ERIC Research Reaction Paper

In a one page single spaced article of summary writing, give an example of a quotation from the educational literature in your bibliography that has relevance to the work and concepts of this course and then reflect on its relevance to your needs. This pattern is repeated for each of the other articles to be found and read. Do not use the example headings below, instead creating a single heading per article.

Use the following model in providing the quotation, and reflection and citation in the bibliography.

Citation

Smith, Frank (1992). Learning to Read: The Never Ending Debate. Phi Delta Kappan, 441-442.

[It is optional as to whether the citation is at the top or bottom of the page. The citation should be in APA format. Through using the RefWorks citation management system, the formatting is done automatically. For this article, the citation would appear as above. If the citation was long enough, it must be outdented for this format.]

Quotation

"The original philosophy of whole language, even before it acquired the label, had nothing to do with methods, materials or technique. There was no attempt to tell teachers what they should do to teach children to read; rather the aim was to tell teachers what their attitude should be. The basis of philosophy was respect - respect for language (which should be natural and "authentic," not contrived and fragmented) and respect for learners (who should be engaged in meaningful and productive activities, not in pointless drills and rote memorization). ...It is without a doubt the most vital movement in education today." (p.440)

Reaction/Reflection Comments

[Use the remaining space on the page to respond and react to the quotation and article.]

Smith's (1992) comments have particular relevance to the Computers in Education course and to professional practice. Elements of the whole language philosophy have important ties to the models under study. For example, the Problem Generation Engine or SUP branch of the Problem Solver's Web has at its central purpose the creation of a database of authentic questions. That the collection of questions from all learners whatever their age and sophistication is encouraged and that their questions are considered of value shows respect for the learner and a respect for the learner's interest. For it is these questions that others in the class and others on the Internet are invited to work on and and hopefully to solve. Consequently, the curriculum can be focused on questions of direct meaning to the learner. This in turn provides an opportunity for the teacher to build bridges from these personally meaningful questions to the state mandated goals of the Standard Course of Study.

 

Evaluation Rubric

Completeness of elements (citation, quotation, reaction/reflection, grammar, 1 side of 1 sheet of paper), 30%

Thoughtfulness/depth of reaction, inclusion of thinking about digital literacy integration, 70%

 

 

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