College courses have evolved over the course of history, adapting to the ever changing ways students learn, speak, and write. But focusing on the writing aspect of education, do teachers/professors really grade fairly? The university is diverse and students come from so many different backgrounds, and writings cannot always be done exactly how an instructor desires it to be, or in the correct voice. Correct voice means that a student uses words that professors wants to see and construct their essay the way that they like to read. A student’s voice, the tone and form his/her essay is written in, is shaped by their culture, society, and factors outside the professor’s wishes. In this essay, I will address the problems that arise from the ways …show more content…
The authors looked at a series of factors that affect the writing of a college student, such as anxiety, the type of writing is done, and how the student feels it is important (Martinez). Many students who feel they have to conform to the ideas of the professor feel that they cannot meet the standards required. A lot of professors put too many expectations on the essays of first year students. First year students have not yet developed efficacy for the general education courses and are still adjusting to the switch to college courses. With these challenges known, it is hard to understand why the grading styles of professors still stand the way they do …show more content…
Often times, students do not even care to look at the comments a professor has made on an assignment. According to Timothy Quinn, author of the article, A Crash Course on Giving Grades, students will often not even read the comments a professor puts on an essay, but focuses strictly on the grade, tarnishing the idea that they need to improve in certain areas (Quinn). Personal comments by the professor are almost always completely overlooked by students who simply just worry about what grade they receive, which should require most professors in the English discipline to rethink their grading strategies. “[Students] are required to say something on a given theme whether or not they feel drawn to the topic and whether or not they feel they have something to say” (Hounsell). He means to say that English professors have efficacy for their work, but students sometimes lack that feeling of exigence to write an adequate essay. A professor cannot simply read the essay and evaluate based on the arguments and opinions of the student, but should focus on the structure and content of the essay, which is the key to success in many parts of life, such as a career. Vocabulary, grammar, the forms of sentences, and correct citations are all standards that need to be
In Downs and Wardle’s article, they argue and identify the flaws in teaching writing in college. Demonstrating the misconceptions that academic writing is universal, but rather specialized in each case. Citing studies and opinions from esteemed professionals, Downs & Wardle state their points and illuminate the problem in today’s many colleges.
Writing with Readings and Handbook. 3rd ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2013. 52-57. Print.
McNeil, Hayden. The Anteater's Guide to Writing & Rhetoric. Irvine: Composition Program, Department of English, UC Irvine, 2014. Print.
Several people have trouble writing college level essays and believe that they are unable to improve their writing skills. In “the Inspired Writer vs. The Real Writer,” Sarah Allen argues how no one is born naturally good at writing. Sarah Allen also states how even professional writers have trouble with the task of writing. Others, such as Lennie Irvin, agree. In Irvin’s article “What is ‘Academic’ Writing?” states how there are misconceptions about writing. Furthermore, Mike Bunn’s article “How to Read Like a Writer” shows ways on how one can improve their writing skills. Allen, Bunn, and Irvin are correct to say how no one is born naturally good writers. Now that we know this, we should find ways to help improve our writing skills, and
Johns, Ann M. “Discourse Communities and Communities of Practice: Membership, Conflict, and Diversity.”Writing about Writing. Boston: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2011. Print.
Farber, Jerry “ A Young Person’s Guide to the Grading System” Dissent Fall 1997: 102-04 in Mary Lynch Kennedy and Haley M. Smith. Reading and writing in the Academic Community. 2nd ed, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice Hall 2001. 333-336.
Downs, Doug. "Literacy, Discourse, and Linguistics." Writing About Writing: A College Reader. By Elizabeth A. Wardle. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2011. 520-33, 581-594. Print.
Throughout the semester i only learned few new things but i did improve and solidify my skill of writing. Before my first year of college my skills have always undermined by other high school english teachers and with that came disappointing grades. I am writing this paper as a reflection of the semester and the progress i have made as a writer. I now understand many things that my high school teachers have done a poor job demonstrating and i am grateful that i decided to take my own route in my education instead of their syllabus. I entered the semester with anxiety that i would perform as i did before but i clearly outdid my own expectations by receiving top grades on my essays.
Meyer, Michael, ed. Thinking and Writing About Literature. Second Edition. New York: Bedford/St. Martin's, 2001.
Many professors are teaching students the basics of academics. Many students do not speak and write like professors. Students have their own primary discourse. Students primary or native discourse is the first discourse students learn. Students are usually advanced in their native discourse, but they struggle when they have to learn the dominant discourse. Students struggle learning the dominant language, because they have to learn all the rules that come along with the discourse. In addition, some students believe learning the dominant discourse mean they are giving up or neglecting their native discourse. However, learning more than one discourse does not mean students have to leave one behind. Therefore, professors should teach college students multiple discourses, so they can evolve as writers.
Over the past semester, I have found the most challenging part of this course to simply be the transition from high school composition classes to college. Because writing expectations are so different in college than in high school, even with AP and Dual Enrollment “college level” classes, I first found myself being overwhelmed with the pressure to write the perfect first draft. The pressure came from knowing how much a final draft of a paper contributed to my grade. This left me sitting in front of my computer for hours at a time with thoughts of what I wanted to say racing through my head, but unable to deliver these thoughts into organized, structured sentences. I learned, through writing my persuasive essay, that instead of trying to write the paper start to finish and already in its perfect form, it is easier for me to look at the paper through its different components and focus on them individually, then work to best organize my ideas fluently.
Writing is an important part of everyone’s life, whether we use it in school, in the workplace, as a hobby or in personal communication. It is important to have this skill because it helps us as writers to express feelings and thoughts to other people in a reasonably permanent form. Formal writing forms like essays, research papers, and articles stimulates critically thinking. This helps the writer to learn how to interpret the world around him/her in a meaningful way. In college, professors motivate students to write in a formal, coherent manner, without losing their own voice in the process. Improving your writing skills is important, in every English class that’s the main teaching point; to help students improve their writing skills. Throughout my college experience I have acknowledge that
Although adequate writing skills are indispensable for life, leisure, and employment, quite a few students do not learn how to write effectively. Since writing is an exercise in thinking, it is important to balance the process of writing with the mechanics of writing. The areas of the brain involved in the writing task are varied yet interrelated; therefore, a student’s individual needs will determine the method of instruction they receive. Many students who have low expectations for their own academic success will not make even minimal efforts to complete a...
By nature, most students are brought up in an academic environment motivated to get A’s and B’s on their report cards. Those grades sometimes don’t thoroughly report how much a student has learned or gained knowledge in each topic. Some instructors throw in factors totally unrelated to learning, when the main objective of academic institutions is to learn. In order to clearly demonstrate how much a student has learned in the classroom, schools should change their current grading system and teach students how to learn.
Kirszner, Laurie G., and Stephen R. Mandell. Literature: Reading, Reacting, Writing. Compact 8th. Boston: Wadsworth Cengage Learning, 2011. Print.