Teacher Resources: Things That Work

CLARIFYING GOALS
by Ann Dean

Some weak students are trying hard to do the wrong thing.   They cannot really believe that what they did in high school will not work in college.  They think you'll come around at the end and stop giving them these NPs. 

My response to this problem is to teach them to tell me the difference between a passing and a failing paper in Expos. I do this with a sample paper, one that has some passing moments and some failing moments.

1. Photocopy 22 copies of the sample paper and bring it to class. 

2. Ask the class what kinds of things I write good things about in the margins, and get a list on the board of things papers have to do to pass. 

• Use quotations 
• Explain the student's idea about what is important about each quotation
• Use an idea from one quotation to say something about the other writer
• Be mostly free of meaning-impeding grammar errors
• Have an introduction and conclusion that help me understand the student's    ideas
• Use paragraphs to organize the ideas

3. Ask them to read the paper and find places where it does do these things and places where it does not do these things.  They can usually see what I mean about the paragraphs that do these things—they are more interesting, they spark discussion, they have ideas in them.  Many students have told me that they are INTENTIONALLY AVOIDING putting ideas in their papers, because they are afraid of being wrong.  So this is a good moment to ask them what they think about having ideas in their papers.  I tell them at this point that they need to come up with an idea, any idea, to pass.  In order to get a B or an A it has to be an interesting, complex idea that is supported by the texts.  For a C, they just have to have an idea.  This will be news to many of them. 

4.If there is still time in the class, you can ask them to look at their own rough drafts, or at a homework assignment or a final draft you have handed back, and do the same thing.  Find places that are passing and failing, according to the rubric on the board. 

With a student whose weakness includes passivity or not listening in class, you can do this whole thing in your office.  Have the student bring a rough draft and read the whole thing in front of you.  Ask her to pick out the passing moments and the failing moments.  If she can't find any passing moments, ask her what grade the paper will get.  That should break through the denial, and then the student will be more ready to try new strategies, such as analyzing quotes, revision, rereading, etc.