 1998; Gee, 1990, Street, 2003.) because some students write like their environment. Creative writing may encourage academic writing if place in the a certain context. As an educator I will encourage "practices that will bring digital literacies into writing classroom has emphasized the potential for fostering students' critical literacy skills through the use of digitals tools" encouraging academic perspectives. I was surprised to read that students were encouraged to participate digital literacy assignments. The survey of the ' data analysis revealed several student ideal situation writing course activity within digital context."evolving some academic writing processes. Digital tool will create a more personal relationship between the educator and the student. It will invite the education into the students personal lifestyle as it makes the students aware of the "out-of school" identity.

    Academic writing announces one's identity.Young's (2004) argues perfectly "expectation in the classroom may require students to leave their out-of-school identity behind and adopt solely academic identities in their place" allowing academic growth for an easy transition into employment.

Hope Wilson
Continuation blog2
Out of Our Experience: Useful Theory
By Marian M. Mohr, Courtney Roger, Betsy Sanford,
Mary Ann Nocerino, Marion S. MacLean, and Sheila Clawson


                                                    Scholarly Research


Are we progressing or are we focusing on other research? I am inspired to believe that experience is the best teacher. I agree with the statement " As with most teachers-researchers, our theory building emerged from a complex mix of classroom experiences, collegial exchanges, reflective opportunities, and selected reading" that may inspire teaching ethics. When educators conduct research, journal, and collaborate with their colleagues regarding teaching that is considered part of their experiences. It is impressive how educators were influenced by Lawrence Stenhouse (1985). It was written "ideas led us to think about the effects of teacher research on curriculum and professional development. Our classroom observations effected our classroom curriculum. Our yearly research process was like a graduate course; our understandings based on our research were professional development for each other" which may encourage other educators to experience similar processes or research strategies.  Professional and personal development is inevitable when "research groups of critical friends" join groups and discuss their research and data.

Blog 2

By Hope Wilson

David's Charney

Empiricism Is Not A Four-Letter Word

       

                                                            Scholarly Research

        Should scholarly research be challenged for authenticity?  I agree with the Davida Charney as she shares “Our over-reliance on qualitative studies and repeated disparagement of objective methods is creating a serious imbalance in studies of technical and professional writing- and the same may be true in composition studies as a whole. The numerous socially-situated ethnographies and case studies, excellent though each may be, cannot by themselves sufficiently extended and refine our methods and our knowledge base. It is rare for the same site or even the same kind of site to be studied by multiple scholars “creating questionable studies. Watson and Cricks made a great point when their “announcement of the double -helix, the documentary record surrounding the Challenger disaster, Jack Seizer's collection of analyses of a landmark article by Gould and Lewontin. In each case, scholars have insightfully interpreted the texts and allowed some degree of comparison of methods and theories. But these scholars rarely challenged or extend other's findings." engaging people to present challenging implications.

         As writings and research of all genres evolves the methodology and its implications are changing "the research methods we employ have important consequences for the intellectual authority of our field, for the ethical, political, and intellectual value of our work, and for its potential to effect beneficial changes in the classroom and the workplace " which may change the definitions of research. Sponsors and financial support may encourage and inspire some researcher’s direction as others research regarding their passion.  I agree with Flynn when he claims " beliefs in the objectively of the scientist and the neutrality of scientific investigation serve the interests of those in positions of authority and power, usually white males, and serve to exclude those in marginalized position. 
Identification by women or by feminized fields with the sciences and social sciences, therefore, may necessitate association with discourses that ignore issues of concern to those in marginalized position and that arise out of epistemology antithetical to their needs and interests. (358)" creating some to believe the possibility of a form of injustice.
    Men of power are dictating research topics. Some scientists and researchers are researching according to their funding. Passion does not always dictate researchers topics. Researchers topics suggested by men are being considered more frequently. Feminists have been weighing in claiming " woman are disproportionately represented" exposing injustices.

Hope Wilson
Liminal Spaces and Research Identity
The construction of Introductory Composition Students as Researchers
By James P. Purdy and Joyce R. Walker


                                         Students Accumulative Research

Do we force students to research in ways that will push them out of their comfort zone? I do not agree with the text book that advocates " When students conduct academic research, in other words, the skills and strategies they bring with them to be retooled or abandoned for fear that they will pollute their academic work" I think enhancement of collective knowledge should be encouraged. The students' relationship with their accumulative academics must be factored into how they will embrace new research processes. I agree with " Maurice Kogan (2009:209), In his discussion of the relationship among academics, academic institutions, and larger social settings, offers this description of the forces that shape academic development; ,For development to be strong, it must be firmly rooted in the intellectual self-confidence of the disciplines and subject area to which academics belong. That is the context in which a sense of academic identity flourishes. In a confident academic systems, new knowledge is generated through accepted processes of discovery and testing and through following the logic of the issues being tackle" which maybe discovered by an educator on a case by case basis.

 

Cultivating the students accumulated research skills are essential to correcting their "understanding of the research identities.  Liminality, "coming from the Latin word for "threshold," is what anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep (1960-: 10-11) presents as the transitional step in rites of passage (between separation and incorporation). He asserts that "to cross the threshold," that is, to literally or figuratively pass through a liminal space, " to unite oneself with a "new world" as an educators incorporating additional research processes to enhance students accumulated knowledge may essential to a student's future research identity.

 

I am concerned with " Web sources can indeed be of "questionable legitimacy," Maimon, Peritz, and Yancey assert (2007: 207), but we find particularly troubling in these sources is that students are to leave behind rather than build on what they already know about navigating digital research spaces," which is also vital to their research identity. Academic libraries have secure and valuable research Web sites. If students get into the habit of “Positioning the library as the required starting place for academic work” it may present a more rewarding outcome.

 

Attempting to restructure a college student’s that has been born into the digital world digital research process may be difficult. Incorporating the library Web site into their already research process at some point may be structure enough. The student’s first composition research class in elementary school should be taught to use the library Web site and current research processes which should be reinforced on other research projects. I agree that “This goal can be achieved, however without forcing students to abandon the useful knowledge and skills that form their existing research identities. Students need to be able to make their own investigations into these practices and to understand the complexities and contradictions in ways that academic research practice create knowledge." and processes that are comfortable for them.