Critical Writers

Currently in my Child Development class we are learning about emotion. In class, we discussed the importance of framing what you say to a child and validating that child’s feelings. The textbook gave an example; if a young boy falls and starts to cry, a parent might say “big boys don’t cry.” The parent is probably trying to help their child, trying to tell them that they’re going to be okay. However, this can be detrimental because it tells the child that their feelings aren’t valid. Telling a child that big boys don’t cry is telling him that he shouldn’t be crying. Next time the child falls the hurts himself, he may automatically start to cry as a reflex, and then get frustrated because he thinks that he is not supposed to cry. What a parent should do instead is validate the child’s feelings, saying that it’s okay to cry and ensure the child that it’s only a small pain and will get better soon.

While discussing this in class, I thought of “The Power of Realistic Expectations.” Both my Child Development class discussion and this article have to do with the mindset of individuals and how that can affect how they develop, whether that development is emotionally or academically. Specifically, “The Power of Realistic Expectations” shows how society’s treatment of a student’s situation, whether it be minority stereotypes or students on academic probation, affects a student’s perception of a situation and perception of their own abilities. The article shares how students were “exposed to the idea that intelligence, rather than being a fixed trait, is something that grows over time and can be developed with effort.” I really liked this quote and think that it can be connected to everything in life. Specifically, with the writing and revision process. At first glance upon any negative feedback for blog posts, blood child essay, or any from any other class, I, as I assume many others do, get really frustrated and label myself as a bad writer. However, after putting the work away and going back to it later, I realize that I was being irrational; the feedback is important, it is not saying that I am bad as writing, rather, that there are things that I can improve upon to make my writing stronger. Critiques are something that we should want, in whatever we do, because they make us better. Confidence and mindset were emphasized so much in the article; how one thinks of themselves affects their thoughts and actions about other situations. It was so interesting how even changing the capitalization of the letters,  from Academic Probation to academic probation, changed the affects.  Rewording the letter changed the outcome because rather than seeing the situation as fixed and something that defines them, students started to see it as an obstacle that they can overcome. This furthermore connects to one of Geneseo’s Global Learning Outcome’s, “Leadership and Collaboration” which states that one of the goals is, “to experiment, take risks, and learn from mistakes.” When students start to perceive their “failures” not as failures, but as opportunities for growth and development, they start to believe in themselves and their ability to improve. 

In my previous blog post, I discussed the lack of information students receive  regarding the risks and rewards that come with a collegiate partnership. In Dr. McCoy’s response to my post, she asked a very intriguing question: “how might colleges and universities communicate the risks and rewards without scaring folks or making them tune out (like folks do often when asked to read the fine print in contracts and the like)?”

I never stopped to wonder if I truly wanted to know the risks of the job market and shortcomings of a college experience. However, after much consideration,  I confirmed that I do want to know exactly what I’m getting into. Furthermore, I think it’s only fair that all other students know too. To address the issue of uninformed consent however, I believe growth in the area lies in the manner that it’s stated.

Ian Chipman’s article, “The Power of Realistic Expectations”, describes a movement on Stanford’s college campus to alter the tone of their letters alerting students know they are on academic probation. In making the letter more focused on the resources available to struggling students rather than a harsh assertion of the problem, students were more willing to put the work in and get their grades up. Those who received the first, almost shameful letter were more likely to drop out of college, and in doing so end their academic partnership. Although the tone of the original letter fulfilled the college’s duty by alerting the student of their academic status, they now do so in a way that’s much less “scary.” In short, the institution says, “hey, things aren’t going great in your classes right now, but we’re here for you and here’s how we’ll help you fix it.” They even provide encouraging narratives from students who were in their position and made it out of probation into good standing. Continue reading “The Art of Scaring”

In class on Monday, we were faced with the question of whether we are objects or subjects of knowledge in our life as college students. In my experience, while it is possible to get by as an object of knowledge, it is beneficial to make the effort to be a subject of knowledge in order to excel. I have experienced this myself in my physics classes. Last year, I self-studied for the calculus-based AP Physics Electricity & Magnetism Exam. I did not start studying early enough and, having run out of time to learn the material, figured I would be okay because they give us a substantial formula sheet on the exam. I planned to be an object of the knowledge on the formula sheet, and did not bring enough of my own knowledge to the table. This did not work well for me. The knowledge given, the formula sheet, was a helpful starting point, but that was all it was. I was not able to figure out most of the problems on the exam. I managed to get a passing grade, but only barely. This year, in Analytical Physics II, we are covering the same material that was on that exam. We had an exam on much of that material before break that went significantly better than the AP exam last year. A large part of that is because I am not trying to learn the material from a review book and have a good instructor (thanks, Dr. Freeman!), but it is also because this year, I am making the effort to make sure I understand the concepts involved and making sure I learn things well enough that I can bring sufficient knowledge of my own to the exam and not just rely on the knowledge that is provided on the formula sheet. Making this leap between being an object of knowledge to being a subject of knowledge has helped me not just pass my physics classes, but excel in them.

In part four of his Discourse on Method, René Descartes presents us with a powerful maxim: “I think, therefore I am.” While searching for absolute truth Descartes discerned that thinking, or generating knowledge, is intrinsically linked to being. To be the object of knowledge is to miss the truth. Still, many communities would disagree with Descartes’s dismissal of received knowledge. In class, Mikaela keenly argued that within the academy it is necessary to be both the object and subject of knowledge. Considering the variety of assignments and course structures, this duality is crucial to academic success. Continue reading “Cogito Ergo Sum”

At first glance of the Bloodchild essay prompt, I was unclear of how to relate Octavia Butler’s story to the main focus of my INTD class, which was risks and rewards of academic partnership. My first instinct was to go through the story and highlight all of the examples of academic partnership in the book. From there I did exactly what I did in high school- threw it all together on a page, read through it for grammatical errors and called it an essay. Continue reading “They Say/ I Say”

A few weeks ago, I attended a plagiarism workshop as extra credit for my Behavioral Research Methods class. While I’m willing to bet that most people there went for extra credit or mandatory credit for a class; I actually learned very important aspects of plagiarism I was unaware of. The presentation began with sharing that one of the main reasons that students plagiarize is that they don’t truly understand what plagiarism is. Everyone knows that if you literally copy and paste an article from a website and then hand it into your teacher claiming you wrote it, then that’s plagiarism. However, what was emphasized in this presentation was “stealing ideas.” Plagiarism isn’t only copying and pasting; it can also be using findings from someone else’s research or using someone else’s idea. You don’t even have to claim it is your own; if you fail to cite where you got the information or idea from then that’s plagiarism. The presentation also greatly emphasized “Switch Plagiarism.” This is when one basically copies a sentence or paragraph; however, to make it different students switch the order of the words or use synonyms for certain words and the new sentence is similarly structured to the old one.

Dr. McCoy often stresses giving credit where credit is due, and this presentation reinforced that. It was a little out of the ordinary when on the first day of class Dr. McCoy made us all memories each other’s names. No other teacher I’ve had has made the students know each other’s names, and many don’t even know the names of their students. Learning the names of my fellow classmates not only creates a more comfortable atmosphere for class discussions; it also allows us to give each other credit for ideas. Last semester I had a teacher who called one student in the class “surfer dude” because he had long blonde hair. It wasn’t even a large lecture class. I can understand that professors have many students; however, if he didn’t even respect that student enough to simply ask for his name how could he ask for respect in return?

Crediting other people is a responsibility we all have in order to respect them. The plagiarism presentation suggested that one way to overcome plagiarism is: instead of looking at the passage while you try to summarize it; read the passage you’re referring to, put the passage away and then write about the main idea in your own words.  Part 1 of They Say I Say stresses the “They Say” part of writing; it specifically explains the “art of summarizing” another person’s work.  It claims that “a good summary requires balancing what the original author is saying with the writer’s own focus.” In other words, one needs to ensure that they have enough of their own voice while still presenting another’s argument. This connects to plagiarism because we need to remember that the goal of using quotes and another’s work is to enhance one’s own writing, rather than using those as a substitute.

As I walk across the SUNY Geneseo campus daily, I notice many students focused on their phones. Many students walk across campus with headphones in, or their attention focused on their phones. I so am also guilty of being consumed in my phone while walking across campus and not paying attention to what is right in front of me. With the advanced technologies of computers and phones today are limiting our interaction with the ‌world. People are choosing to live through  their phones rather than in the moment. Google being an important part of a day to day live having access to information at the click of a button. Ellen DeGeneres describes our access to technology in the video “Google it.”

Growing up my father has always had a flip phone. My siblings and I make fun of him for not texting and wanting an iPhone. He prefers to be simple and says “I rather talk on the phone, or face to face.” He believes communication is important and you miss out; not having a face to face or verbal conversation over the phone.

Our generation is constantly on their phones. Checking Instagram, Twitter, and any other social media accounts they have. You hear a buzz, or ding from a phone in a class and look around and everyone checks their phones to see if it is them. This reaction to our phones is becoming second nature; due to our dependence on technology. We lose out on social interaction because our attention is focused on our phones and electronic devices. Instead of having a conversation with others, we have grown accustomed to spending the majority of our time on our phones and other electronic devices.

Cell phones are the most vital form of technology consuming college students life. Generations before could not look up a word instantly on a phone or computer. Today’s society has unlimited access to information at their fingertips. Before the internet age, people would have to open a dictionary and flip through the pages to find a definition and read books to find information. Although, the speed at which we can find information is advancing, we lack appreciation for the technology that allows us to find info relatively quick. Also, we have no understanding of the value of the information we have access to. Today, we “Google it”. We can search our professors, fellow classmate, and even ourselves. Who knows what you might find by “googling it”?

We need to be conscious of how we want to spend our time. Students lose the critical social interaction due to their extenuating use of technology. As conscious students we need to  adapt a balance between face to face social interaction and our use of technology.