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November 3, 2009

...news
News links are provided for informational purposes, do not imply endorsement by the National Council of Teachers of English, and were live when this issue was published; free registration or a paid subscription may be required for some news articles.
 
Conflict of Interest Arises as Concern in Standards Push
The Literacy Research Association sent a letter to the Common Core Standards producers expressing concern that some writers of the standards have strong connections to commercial entities that stand to profit from the materials and assessments that will be produced to complement the standards. NCTE members Kylene Beers and Kathleen Hichman are quoted.  Education Week, November 2, 2009


The Thinkers: Teachers Offered a Lesson in Urban Vernacular

NCTE member Arnetha Ball talks about how teachers will be better able to teach their African American students by understanding African American language.  Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 2, 2009

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partially underwritten by Random House/Knopf/Doubleday

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"Censorship" at Chattooga High: Photos Too Hot for Yearbook?
Students received their yearbook two months late with four pages cut out of it -- the new principal and the new yearbook advisor didn't like the photos of shirtless boys playing basketball. NCTE member Alan Perry is quoted.  WRCB-tv.com, November 2, 2009

Quoth the Raven: "Baltimore"
This year Baltimore's Halloween celebrations of Edgar Allan Poe included an exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art.  Morning Edition, NPR, October 30, 2009

An Alabama High School Makes Literacy a Schoolwide Job
Literacy is part of every teacher's and student's curriculum at Buckhorn High School, a participant in the Alabama Reading Initiative.  Education Week, October 30, 2009

Parents: Focus More on 21st Century Skills
Parents, students, and schools all agree that learning technology skills in school is vital -- they just don't agree on how well schools are doing in this area, according to an analysis of Speak Up dataeSchool News, October 30, 2009

Many L.A. Students Not Moving Out of English Language Classes
Nearly 30% of students placed in English language learning classes during their elementary years were still in those classes when they began high school.  Los Angeles Times, October 29, 2009

Some States Drop Testing Bar
A new study confirms that many states lowered their standards of proficiency in recent years, and nearly all state assessments fell below national test benchmarks.  The Wall Street Journal, October 30, 2009

Study: 2 in 5 Teachers "Disheartened" with Profession
The nationwide study found that 40 percent of teachers are disheartened, 37 percent are content, and only 23 percent of teachers are idealists.  eSchool News, November 2, 2009

. . . Quick Picks
"Colleges Axing Student Email Accounts":  eCampus News, October 30, 2009
"'Platooning' Instruction":  Harvard Education Letter, November/December 2009
"New Orleans Students Write, Act Out Their Own Katrina Odysseys":  The Times-Picayune, October 27, 2009

The New Diagnostics
Using the data collected by online course management systems, schools can tell with high accuracy which students will and which won't succeed in a course.  Inside Higher Education, October 30, 2009

...views
 
We Can Learn If We Listen to Our Students

As NCTE member Arnetha Ball notes in "The Thinkers: Teachers Offered a Lesson in Urban Vernacular" (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, November 2, 2009), African American vernacular should be seen "not as something wrong, but as a different variety of language." She adds that teachers who understand the patterns of African American vernacular can better teach their students.

Ball echoes the basic premise of the "CCCC Students' Right to Their Own Language" and NCTE's recent "Resolution on Affirming the CCCC Students' Right to Their Own Language."

...blog
 

What's the Best Plagiarism Detector?
Should you look for a tool that ensures bibliographic citations are perfect? Can you help students avoid plagiarism by comparing their finished drafts to resources in a database or search engine? What is the best way to determine when a student plagiarizes? NCTE INBOX blogger Traci Gardner suggests a surprising answer in this week's NCTE Inbox Blog.

...ideas
Free access to journal articles mentioned in this INBOX is provided for 21 days. After this free access period expires, articles are available to journal subscribers only. Articles are intended for personal use only and may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without permission in writing from NCTE. Initials in annotations indicate academic level of the resource (E=Elementary, M=Middle, S=Secondary, C=College, TE=Teacher Education, G=General).
 
Exploring Plagiarism
On Tuesday, November 10, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. EST, NCTE will host Barry Gilmore's Web seminar Write from Wrong: Strategies for Addressing Student Plagiarism. During this session, participants will learn strategies that help students want to write original work, build research and note-taking skills that will help them avoid the need to plagiarize, and evaluate their own study habits and pressures to avoid bad decision making. For more resources for your classroom and students on plagiarism and copyright, see the following resources from NCTE and ReadWriteThink.org.

The NCTE book Preventing Plagiarism: Tips and Techniques (S,C) by Laura Hennessey DeSena argues for creating assignments that emphasize students' original thinking through freewriting and the use of primary sources. In doing so, we can help build their confidence and critical thinking skills so that they are less likely to rely on online paper mills or to copy and paste from other sources.

The ReadWriteThink.org lesson plan Exploring Plagiarism, Copyright, and Paraphrasing (M) provides a background for students on copyright, fair use, plagiarism, and paraphrasing. Guidelines for copyright and fair use are discussed, as well as strategies for paraphrasing and the consequences of plagiarism.

In the 21st century, it's important for students to look at the history of copyright law and generalize about how and why it has changed over time. In the ReadWriteThink.org lesson plan Copyright Law: From Digital Reprints to Downloads (M), students then apply this information to recent copyright issues, look at these issues from the perspective of a particular group, and create persuasive arguments to convince others to see the issue from their perspective.

The English Journal article "Of Flattery and Thievery: Reconsidering Plagiarism in a Time of Virtual Information" (S) provides a framework for discussing plagiarism and calls on us to avoid overly simplified policies. After considering various perspectives on intent and the purposes of documentation, the author advocates developing standard definitions and guidelines for plagiarism in the department or the classroom. We should also offer professional development opportunities to help teachers transfer abstract concepts of plagiarism to classroom instruction, discussion, and assignments.

The problems of plagiarism in a digital age continue to challenge the teacher-student relationship and may require more aggressive teaching strategies and student-teacher dialogue instead of more aggressive electronic detection and punishment, as discussed in the Teaching English in the Two Year College article "Another Look at Plagiarism in the Digital Age: Is It Time to Turn in My Badge?" (C).

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...announcements
 

Write from Wrong: Strategies for Addressing Student Plagiarism 
laptop graphicEvery teacher dreads it -- the plagiarized paper, the confrontation with a student, the demise of trust and learning. Join Barry Gilmore in the NCTE Web seminar Write from Wrong: Strategies for Addressing Student Plagiarism on Tuesday, November 10, 4:00-5:00 p.m. EST. This presentation, while recognizing the problem, will not focus on the crime of plagiarism but on strategies for prevention and aspects of school and classroom culture that can reduce or eliminate student cheating.

Can't make it to the live event? Buy the CD! On Demand Web seminars provide the recorded version of the virtual event and include all audio, video, chat discussion, and actions within the presentation.

Preventing Plagiarism: Tips and Techniques
In this practical guide, Laura Hennessey DeSena seeks to help alleviate some of this frustration by offering teachers effective strategies for heading off plagiarism at its sources.

In Preventing Plagiarism: Tips and Techniques, DeSena argues for creating assignments that emphasize students' original thinking through freewriting and the use of primary sources. In doing so, we can help build their confidence and critical thinking skills so that they are less likely to rely on online paper mills or to copy and paste from other sources. Read Chapter 1 of the book, "The Rewards of Original Thinking."

Proposal Deadline Extended:
"Reflecting on Our Practice: Pathways and Possibilities"

Submit your proposals now for the Whole Language Umbrella's Literacies for All Summer Institute, which takes place July 8-11, 2010, in Indianapolis. The call encourages proposals that focus on such areas as inquiry-based learning, literacy practices in the 21st century, early literacy, and literacy practices for new English language learners. The program proposal deadline for submissions mailed or emailed to NCTE has been extended to December 10.

Legacy and Lessons of the Civil Rights Movement Essay Contest
This contest is tied to a documentary scheduled to appear on PBS during Black History Month, Legacy: Black and White in America. All high school classes are invited to participate by submitting essays on the theme: "What are the legacy and lessons of the Civil Rights Movement?" Teachers/classes may participate in two ways:

 

1. You can start your own "Legacy" local writers gallery in the National Gallery of Writing, and invite each student to submit an essay on this theme prior to the December 15 deadline. Once your students' work is in, you can select the essay you consider the best in your class and submit it to the National Partner Legacy Essay Contest Gallery.

2. Alternatively you can collect essays from your class and post only the top essay to the National Partner Legacy Essay Contest Gallery -- note the "contribute to this gallery" button at the bottom of the web page. Again, December 15 is the deadline for submissions, with awards to be announced in February 2010.

This contest offers cash awards and laptop computers to the national finalists, and the top winner will take part in a VIP Capitol ceremony that may include President Barack Obama. The underlying purpose of the contest is to motivate high school students to take a serious look at what it means to be black or white in America today, how this has and hasn't changed since the days of the Civil Rights Movement, and what lessons we have learned about how to further the quest for genuine racial equity. In addition to NCTE, the contest is supported by the Congressional Black Caucus, the National Education Association, the American Federation of Teachers, the National Council for the Social Studies, and the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, among others.

Call for Manuscripts: English Education
Lisa Scherff and Leslie Rush, the incoming editors of English Education, the journal of the Conference on English Education (CEE), have issued a call for two types of articles for the publication: (1) traditional theoretical and research articles and (2) shorter, innovative/nontraditional pieces. Complete submission details can be found on the English Education website.

Professional Development Funding Opportunity
The NCTE Edwyna Wheadon Postgraduate Training Scholarships provide funding for professional development experiences for English language arts teachers in public educational institutions. The deadline for applications is January 31. 

Do You Know an Exemplary Leader?
Nominate an exemplary leader for the 2010 Conference on English Leadership (CEL) Exemplary Leader Award! The award is given to an NCTE member who is an outstanding English language arts educator and leader. CEL members may begin submitting nominations now; the deadline is February 1.

How Do You Address Diversity?
CCCC logo
The CCCC Committee on Diversity is pleased to announce the fourth part of its blogging series and invites all members to read the blog and leave comments. CCCC hosts this forum for CCCC members to broaden the organization's thinking, talking, and writing about diversity in the profession. Blog posts by guest writers from across the discipline of rhetoric and composition are featured. The Committee on Diversity strongly encourages all CCCC/NCTE members to join the conversation and post comments.

In the latest post, read how guest writer Maria Montaperto addresses the topic of diversity in her scholarship, teaching, and service.

NCTE Centennial: A Blast from the Past

NCTE Centennial logoDid you know that beginning in 1945, NCTE, through English Journal, promoted the use of the term "language arts"? "Language arts" was an inclusive term used to characterize the education of younger students and intended to convey a more complex understanding of reading, writing, listening, and speaking than "English" as a traditional school subject had come to mean.

 

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partially underwritten by Random House/Knopf/Doubleday

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