This weekend, you've got two tasks:1. Read Kleine
and 2 (maybe a little more important) is to begin working on your Stage II.
The first step of Stage II is drafting and developing your research question. Please bring a draft of your question to class on Monday/Tuesday.
Having trouble honing down your research question?
Here are just a few examples:
- Do college freshmen and seniors use rhetorical strategies at all or in similar ways?
- How do grammar skills develop?
- What makes a classic literary work a "classic"?
- What makes an effective business plan?
- How does music effect writing or revision?
- How do literacy activities vary at high or low income daycares?
- What kind of writing will a social work major encounter?
- Is writing taught in medical school? Should it be? How?
Feel free to ask anything research related in the comments section. This will be a good opportunity for us to share our thoughts/ideas/concerns/complaints about that smelly old professor, etc...
Extra points available IF you're particularly helpful to someone else.
Mustache not required to participate.
I have some comments to share about my research question. I believe I am a formally taught writer, and I understand that structure and grammar gets in the way when trying to formulate an idea. Yes, I also understand that without grammar and structure our sentences will never be able to be understood. However, the mind set one begins with when creating an idea is subjective to how we must "fit into these little boxes". I do not know where this might lead, but those are my ideas, please contact me asap so I can express myself better. and maybe someone can help me have a definite question to work on.
ReplyDeleteHi Albert! What an interesting idea. I wonder what it is you mean by "formally taught" in writing -- defining this might be a good first step in developing your research question. I like to think of formatted writing as a good guideline, but you're right, it can indeed stifle creativity and might even stifle thinking. I think the trick is how students approach formats in writing -- either as rigid rules which harm, or as general guidelines which perhaps might help.
ReplyDeleteDo you think teaching students formatted writing is harmful in any way? What is it that's harmful? Do you think formatted writing is ever beneficial? Do you think certain groups of people (gender, ethnicity, age, etc) respond better to formatted writing or "free" writing? These are just some questions that came to my mind when I was reading your explanation.
Here's an article with some further thoughts on the topic, which I think is good reading for anyone struggling with these ideas:
http://advancedcomposition2009.wikispaces.com/file/view/Rose+Rigid.pdf
Congratulation you receive three extra points! =/
ReplyDeleteHere's another question:
ReplyDeleteWhy do people believe that if you like or are good at math you are naturally bad at English and vis-versa? Is this something that is actually prove or is this a stereotype people make?
That's a good question that I always had in mind. To be honest, I have never been good in a certain subject but I was never bad at them either. How would that work?
DeleteMy Research Question:
ReplyDeleteAre bad kids the only ones who find writing and reading boring or do good kids as well?
I would like to find out the answer to this because i dont think I'm a bad person myself, but english is not fun to me.
DeleteI really like your research question, but maybe you should specify what is a bad kid and good kids.
DeleteI really dont know because im not a bad kid but i do find writing boring thats a good topic
DeleteI personally like this question. I'm often mistaken for a student whom slacks off or doesn't care about school related topics when in reality I love school, especially reading and the English subject. What depicts whether or not a student is good or bad?
DeleteI would suggest that the question would be easier to develop if you could specify what you mean by bad kids and good kids.
DeleteYou don't really have to categorize them as bad kids, but maybe you can say students that have a preference on other studies that do not deal with reading or writing.
DeleteRight -- do we mean bad as in behavior in school? That might be easyish to measure (referrals, conduct grades, etc). It's an interesting question. I often wonder if difficulties in reading/writing (but especially reading) actually CAUSE kiddos to act up in school.
DeleteMy Question is...
ReplyDeleteWhy is learning literacy skills important for those in the field of nursing or pursuing a degree in Nursing?
I like your question because it is narrowed to an specific field and can really help out those pursuing that career. Maybe you should be more specific on what learning literacy skills are you referring to. What is your definition of literacy skills and what do they involve? Also I believe you need to be aware of what is required to pursue that career. Maybe it could be better if you asked what benefits or importance literacy has when actually performing in a nursing field job. Would it genuinely aid those already in that career or is it useless? Hope this can help you out.
DeleteMy Research Question:
ReplyDeleteAre kids that read more books better at writing then those kids who don't read as much books? If so why is it that way?
I personally love to read so I do believe that reading DEFINITELY helps a person's writing ability because they are constantly being exposed to writing in different and new ways. I like your question!
DeleteThat is a great question. I have personally always wondered that myself. What age group are you going to research? Something else maybe you could think about when doing your research is how sometimes "kids" start reading a lot as soon as they learn how to read, and others don't start being active readers until they're in late elementary or middle school, maybe this could change the results of how skilled they maybe in writing, maybe not.
DeleteI love this research question. I actually brought this up in my stage 1 assignment but decided to further on a new question.
DeleteI'm not sure, you might want to narrow into specific kinds of readings. What if they only read comic books? what if they read science books or science magazines?
DeleteReading will definitely increase their vocabulary, grammar, and spelling; but does it improve their rhetoric skills?
My research question:
ReplyDeleteDo underclassmen and graduates use similiar writing skills?
I like your question because everyone can relate to it. You can maybe try being a bit more specific by regarding to a certain field of study.
DeleteMaybe you want to specify if you want to do a specific classification of underclassmen, it might make your research a little bit easier.
DeleteLiz, I agree with Stephanie. Specifying on a certain field of study would help you focus more on the similarity of the writing skills. You can also speak about certain writing skills you expect to be used in the field and see if the results agree with your statement.
DeleteI did a similar research like this last semester and I picked the field of studying that I am going in for and it helped me out not only by getting a good grade and being very interested in my paper but I learned a lot myself as to what I was getting myself into.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteMy Research Question:
ReplyDeleteHow does a High School English writing style differ from a College English writing style?
This is an interesting question! It can lead to specific topics within education,maybe be more specific of which system of education.
DeleteThis is will be an intresting question because you will be able to see what high school teachers will have to do to get the students ready. Maybe you can add if those styles hurt the student in their FYI.
DeleteHere's Araceli's Question: 1. Are myths harmful to high school students? Do they hold them back? 2. What is perfect writing? Do high school students and college students have the same aspect of perfect writing?
ReplyDeleteUh I can totally help you out with your second question! I had a similar research question last semester. My question was: Do Mexican and American high school seniors have different perspectives about good writing? And what is actually good writing for them? I found out the differences where not in perspective, rather, they were, I believe, in practice and strategies but all of them agreed that good writing was a a text that trasmitted a clear message to the audience with an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. If you want to talk more about it, well tell me and I'll be happy to talk to you.
DeleteOn that particular question I would suggest specifying what is the type of harm she wants to research on plus choosing a particular myth to do research on.
DeleteMy question: Does age affect the type of writing writers use? Are creative writing and persuasive writing more popular with younger or older people?
ReplyDeleteThat is interesting, with a mild background in advertising I see how this would be useful when targeting a specific audience.
DeleteMaricruz, good question. When you begin speaking about the most popular writing in the younger and older people, try to include the ages you are targeting. For example: The younger group can be from 18-49 and the older group can be from 50+. This will help separate both groups and let the reader know what age you are speaking about.
DeleteCan the very structure of a message hinder or promote its meaning? How does it do so and why does it? Does context play a role in structure and style?
ReplyDeleteYou might want to ask how context, audience, and purpose shape the structure. Or if a type of writing has a preffered structure. Or what effect do different structures cause to the same text.
DeleteDo writing Myths really affect our writing skills?
ReplyDeleteClaudia just gave me an idea by reading hers... what about this question instead.... does music affect or help students write a better essay?
DeleteYou can really construct an awesome essay with this question. Maybe add what type of music and what style of writing.
DeleteIt all depends on how the person interprets the myth in my opinion if it will affect you.
DeleteI would say that music only helps those who can actually concentrate well with noise. I believe it would be a bit challenging to if music really affects writing considering that we are all different.
DeleteJessica I think it would be best if you narrowed that question into specifying what particular writing myth you want to do research on. Additionally you could try to also specify which writing skill you are more concerned with.
DeleteWe all know that left handers are right brainers and right handers and left brainers and right brainers are known to be more into music and creative. So my question is:
ReplyDeleteAre left handed people more creative then right handed people when it comes to writing?
This is an intresting question! Umm maybe want to set it up for specific age? Or gender?
DeleteAwesome question! Maybe you can add a type of writing or a specific community that you're talking about.
DeleteI think this might be a good topic because it will be a bit controversial, and it may take a lot of primary researching.
DeleteI think the answer is simpler than the research process might make it seem. In general left handed people are more creative than right-handed people(at least according to the science behind how our brain works), but just because this is true, does the left-handed wiring of the brain complicate the writing process for left-handed people?
DeleteThis is a really good question. I've heard about this topic before and this topic can go into a lot of depth so maybe try asking a certain group of people. Also look at the different point of views, both from the scientists and the left and right handed people themselves.
DeleteAre you only going to ask if they are more creative?
DeleteYou might want to focus on a writing skill. Maybe they are better at using rhetoric skills, or reading.
My Question is:
ReplyDeleteCan a person without education of older age, master the art of composition and construct an effective rhetorical essay?
I think your question is a very interesting one, I suggest you should specify what age range you want to deal with and specify what you mean by "without education", do you mean no education at all, or that they didn't finish high school, middle school, or elementary school?
DeleteI agree with Diana specify whether or not its high school dropouts or never attempted college graduates. The research for your question seems to me like it'd be a lengthy process to be able to determine the answer you want.
DeleteDoes the five paragraph essay format constrain or limit the writer to more ideas, opinions, or thoughts?
ReplyDeleteI can relate to your question because no until recently I got unstucked with this format and it actually gave me more freedom when writing. What writer are you referring to? High school seniors, college freshmen or maybe even teachers? And maybe the five paragraph essay might even inhibit their writing skills in general. So, if this misconception is true, how could it be fixed?
DeleteI believe this can be a great research question but target a specific age group in order to be more detailed.
DeleteDoes the Myth, "Hispanics are not good at writing" affect or limit in any way, the ability of the writer?
ReplyDeleteI love your question because it can go both ways; yes it can limit a writer's ability and no it cannot. A good percentage of UTPA students are Hispanic which gives you a vast amount of people to interview regarding your topic question.
DeleteGreat choice. Especially with where we are located, there are a lot of primary resources you can turn to for this.
DeleteAre you talking about writing English? Maybe they are just better at writing Spanish.
DeleteYou might want to specify an age group or social status. There could be other factors that limit the writer (e.g. culture, prejudice, etc)
My question is:
ReplyDeleteIs grammar mastered through drills?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI think it depends what kind of drills contribute to your writing maybe they were helpful or not it all depends i think.
DeleteGrammar being mastered through drills can also be seen as a 'common sense myth' what kind of drills did you have in mind? If Grammar isn't mastered through drills then what alternatives are there for accomplishing correct grammar?
DeleteDoes the amount of television or movies a student watches affect their reading and writing skills?
ReplyDeleteThis research question sounds like it can go in great depth. Lots of information can be gathered with this topic.
DeleteMaybe you can target grade school kids as well.
Good question but I would suggest you use "technology" as your main point since there is more out there than just television itself.
DeleteBianca, maybe the specific shows being watched are causing the affect on the reading and writing skills. For example: The students who watch more documentaries than reality t.v have better writing skills.
DeleteThis is a great question, I just think you should specify more because this question can go into a lot of depth. Maybe try asking for a specific grade level or group of students.
DeleteYou can choose which classification of student whether high school, college, etc. As well as maybe a specified age group. Or what type of TV or movies could possibly affect their skills.
DeleteI have two research question. I still can't decide which one to do becasue they are both really interesting for me.
ReplyDelete1. Why does youth disregard the importance of reading and what is the actual importance of reading for youth?
2. Is the non-reading society or rather the non-highly educated socierty an important factor behind Mexico's conservative/traditional/squared culture?
In response to question 1, not all youth disregard reading. Maybe you can ask what makes certain youth disregard the importance of reading? or maybe you could be more specific when you say youth.
DeleteI feel as if those two questions can be merged. Perhaps your question can be, does the lack of education cause a disregard in the importance of reading? If so does the lack of education lead to a "conservative/traditional/squared culture"? The second question does not need to be answered if no conclusion is found.
DeleteI think question number 1 is the best option to go with but rather than asking all of that I think it would be best to just ask what is the actual effect that reading has on students.
DeleteI like the idea of trying to merge both questions. You could ask: Does a non-reading society or non-highly educated society affect how youth (pick a specific age group) disregard the importance of reading/mexican conservative culture?
Delete"Is Grammar mastered through drills?"
ReplyDeleteWhen going through this questions one has to consider that people overall learn not only at different paces but in different ways.It also is important to pinpoint what section of grammar you are speaking of;the technical version with run-on sentences and the dreaded commas, or are you talking about the manner of most efficient self expression,disregarding to some extent punctuation errors.There are of course many variations like for instance the analysis of literary devices, but besides that there are certain people that learn better when repetition is involved, in their mind it becomes a refreshment and evolvement of the material, whereas other people may find this repetition dull and unnecessary having mastered it in little time,so the answer could be yes and no, but more importantly I think it shows how limiting our school systems can be when placing students within a certain curriculum, where material that is learned is imposed at a given time and expected to be mastered a the same time, when psychological and educational studies have shown that people learn at different rhythms.And when this limitation becomes apparent in students we go back to negative attitudes created by this controlled learning environment.I guess it would be most appropriate now to say that No, grammar is not 'mastered' (whatever that may be)When students are forced to approach it in a single way at a specific time and in a single manner.It becomes a knowledge that is easily forgotten, which is a disaster in education itself, since its supposed to be this fountain of not merely un-evolving knowledge, but wisdom, an understanding that has nothing to do with facts but the interpretation and connection that they make.
I hope that in some way this helps you with your question Stephanie:)
Do freshman students at UTPA enjoy writing?
ReplyDeleteMaybe you should specify what kind of writing in your question. Choose a specific subject they might be writing for, or maybe a type of writing such as personal or creative writing. And maybe you can choose students with a specific major to research because students with different majors will see writing differently, or you could write about how each of the different majors may see it.
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteAlso, you might want to consider what age group or level of classification you might want to use for your research.
DeleteMy question:
ReplyDeletewhat are the similarities on the thinking process between writing a novel and creating an artwork?
You could also ask what the similarities are behind the inspirations of the author and artist. (What prompted them to write/create this piece of work?)
DeleteYou could think about a counterargument that can be said against your research on similarities like differences for instance
DeleteYou could also ask various students at UTPA how they feel about this and if they have seen any similarities between artwork and writing a novel and if so where?
DeleteDoes the amount of money that a school receives from its district (people who live within high school district who pay for school taxes, state, etc.) affect the opportunity of quality education to students? HELP!!!
ReplyDeleteI recently saw a news report on an eleven year old girl who had beat every student in mexico in the mathematics field and was ranked the youngest and smartest kid in that specific field. Also that school had several other students who were out doing kids in the main capitals. This school lacked so many resources, like AC, water supplies, and of course money for books, desks, etc. If you want to know more about it I can send you the video and it can be used as a source for your paper.
DeleteYeah that would be awesome! My email is jjmartinezh@broncs.utpa.edu
DeleteThank You!!
QUESTION: Does the quality of education correlate with high school students (now college freshman) performance in school (high school/college)?
ReplyDeleteDoes the essay for stage 2 due tomorrow have to be a 3 page, well constructed essay of our full research and answer to our question? Or is it based on information about our question?
ReplyDeleteQuestion: What would be the appropriate age to teach a toddler grammar skills? Will it make a difference as they develop?
ReplyDelete