How much reading and writing skill should the students have?
Should the student have a certain amount of reading and writing skills before the online class begins? Should the instructor from any background teach a student reading and writing skills, on top of course material? Please share your thoughts with me on this?
As a mathematics instructor, I believe a reading/writing skills test is very important to get an idea of where the student is relative to the basic language used in word problems. I have seen many students struggle with word problems due to a lack reading skills. Very seldom do I provide students feedback with regard to these type weaknesses. Rather, I refer them to learning labs or instructors who can offer sound advice on how to overcome these weaknesses. Even though I have observed common mistakes (or misunderstandings), I feel I could cause further confusion by offering advice on how to improve their skills.
Fortunately, most schools front load courses in English that stress reading and, in particular, writing. Some, as does the one where I teach, have classes and labs in APA as well. I think that it gives a student confidence to be able to write well and that we all need to develop those skills by example and by complete feedback on paper that points to improving writing skills. Reading skills can be assessed by the students’ “handling†of the information that they get from sources and the critical thinking that is applied in a project. Again, we all need to give the student feedback in this regard. Unfortunately some of my feedback has been toward using the material of others rather than copying that material. This, too, points to the skills of students to read and then apply what they think about what they read. This has to be a joint effort by all instructors so that students can learn from their mistakes while understanding that mediocrity is not accepted. The way students write and the application of research is made public in forums such as the discussion board online, and it is a disservice to students not to help them form good academic habits.
On a side note, some of the texts that I have used in class and used in classes that I have taken are not conducive to students taking an interest in a subject. Many are tedious and very difficult to read and actually have improved my ability to scan to get through the material. I tell students to use texts as a reference and reach out via library searches that yield more interesting publications. My daughter has courses at a private university that use books across the years by authors that are either experts on a subject or open new doors to a subject. Granted, some may be provocative but that can be fun stuff to read and apply.
Monique,
Well . . . I do believe it can be course and program specific. I do require students to email me in a professional manner. Saying that, I have to provide examples of good communications and bad communications.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Johnnie,
What an interesting comment. I teach a writing course and I include talking about numbers. This is a very hard concept until I tell them to think of numbers as adjectives. That can change everything.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
George,
What a great post. I find students become so mired in the details they don't know in a paper that they settle for a "c". It is so frustrating. I too think we can use humor and technology to help initiate good mechanics. Have you used GrammarGirl podcasts. They are good!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
There are some online classes that may require little writing, but many classes do anticipate that a student will be able to write effectively. I point out that college writing and business writing both focus on the idea of sharing information with others. Readers and listeners expect things that they need to read or listen to to make sense.
In a Literacy and Basic Writing class that I took last year, much material was focused on helping students to write effectively. Some of the first college-level open admission policies were put into place decades ago, and particularly since then, teachers have not been sure what levels of writing that they can anticipate from students. A pioneer in this area, Mina P. Shaughnessy, found that in most classes, she could anticipate a third of students prepared for college level writing, a third who had "survived" rather than "thrived" in previous education, but showed capability in basic writing skills. One third often seems quite lost overall (1977, p.3) and likely need to be urged to participate in any tutoring or academic coaching opportunities available.
Shaughnessy died rather young, but I still find her writing about writing to be inspirational. She seemed to be able to sense what a student was trying to say and then be able to help the student convincingly communicate that idea. Although there is a focus on citing recent sources, I have a few references, such as the Shaughnessy book that I have yet to see improved upon.
Shaughnessy, M.P.(1977). Errors & expectations. New York, NY: Oxford UP.
Marcia,
What a great post. Thank for the important citation. It is really so important. What surprised me was the date of the article. Are the skills any worse today than they were in 1977?
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
The professor I had for the class, whose name I cannot remember at the moment, is, I believe, a full professor, and she has published a good deal about basic writing and literacy. The Council for Writing Program Administrators also addresses these issues. At the time of Shaughnessy, many people, often women, were hired to teach composition, with the upper level classes going to others. I have also tried to subscribe to The Journal of Basic Writing. I really did not know much about this area until I took a class focused on it. The professor used several chapters from Shaughnessy's book along with newer articles. I still see the three levels of writing preparedness today.
I believe that all of the colleges I have taught for have open admission, and most have not remedial writing options. In some technical colleges, it is possible that the writing ability is not even across classes. I find Shaughnessy's work to still be valuable, and overall, I do not think writing skills have improved much. Although I work with everyone in my classes, students pop up fairly regularly who say they do not read, yet many things at college and business levels still need to be read.
Marcia,
I agree with you, I still use a writing guide, I use Gregg's. There are also great resources online to helps students such as the Online Writing Lab from Purdue. About the reading. . . I have a colleague that states that problem with math skills today is students don't read and she is a math professor!
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Reading and Writing is huge. I have way to many students who can not write a sentence.
Fortunately, my online schools require students to complete at least one English course before moving into other areas of study. As their first line of defense, so to speak, I take my job very seriously in order to provide them with the skills necessary to communicate clearly and effectively in their other courses. Mostly, I teach Freshman and Sophomore Composition classes, which brings me to your question. Many of these students come to class improperly equipped to write coherent paragraphs, extended essays, or to cite sources correctly. I do feel that it is my job to provide students with these skills even when the remediation isn't built into the course. At some point, we have to become proactive as instructors and at the very least provide the students with the tools necessary to become successful even if we, specifically, do not teach them how to use these tools.
Charles,
Yes, with discussion boards playing an important role in online learning this is an important skill and one we should expect students to have.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Alaina,
I agree with you. I just finished grading freshmen papers and their writing is sorely lacking. You have to have the expectations work with their learning sometimes remediating but always working with them to meet expectations. I don't see this is an area we can be lax.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I believe students should have sound reading and writing skills before taking f2f or online classes. Most schools have prerequisite writing classes. If a student cannot communicate effectively, the course material and learning objectives are lost
David,
You are right. I am surprised how little students understand the need for these skills.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
Monique,
I think their should be an expectation that students are at a certain reading and writing level prior to beginning online classes. It is key to their success and the main way of testing their knowledge for the material. Same for instructors; those who hold higher degrees should be expected to read and write appropriately. How can we effectively critique the student if our skills are not up-to-par? I cannot review APA formatting if I do not know and understand it.
Kimberly,
I agree with you. You make a great point about faculty. I am surprised when faculty say they grade for grammar and punctuation and when they write you wonder if they know.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
I feel that they need to take general education courses to some extent. Sometimes Online Classes are very demanding and it is hard to teach the basics sometimes to students via the internet.
Natasa,
I agree with you. We at times make students do so much as we want to prove that we are all engaged in active learning. Many times we make them "jump through hoops" that are not necessarily connected to and with the learning.
Dr. Kelly Wilkinson
