Term Papers: Good Writers Gone Bad

Quote: "Teachers and professors regularly ask students to write papers. Semester after semester, year after year, “papers” are styled as the highest form of writing. And semester after semester, teachers and professors are freshly appalled when they turn up terrible. . .Ms. Davidson questioned the whole form of the research paper. “What if bad writing is a product of the form of writing required in school — the term paper — and not necessarily intrinsic to a student’s natural writing style or thought process? (Heffernan 2011)."

Response: Writing is a very eclectic talent. Authors who may be terrible with science fiction, may be phenomenal at romance. And some who prefer to write academically may be terrible with communicative writing. That is why this quote doesn't really surprise me, however I am very glad to see I'm not the only one who thinks along these lines. Just because a student has poor writing academically, doesn't mean they suffer in other forms of writing. They may surprise you by being the next great song writer or poet! Teachers need to understand that talent and intelligence isn't just about what a student can do in a classical classroom. This is why teachers need to give students the opportunity to explore their creativity and find what they are proficient at. Once a talent is found, it is the teacher's responsibility to foster that creativity and help the student use their talent to explore other avenues of instruction.
Students dread term papers for a reason, they are boring. No kid loves writing them and if you find one I would count yourself lucky. Students typically like to write about what they like or know. When a student is forced to write using a specific style which is not their own, it's no wonder the papers turn out horribly. Instead, I think a much better approach would be to let students express their thoughts, opinions, and what they have learned about a subject through non-traditional outlets. Just because Johnny decides he would rather blog about his subject than write a paper doesn't mean he didn't learn anything from the lesson. A good teacher should be able to asses their students using a variety of means, digital included.

Reference:

Heffernan, V. (2011, August 7). Education Needs a Digital-Age Upgrade - NYTimes.com. Opinion - Opinionator - NYTimes.com. Retrieved August 25, 2011, from http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/08/07/education-needs-a-digital-age-upgrade/?hp