Practice What You Preach: A System for Reading and Writing
Below I would like to outline the steps and sequence that I believe lends itself to students entering into the academic conversation.
(working draft)
Analyzing Systems
When analyzing systems students are able to see conceptual models for what they are: limited in their scope and usefulness. Students can create and determine the characteristics of different systems. They can see how increasing or decreasing levels of complexity lend to a system being more or less useful. They can see the benefit of system analysis in terms of seeing between the lines, being introduced to bias, selective observation, interpretation, and (t)ruth. Students can see how conceptual models in our world are used. Students can see how words are also conceptual models.
...
Usefulness/Characteristics of Systems
A system is only as good as it is useful. To determine the usefulness of a system one must both analyze the purpose of a system and its characteristics. No system is perfect and the imperfectness has more to do with our subjectivity and the authors.
...
Good vs. Bad Science
What are the values of science? What makes some science good? Some bad? As a system science is flawed just like any system. But in many circles it is seen as infallible, knowledge gained, out there, that is certain and objective. This could not be further from the truth as Kuhn noted in his Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
...
Creating our System
Identifying the characteristics of good science vs. bad science students are able to create their own system. Quickly, this system should reflect the reproducibility and transparency needed for peer-review. Every aspect of their system needs to be thought about. In this light, they have a chance to analyze their own limitations, their own biases, their own socially and culturally bound ideas. As we develop a system of good science students see the need to attend to precision and accuracy.
...
Reproducibility
Students need to have an opportunity to work together and apart. They need to see the intense world in which science is vetted. They need to be attacked and their work needs to be analyzed by their peers. Their results need to be analyzed, reproduced (if possible) and confirmed.
...
Analyzing Text (other types of sources) as a system
Students need to see text and writing as a system. Just as any system it is inherently flawed and limiting in its nature. Students will develop a useful system that allows them to derive meaning from a text, video source, audio, or the like. Students will tend to precision and accuracy. Close readings and annotated bibliographies lend to a system of research.
...
Analyzing Sources
Students need to see the academic conversation in terms of happening in time and space. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Nothing. Useful sources are few and far in-between and the level of scholarship can vary widely. Including this into the analysis of a text opens the doorway to the academic conversation. Students begin to realize that knowledge is constantly being attacked, revised, and refuted. It is not simply 'out there', but rather a conversation between scholars across time and space, and the best part is they can enter this conversation (their observations are valid).
Useful System of Research
Being able to analyze a source by annotating, tending to precision and accuracy, summarizing, citing, and vetting a source students can then accumulate research. They can use it appropriately. They can be efficient in their use of time and resources.
...
Using Research
Students need to formulate arguments using evidence. You can say whatever you want, as long as you have evidence to support your claims. This can be done in a short response to a question or two, it can be done in a lengthier essay form. It can be done in discussion format, and should. Seeing the academic conversation going and understanding the importance and significance of evidence. Reiteration of good science and what good evidence really is could be retaught.
Viable Research Question
What do we know, what don't we know. Using the research students write a position paper relating to their topic/isssue. A statement of what we know about the topic/issue, using the evidence, is summarized, the purpose of the paper summarizes the scientific evidence for their position, describes the impacts on systems, cycles, etc, and provides information for "policy decisions guiding mitigation and adaption strategies designed to address current and future impacts." Choosing a system, related to the position paper, students will formulate a viable research question, that can either confirm, deny and/or produce new results never before seen. They will formulate an experimental design focusing on measurable data.
Incorporating Accurate and Precise Information from Previous Research/ Lab Results
To get students to see the connections between their readings, homework, lab, and test then you can develop a greater sense of purpose to their work. Connecting their lab results to the findings in the research is crucial. Trying to do good science is the goal.
Synthesizing Project
This is where students become self-directed. Using their skills, they read about certain topics, in the case of my biology class, it would be the weekly topics we cover (DNA, Central Dogma, Transcription, etc), it could be a current event or source from their homework that they pursue, Students will then develop a position paper, research question, and experimental design.
Ethos Pathos Logos
Students learn about the importance and usefulness of different types of evidence in argument. Annotations should include reference to the ideas, when going over a source in class it should E,P,L should be noted and students can then incorporate it into their writing deliberately.
Entering Into the Academic Conversation
The ultimate goal is to have students care about the world, to get into the habit of caring about it. To be literate. To be able to vet a source, to find the truth, to test, to be curious about what others claim, and how "good" their science is. To have the skill to see the time and space in which science is going on, feel comfortable viewing the conversation, and feel comfortable to enter it. To have a system to do things efficiently, effectively, to constantly be examining life.
(working draft)
Analyzing Systems
When analyzing systems students are able to see conceptual models for what they are: limited in their scope and usefulness. Students can create and determine the characteristics of different systems. They can see how increasing or decreasing levels of complexity lend to a system being more or less useful. They can see the benefit of system analysis in terms of seeing between the lines, being introduced to bias, selective observation, interpretation, and (t)ruth. Students can see how conceptual models in our world are used. Students can see how words are also conceptual models.
...
Usefulness/Characteristics of Systems
A system is only as good as it is useful. To determine the usefulness of a system one must both analyze the purpose of a system and its characteristics. No system is perfect and the imperfectness has more to do with our subjectivity and the authors.
...
Good vs. Bad Science
What are the values of science? What makes some science good? Some bad? As a system science is flawed just like any system. But in many circles it is seen as infallible, knowledge gained, out there, that is certain and objective. This could not be further from the truth as Kuhn noted in his Structure of Scientific Revolutions.
...
Creating our System
Identifying the characteristics of good science vs. bad science students are able to create their own system. Quickly, this system should reflect the reproducibility and transparency needed for peer-review. Every aspect of their system needs to be thought about. In this light, they have a chance to analyze their own limitations, their own biases, their own socially and culturally bound ideas. As we develop a system of good science students see the need to attend to precision and accuracy.
...
Reproducibility
Students need to have an opportunity to work together and apart. They need to see the intense world in which science is vetted. They need to be attacked and their work needs to be analyzed by their peers. Their results need to be analyzed, reproduced (if possible) and confirmed.
...
Analyzing Text (other types of sources) as a system
Students need to see text and writing as a system. Just as any system it is inherently flawed and limiting in its nature. Students will develop a useful system that allows them to derive meaning from a text, video source, audio, or the like. Students will tend to precision and accuracy. Close readings and annotated bibliographies lend to a system of research.
...
Analyzing Sources
Students need to see the academic conversation in terms of happening in time and space. Nothing happens in a vacuum. Nothing. Useful sources are few and far in-between and the level of scholarship can vary widely. Including this into the analysis of a text opens the doorway to the academic conversation. Students begin to realize that knowledge is constantly being attacked, revised, and refuted. It is not simply 'out there', but rather a conversation between scholars across time and space, and the best part is they can enter this conversation (their observations are valid).
Useful System of Research
Being able to analyze a source by annotating, tending to precision and accuracy, summarizing, citing, and vetting a source students can then accumulate research. They can use it appropriately. They can be efficient in their use of time and resources.
...
Using Research
Students need to formulate arguments using evidence. You can say whatever you want, as long as you have evidence to support your claims. This can be done in a short response to a question or two, it can be done in a lengthier essay form. It can be done in discussion format, and should. Seeing the academic conversation going and understanding the importance and significance of evidence. Reiteration of good science and what good evidence really is could be retaught.
Viable Research Question
What do we know, what don't we know. Using the research students write a position paper relating to their topic/isssue. A statement of what we know about the topic/issue, using the evidence, is summarized, the purpose of the paper summarizes the scientific evidence for their position, describes the impacts on systems, cycles, etc, and provides information for "policy decisions guiding mitigation and adaption strategies designed to address current and future impacts." Choosing a system, related to the position paper, students will formulate a viable research question, that can either confirm, deny and/or produce new results never before seen. They will formulate an experimental design focusing on measurable data.
Incorporating Accurate and Precise Information from Previous Research/ Lab Results
To get students to see the connections between their readings, homework, lab, and test then you can develop a greater sense of purpose to their work. Connecting their lab results to the findings in the research is crucial. Trying to do good science is the goal.
Synthesizing Project
This is where students become self-directed. Using their skills, they read about certain topics, in the case of my biology class, it would be the weekly topics we cover (DNA, Central Dogma, Transcription, etc), it could be a current event or source from their homework that they pursue, Students will then develop a position paper, research question, and experimental design.
Ethos Pathos Logos
Students learn about the importance and usefulness of different types of evidence in argument. Annotations should include reference to the ideas, when going over a source in class it should E,P,L should be noted and students can then incorporate it into their writing deliberately.
Entering Into the Academic Conversation
The ultimate goal is to have students care about the world, to get into the habit of caring about it. To be literate. To be able to vet a source, to find the truth, to test, to be curious about what others claim, and how "good" their science is. To have the skill to see the time and space in which science is going on, feel comfortable viewing the conversation, and feel comfortable to enter it. To have a system to do things efficiently, effectively, to constantly be examining life.
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