Responding to Student Writing- Nancy Somers

Responding to a Students writing

Teachers have being trained to evaluate readings, literature items, etc.,  yet most teachers suggest that a minimum of time was given to enforce revising skills on student’s works therefore, revision might be a contradicting issue that can lead the student to states of confusion when editing their drafts. Nancy Somers, along with her colleges, have run a series of experiments with subjects such as teachers, students, and machines, in order to set apart the differences and opinion of these subjects on revising and editing a paper. Overall most of the students comment that a teacher’s comments and editions on papers sometime contradict them therefore they are left with a grammar-edited paper that threw the student off their main purpose on writing it and their motives. According to Nancy Somers, being a teacher herself, revising may be somewhat stressing due to the mass amount of time a teacher has to invest on editing.  However, the stress does not count as a reason for why the editing might not be concrete and clear. Teachers look at a student’s paper and starts editing grammar, punctuation, spelling, sentence structures in order to give the student an example of how language SHOULD work in their papers, but then again other comments suggest that explanation, elaboration, and examples should be included. Apart from all the editing, students focus on following the teacher’s suggestion rather than applying strategies themselves to make the paper stand out. Nancy Somers has realized that teachers follow a set of rules rather than providing the student with examples, or advice. The teacher therefore gives the student short comments that are open ended to the student such as “be more elaborative”, “explain”, “what do you mean here”, or “avoid this”. The student is left dazed because no specific advice or revision was made therefore the student thinks that their drafts are completed when in fact the feedback was weak and negative. Nancy Somers expresses her thoughts on revising by mentioning that teachers should provide the student with literacy techniques, or writing strategies that will make the student focus on what they want to say while they apply the corrections and carry them as a template store in their heads. 

English 1312 Proposal  

  The general topic I am focusing on is Border violence. This topic is relevant to my discourse community because it revolves around the main theme of the class which is Domestic and International Social Problems and I am sure that it will be interesting for my peers to learn deeper about the concerning issue that it is now international. The topic is important to me because I, being a citizen of El Paso TX next to the border of Juarez Mexico, want to learn more in detail about the causes and outcomes of the issue and how it is affecting both Mexican and American communities. 

        Since El Paso is next to Juarez, Mexican television signals are broadcasted on American Televisions and all that is broadcasted in their channels is the consecutive news about border violence filled with repetitive deaths and money. Drug Wars, deaths, corruption are all factors that interest me in depth because I want to be aware of the causes, the effect and the resolutions to this problem. By researching deeply on this topic I hope to accomplish a new outlook to the issue and learn more about it. I want to become familiar with it and even be involved to have a word on the issue. I hope to find positive factors that will bring a light ray of hope for the conclusion of the issue. 

         People and the audience should be interested in this topic for many reasons. This issue has affected our society in many diverse ways. Money is being thrown and burned in a neighbor country while innocent people die, and corruption grows like mold in a hard day’s bread while feeding of other’s people’s values. It is a clear image that is massively seen by people all over the world and in a professional standard it is an issue that should be discussed among government agendas. The topic instigates pathos, logos, ethos, and on a moral hand it becomes a very emotional topic among Mexican-American communities. A larger audience should understand the topic to have a point of view coming from any angle weather moral, domestic, or politic.

     The topic I have chosen relates massively to the larger theme of the class in many ways. The topic has being tremendously reported online in sites like YouTube, Facebook, as well as in online news. There are plenty of associations against border violence, and riots, plus artistic movement have being put into play like Javier Sicilia’s Moviemiento Por la Paz con Justicia y Dignidad. The topic fits the larger theme foremost because it is an issue involving many countries in an international basis.