Teachers,
A reminder that your first Article Critique is due NOT this coming Monday; it is due Monday, September 24 instead. We have shifted a week in our readings, as well. Please keep an eye on this blog for other updates.
To give you some guidance on your writing, we will spend some time this Saturday (S15) working in the WU journal database. Below, you will find some guidelines to help you along the process.
As always, comments and questions are welcome.
Thanks.
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Article Critique Guidelines
This writing provides you with the opportunity to critically analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a topic related to equity of education. This process will allow you to think about a variety of issues that you might be interested in learning more about for possible teaching application. It will also provide you with the opportunity to do some guided work on reading and analyzing existing literature, a skill that teachers need to have to determine what already is known about a particular issue in order to improve practice.
Selecting your articles:
You will choose among several types of articles:
1. educational research piece from journals such as Theory and Research in Social Education, The Elementary School Journal, The Reading Teacher, …
2. practitioner piece from journals and magazines such as Social Studies, Educational Leadership, Language Arts, …
3. an example of teacher research from websites or journals such as:
Writing your critiques:
A written critique is a detailed analysis and means that you engage in the process of evaluating the article in a thorough and an analytical way. This is not simply a summary or “book report” of what you read in the article. (Just because it is a critique does not mean that it is critical in a negative sense – you can have a positive, negative or mixed reaction to the piece.) After reading the article and making notes about the strengths and weaknesses of the argument the author makes, you will write a critique of the text. The following questions can be used to guide you in thinking about the points you want to make.
*Please include a bibliographic reference for the article as well as a short abstract of the main content of the piece (either one provided or one that you draft yourself). The total length of the paper will be in the 3page range.
Guiding questions:
- Consider the argument that the author makes in the text. What do you consider to be the strengths of this piece? What do you consider to be the weaknesses? Be sure to use specific evidence from the piece to support your claim.
- What does the piece offer you as a teacher to improve or challenge your practice?
- What additional questions can this raise for you about this issue or about related issues about which you are now curious?
**If you need additional support in understanding how to write a critique, check out the steps provided on the following website:
Consider this stage process as a template:
Step 1. Analyze the text
The following questions may help you analyze the text:
* What is the author's main point?
* What is the author's purpose?
* Who is the author's intended audience?
* What arguments does the author use to support the main point?
* What evidence does the author present to support the arguments?
* What are the author's underlying assumptions or biases?
Step 2. Evaluate the text
After you have read the text, you can begin to evaluate the author's ideas. The following questions provide some ideas to help you evaluate the text:
* Is the argument logical?
* Is the text well-organized, clear, and easy to read?
* Are the author's facts accurate?
* Have important terms been clearly defined?
* Is there sufficient evidence for the arguments?
* Do the arguments support the main point?
* Is the text appropriate for the intended audience?
* Does the text present and refute opposing points of view?
* Does the text help you understand the subject?
* Are there any words or sentences that evoke a strong response from you? What are those words or sentences? What is your reaction?
* What is the origin of your reaction to this topic? When or where did you first learn about it? Can you think of people, articles, or discussions that have influenced your views? How might these be compared or contrasted to this text?
* What questions or observations does this article suggest? That is, what does the article make you think about?
Step 3. Plan and write your critique
Write your critique in standard essay form. It is generally best not to follow the author's organization when organizing your analysis, since this approach lends itself to summary rather than analysis. Begin with an introduction that defines the subject of your critique and your point of view. Defend your point of view by raising specific issues or aspects of the argument. Conclude your critique by summarizing your argument and re-emphasizing your opinion.
* You will first need to identify and explain the author's ideas. Include specific passages that support your description of the author's point of view.
* Offer your own opinion. Explain what you think about the argument. Describe several points with which you agree or disagree.
* For each of the points you mention, include specific passages from the text (you may summarize, quote, or paraphrase) that provide evidence for your point of view.
* Explain how the passages support your opinion.
Source of information: Rosen, Leonard J. and Laurence Behrens, eds. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook. 1994.
http://www.rpi.edu/web/writingcenter/critique.html
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