The research made by Birgin and Baki (2007), The use of Portfolio to Assess Student’s Performance is included in the Turkish Science Education Journal, vol, 4, issue, 2 , September 2007. The authors’ purpose is to introduce portfolio assessment method commonly used in educational contexts recently. They claim that learning approaches have changed and as a result they have affected assessment procedures. As a consequence, an alternative method is needed. Portfolio is then seen as “systematic and purposeful collection of the evidence which reflect the success, performance, and efforts of the students in one or more areas over a period of time” (Birgin & Baki, 2007, p. 78). Throughout the paper, Birgin and Baki (2007) show the different applications and different types of portfolios depending on the purpose and contents. They also explain the advantages of using portfolio assessment methods over the standarized testing as well as they describe the problems and disadvantages of using this alternative assessment method. In order to use portfolio as an assessment tool effectively, teachers need “to determine the purpose, plan its items ... and explain their assessement criteria clearly” (Birgin & Barki, 2007, p. 86).
Reference
Birgin, O. & Baki, A. (2007). The use of portfolio to assess student’s performance. Turkish Science Education Journal, 4(2), 75-87.
miércoles, 24 de febrero de 2010
Acknowledging sources properly
Academic writing implies not only the prodution of a piece of writing but also intensively researching on others’ published work in order to support hypothesis, explain theories or justify certain ideas. This research demands on the part of the academic writer to cite properly the documents or sources consulted to avoid plagiarism. In-text citacions and the reference list are the two means used to acknowledge sources.
Topics developed by the academic writer, the audience addresed to and the field in which the paper is included will be subject to a specified manual that provides guidelines and rules on how to recognize the sources. For instance, the manual APA (American Psychological Association) used for Psychology and other Social Sciences is the framework within which the following paper has been analysed.
In Ogan-Bekiroglu and Gunay's (2008) paper, Portfolio assessment, it can be seen the format of APA style for citing references. They follow the rules established to cite articles from magazines and books but they do not place the reference list on a new page separated from the text of the paper though. The label References is not centered and no double space is provided. The reference list entries are alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work and all lines after the first line of each entry are indented one-half inch from the left margin.
Following documentation styles is an important aspect to consider when acknowledging sources. There are special rules and formats depending on the discipline. Different manuals have been specially designed to guide the writers on how to acknowledge sources. These guidelines provide uniformity and tidiness. Therefore, they must be carefully dealt with so as not to mix styles or omit any detail.
References
Ogan-Bekiroglu, F. & Gunay, A. (2008). Physics students’perceptions on their journey through portfolio assessment.
Topics developed by the academic writer, the audience addresed to and the field in which the paper is included will be subject to a specified manual that provides guidelines and rules on how to recognize the sources. For instance, the manual APA (American Psychological Association) used for Psychology and other Social Sciences is the framework within which the following paper has been analysed.
In Ogan-Bekiroglu and Gunay's (2008) paper, Portfolio assessment, it can be seen the format of APA style for citing references. They follow the rules established to cite articles from magazines and books but they do not place the reference list on a new page separated from the text of the paper though. The label References is not centered and no double space is provided. The reference list entries are alphabetized by the last name of the first author of each work and all lines after the first line of each entry are indented one-half inch from the left margin.
Following documentation styles is an important aspect to consider when acknowledging sources. There are special rules and formats depending on the discipline. Different manuals have been specially designed to guide the writers on how to acknowledge sources. These guidelines provide uniformity and tidiness. Therefore, they must be carefully dealt with so as not to mix styles or omit any detail.
References
Ogan-Bekiroglu, F. & Gunay, A. (2008). Physics students’perceptions on their journey through portfolio assessment.
Experiential Learning E-Portfolios:Promoting Connections between Academic and Workplace Learning Utilizing Information and Communications Technologies
Brown, J. (2009). Experiential Learning E-Portfolios: Promoting Connections between Academic and Workplace Learning Utilizing Information and Communication Technologies. Miami: Barry University, School of Adult and Continuing Education.
Brown's (2009) paper examines the effectiveness of developing e-portfolios in two case studies to promote connections between academic and workplace learning. In Maloney’s (2007) words “the e-portfolio allows learners to trace the development of their thinking and learning over time and to show their competencies to the university and employers” (as cited in Brown, 2009, p. 2). The author briefly refers to learning approaches through the time till she reaches the one that supports her research. According to Brown (2009), the developmental constructivist work of Kegan (1994) and Mezinow’s (1996) transforamtive theory on learning allow learners to reflect upon their learning process, to change their behaviour, to construct and (re)discover meaning in such a way their complex cognitive ways increase. Relevant sections in the paper emphasized the idea of validating work environments as venues for higher level knowledge acquisition. These sections are: Workplace Learning; E-portfolios and learning; and The Transformation of Experience to Learning. After analysing the results obtained, Brown (2009) concludes that workplace can serve as another way of learning and e-portfolios can prove to be a connection between academic and professional competencies.
Reference
Brown, J. (2009). Experiential learning e-portfolios: promoting connections between academic and workplace learning utilizing information and communication technologies. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference Workplace Learning Special Interest Group paper session, April 16th, 2009.
Brown's (2009) paper examines the effectiveness of developing e-portfolios in two case studies to promote connections between academic and workplace learning. In Maloney’s (2007) words “the e-portfolio allows learners to trace the development of their thinking and learning over time and to show their competencies to the university and employers” (as cited in Brown, 2009, p. 2). The author briefly refers to learning approaches through the time till she reaches the one that supports her research. According to Brown (2009), the developmental constructivist work of Kegan (1994) and Mezinow’s (1996) transforamtive theory on learning allow learners to reflect upon their learning process, to change their behaviour, to construct and (re)discover meaning in such a way their complex cognitive ways increase. Relevant sections in the paper emphasized the idea of validating work environments as venues for higher level knowledge acquisition. These sections are: Workplace Learning; E-portfolios and learning; and The Transformation of Experience to Learning. After analysing the results obtained, Brown (2009) concludes that workplace can serve as another way of learning and e-portfolios can prove to be a connection between academic and professional competencies.
Reference
Brown, J. (2009). Experiential learning e-portfolios: promoting connections between academic and workplace learning utilizing information and communication technologies. Paper presented at the American Educational Research Association Conference Workplace Learning Special Interest Group paper session, April 16th, 2009.
Digital Portfolios: training in documenting school learning for the professional world
Purpose: To provide a general overview of why and how to implement digital portfolios as an educational tool with students from Camino Nuevo High School (CNHS).
Thesis: Through creating and maintaining digital portfolios, CNHS students synthesize and present their academic work at the same time they show their competence to master technological resources.
Audience: high school teachers, students at higher level education
1. The digital portfolios (DPs) process at CNHS.
A. Training in basic web design for professional world.
B. Developing skills for self-presentation.
2. DPs in CNHS as an educational tool and a unifying aspect of school culture.
A. Building and maintaining a website by all students.
1. Reflecting upon growth through academic work.
B. Presenting DPs at the end of tenth grade as a graduation requirement.
3. Portfolios’ contents.
A. Sections corresponding to each school year.
1. Assignments demostrating skills and concepts developed.
2. Reflections about the content and skills.
3. Quality of students’ effort and product.
4. Much classroom work posted on DPs for grading.
A. Students’ access to classmates’ DPs.
1. Peer assessments as regular classroom practice.
5. Steps to implement DPs.
A. In-house teacher training for basic web design.
B. Hard-working staff to develop approaches and standards for DPs.
C. Digital Portfolio Handbook on the DP website page.
1. Technical guidance.
2. Rubrics.
3. Guidelines for presentations at the end of tenth grade.
6. “Positive impact [of using DPs] on student achievement across the curriculum” (Cramer, 2009, p. 4)
A. Parents’ and members’ of the community access to students’ work.
B. Students’ chances to share work with possible employers or internship providers.
Reference
Cramer, M. (2009). Digital portfolios: documenting student growth. Horace Summer 2009, 25(1), 1-4. Data file. Retrieved December, 19th 2009 from http://www.essentialschools.org/cs/cespr/view/ces_res/620
Thesis: Through creating and maintaining digital portfolios, CNHS students synthesize and present their academic work at the same time they show their competence to master technological resources.
Audience: high school teachers, students at higher level education
1. The digital portfolios (DPs) process at CNHS.
A. Training in basic web design for professional world.
B. Developing skills for self-presentation.
2. DPs in CNHS as an educational tool and a unifying aspect of school culture.
A. Building and maintaining a website by all students.
1. Reflecting upon growth through academic work.
B. Presenting DPs at the end of tenth grade as a graduation requirement.
3. Portfolios’ contents.
A. Sections corresponding to each school year.
1. Assignments demostrating skills and concepts developed.
2. Reflections about the content and skills.
3. Quality of students’ effort and product.
4. Much classroom work posted on DPs for grading.
A. Students’ access to classmates’ DPs.
1. Peer assessments as regular classroom practice.
5. Steps to implement DPs.
A. In-house teacher training for basic web design.
B. Hard-working staff to develop approaches and standards for DPs.
C. Digital Portfolio Handbook on the DP website page.
1. Technical guidance.
2. Rubrics.
3. Guidelines for presentations at the end of tenth grade.
6. “Positive impact [of using DPs] on student achievement across the curriculum” (Cramer, 2009, p. 4)
A. Parents’ and members’ of the community access to students’ work.
B. Students’ chances to share work with possible employers or internship providers.
Reference
Cramer, M. (2009). Digital portfolios: documenting student growth. Horace Summer 2009, 25(1), 1-4. Data file. Retrieved December, 19th 2009 from http://www.essentialschools.org/cs/cespr/view/ces_res/620
martes, 23 de febrero de 2010
A healthy life in your hands and feet
Nowadays more and more people are interested in taking alternative medical treatments or complementing the traditional ones with some up-to-date techniques based on ancestral practices. Oribe (2007), in his work Reflexología: La salud a tus pies presents a careful description about the treatment and self-therapy. Particularly important are the theory and the classification he includes in the first and last parts of the book specifically. The simple language used added to precise illustrations and a series of exercises clearly described, make of this book an interesting resource to take into account when we decide to take care of our health. The techniques that have been scientifically proved offer to anyone a different, cheap and enjoyable self-treatment. Oribe (2007) admits “...[T]raditional medicine, sometimes and more often, nowadays, utilises alternative therapies as a complement for its own treatments” (p.29).
Reference
Oribe, C. A. (2007). Reflexología: La salud a tus pies. Cdad.de Buenos Aires, Arg: Ediciones LEA S.A.
Reference
Oribe, C. A. (2007). Reflexología: La salud a tus pies. Cdad.de Buenos Aires, Arg: Ediciones LEA S.A.
The Critical Incident Technique
Flanagan, J. (1954). The critical incident technique. Psychological Bulletin,
51-4. Retrieved December, 10th 2009,
from http://www.apa.org/psycinfo/special/cit-article.pdf
In his work, Flanagan (1954) describes the development of a method called Critical Incident Technique (CIT) as well as he explains its main principles and its present conditions. There are also some cases studied and some samples forms for different uses. “The critical inicident technique consists of a set of procedures for collecting direct observations of human behaviour...” (Flanagan 1954, The critical incident technique para. 2 ). By means of this method practical problems can be dealt with in different fields. However, as the author concludes “critical incidents represent only raw data and do not automatically provide solutions to problems” (Flanagan, 1954, Summary and Conclusions, para. 3). As regards organization, it can be said that the work includes two parts. The first one deals with how and when the technique started. Sections belonging to this part are: “Background and early developments”, “Developmental studies at the American Institute for Research” and “Studies carried out at the University of Pittsburgh”. The second part is about the description of the technique in itself. Sections referring to it are: 1.The procedure in its present form. 1.1. General aims 1.2. Plans and specifications 1.3. Collecting the data 1.4. Analysing the data 1.5. Interpreting and reporting 2. Uses of the Critical Incident Technique 3. Summary and conclusions.
51-4. Retrieved December, 10th 2009,
from http://www.apa.org/psycinfo/special/cit-article.pdf
In his work, Flanagan (1954) describes the development of a method called Critical Incident Technique (CIT) as well as he explains its main principles and its present conditions. There are also some cases studied and some samples forms for different uses. “The critical inicident technique consists of a set of procedures for collecting direct observations of human behaviour...” (Flanagan 1954, The critical incident technique para. 2 ). By means of this method practical problems can be dealt with in different fields. However, as the author concludes “critical incidents represent only raw data and do not automatically provide solutions to problems” (Flanagan, 1954, Summary and Conclusions, para. 3). As regards organization, it can be said that the work includes two parts. The first one deals with how and when the technique started. Sections belonging to this part are: “Background and early developments”, “Developmental studies at the American Institute for Research” and “Studies carried out at the University of Pittsburgh”. The second part is about the description of the technique in itself. Sections referring to it are: 1.The procedure in its present form. 1.1. General aims 1.2. Plans and specifications 1.3. Collecting the data 1.4. Analysing the data 1.5. Interpreting and reporting 2. Uses of the Critical Incident Technique 3. Summary and conclusions.
Analysing the use of some academic writing strategies
Academic writing can be considered as a bridge that connects professional growth to a discourse community. According to Grabe and Kaplan (1996), academic writing is a type of writing that involves composing for knowledge transforming. Examples of these compositions can be: journals, notes, reports or proposals. In order to transform knowledge or as Pintos (2009) states,
“... [I]n order to construct knowledge, we should be aware of some specific characteristics which delimit the area of writing academically. Many well-known researchers and theorists have listed them (Campbell, 1990; Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998; Hunter & Morgan, 2001; Jordan, 1997; Reid, 1993). These characteristics ... are regulated by a general academic register, a formal style, a proficiency in language use, the ability to integrate information from other sources...” (p.7)
Analysing Myles’s (2002) work, Second Language Writing and Research: The Writing Process and Error Analysis in Student Texts, we can observe she makes use of a variety of academic strategies to support her research and analysis. A great deal of in-text citations are used in Models of First Language (1L) and Second Language (2L) Writing section, para. 3 as well as she makes two omissions when quoting two different authors’ points of view as regards skilled and less-skilled writers. They can be seen in the paragraph quoted below,
The Flower and Hayes (1980, 1981) model focuses on what writers do when they compose. It examines the rhetorical problem in order to determine the potential difficulties a writer could experience during the composing process. The "problem-solving activity" is divided into two major components: the rhetorical situation (audience, topic, assignment), and the writer's own goals (involving the reader, the writer's persona, the construction of meaning, and the production of the formal text). By comparing skilled and less-skilled writers, the emphasis here is placed on "students' strategic knowledge and the ability of students to transform information . . . to meet rhetorically constrained purposes" (Grabe & Kaplan, 1996, p. 116). However, the social dimension is important too. Indeed, writing "should not be viewed solely as an individually-oriented, inner-directed cognitive process, but as much as an acquired response to the discourse conventions . . . within particular communities" (Swales, 1990, p. 4).
Myles (2002) also inserts an upper-case letter at the beginning of two block quotations. The following are the examples
[L]earners lack the necessary information in the second language or the attentional capacity to activate the appropriate second-language routine. But such an account says little about why certain linguistic forms transfer and others do not. (McLaughlin, 1988, p. 50 as cited in Cognitive Factors, para. 7)
[A]lthough we should not cripple our students' interest in writing through undue stress or grammatical correctness, the influence of second language factors on writing performance is something we have to reckon with and not pretend that concentrating on the process would automatically resolve the difficulty caused by these factors. (Yan, 1991, p. 268 as cited in Summary and Conclusion, para.2)
Various kinds of quotations are also used, direct and block ones can be mentioned as the examples above. Myles (2002) also paraphrases other authors’ words, for example in the first paragraph of her work
The ability to write well is not a naturally acquired skill; it is usually learned or culturally transmitted as a set of practices in formal instructional settings or other environments. Writing skills must be practiced and learned through experience. Writing also involves composing, which implies the ability either to tell or retell pieces of information in the form of narratives or description, or to transform information into new texts, as in expository or argumentative writing. Perhaps it is best viewed as a continuum of activities that range from the more mechanical or formal aspects of "writing down" on the one end, to the more complex act of composing on the other end (Omaggio Hadley, 1993).
The author also introduces phrases by means of appropriate reporting verbs, such as:
Bereiter and Scardamalia (1987) also propose a model that suggests...
According to Ellis (1985), it is through analyzing learner errors that...
Taking the concept of "knowledge transformation" further, Wells (2000) argues that...
In addition to the use of written models, Cumming (1995) also points out the benefits of...
The reporting verbs are not overused nor repeated so as not to make it difficult the smoothness of the reading act.
All in all, the examples above can show how an academic piece of writing should be looked like as regards the use of appropriate citing sources. As Pintos (2009) defines, composing is “the ability to combine sentences into larger cohesive and coherent pieces of writing...” (p.7). It is important to take into account that when producing a piece of academic writing, we are not only using different statregies but we are also getting involved in a discourse community.
Reference
Myles, J. (2002). Second Language Writing and Research: The Writing Process and Error Analysis in Student Texts. TESEL-EJ, 6, 2, 2002. Queen's University. Retrieved from http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESl-EJ/ej22/a1.html, April 1, 2008
Pintos, V. (2008). Unit 3: Academic Writing. Handout for Licenciatura en Enseñanza del Idioma Inglés. Buenos Aires: Universidad CAECE. Retrieved August 2009, from http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=2730
“... [I]n order to construct knowledge, we should be aware of some specific characteristics which delimit the area of writing academically. Many well-known researchers and theorists have listed them (Campbell, 1990; Dudley-Evans & St. John, 1998; Hunter & Morgan, 2001; Jordan, 1997; Reid, 1993). These characteristics ... are regulated by a general academic register, a formal style, a proficiency in language use, the ability to integrate information from other sources...” (p.7)
Analysing Myles’s (2002) work, Second Language Writing and Research: The Writing Process and Error Analysis in Student Texts, we can observe she makes use of a variety of academic strategies to support her research and analysis. A great deal of in-text citations are used in Models of First Language (1L) and Second Language (2L) Writing section, para. 3 as well as she makes two omissions when quoting two different authors’ points of view as regards skilled and less-skilled writers. They can be seen in the paragraph quoted below,
The Flower and Hayes (1980, 1981) model focuses on what writers do when they compose. It examines the rhetorical problem in order to determine the potential difficulties a writer could experience during the composing process. The "problem-solving activity" is divided into two major components: the rhetorical situation (audience, topic, assignment), and the writer's own goals (involving the reader, the writer's persona, the construction of meaning, and the production of the formal text). By comparing skilled and less-skilled writers, the emphasis here is placed on "students' strategic knowledge and the ability of students to transform information . . . to meet rhetorically constrained purposes" (Grabe & Kaplan, 1996, p. 116). However, the social dimension is important too. Indeed, writing "should not be viewed solely as an individually-oriented, inner-directed cognitive process, but as much as an acquired response to the discourse conventions . . . within particular communities" (Swales, 1990, p. 4).
Myles (2002) also inserts an upper-case letter at the beginning of two block quotations. The following are the examples
[L]earners lack the necessary information in the second language or the attentional capacity to activate the appropriate second-language routine. But such an account says little about why certain linguistic forms transfer and others do not. (McLaughlin, 1988, p. 50 as cited in Cognitive Factors, para. 7)
[A]lthough we should not cripple our students' interest in writing through undue stress or grammatical correctness, the influence of second language factors on writing performance is something we have to reckon with and not pretend that concentrating on the process would automatically resolve the difficulty caused by these factors. (Yan, 1991, p. 268 as cited in Summary and Conclusion, para.2)
Various kinds of quotations are also used, direct and block ones can be mentioned as the examples above. Myles (2002) also paraphrases other authors’ words, for example in the first paragraph of her work
The ability to write well is not a naturally acquired skill; it is usually learned or culturally transmitted as a set of practices in formal instructional settings or other environments. Writing skills must be practiced and learned through experience. Writing also involves composing, which implies the ability either to tell or retell pieces of information in the form of narratives or description, or to transform information into new texts, as in expository or argumentative writing. Perhaps it is best viewed as a continuum of activities that range from the more mechanical or formal aspects of "writing down" on the one end, to the more complex act of composing on the other end (Omaggio Hadley, 1993).
The author also introduces phrases by means of appropriate reporting verbs, such as:
Bereiter and Scardamalia (1987) also propose a model that suggests...
According to Ellis (1985), it is through analyzing learner errors that...
Taking the concept of "knowledge transformation" further, Wells (2000) argues that...
In addition to the use of written models, Cumming (1995) also points out the benefits of...
The reporting verbs are not overused nor repeated so as not to make it difficult the smoothness of the reading act.
All in all, the examples above can show how an academic piece of writing should be looked like as regards the use of appropriate citing sources. As Pintos (2009) defines, composing is “the ability to combine sentences into larger cohesive and coherent pieces of writing...” (p.7). It is important to take into account that when producing a piece of academic writing, we are not only using different statregies but we are also getting involved in a discourse community.
Reference
Myles, J. (2002). Second Language Writing and Research: The Writing Process and Error Analysis in Student Texts. TESEL-EJ, 6, 2, 2002. Queen's University. Retrieved from http://www-writing.berkeley.edu/TESl-EJ/ej22/a1.html, April 1, 2008
Pintos, V. (2008). Unit 3: Academic Writing. Handout for Licenciatura en Enseñanza del Idioma Inglés. Buenos Aires: Universidad CAECE. Retrieved August 2009, from http://caece.campusuniversidad.com.ar/mod/resource/view.php?id=2730
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