Essay swapping (2 Viewers)

[ccc123]

My teacher wants to do this thing leading up to the english assessment where everyone's essay is photocopied and shared around the class. Some people are happy about, some are not.

Do you guys think this is a productive idea, or just a way that people can 'steal' the ideas of others?

 

[Zephyrio]

Sounds like an interesting idea. But plagiarism could be a problem .

 

[jackattack]

Our class does something kind of similar. We don't do it with essays, but with notes. Each person is given a particular character/theme/plot to focus on, writes 2 typed pages of tight, succint notes and analysis, and then my teacher photocopies them and distributes them to the class where we go through each page, add things, correct things, etc. I find it a really beneficial way of revising and pretty fair too, my teacher goes through them beforehand and if she finds your notes to be of a shit quality she just hands them back to you and you won't get everyone else's until you improve your own.

 

[minijumbuk]

Of course you should share. You shouldn't be selfish and go "screw them, I'm better than them so they can all die while I ace this exam"
When everyone does good in your grade, it will scale you up too. Do you think it will do you any good if the rest of the grade gets band 3 while you get band 6?

Plus, are there no subjects which you are weak at? Would you want your peers to help you achieve your maximum potential?

 

[Aplus]

Well it helps to see something from several perspectives and to appreciate everyone's take on certain issues and how they interpret certain scenarios.

 

[cal-]

Don't forget it's also funny to laugh at essays from really stupid people.

 

[Aplus]

Well, you shouldn't.

 

[jackattack]

Well, you shouldn't.

wait, why not?

 

[Aplus]

Well. Critique the essay, but don't critique the person. Attack the arguments, not the person.

 

[me121]

I think it is productive. I've had this argument before, because is a student who is falling cannot see how higher achieving students are performing, then how do you expect them to improve. But its not up to students to help students, although this is a great thing to do. What you teacher should do is get off their lazy behind and write several essays which they believe are of a high standard and distribute these.

I used to give out my essays to the rest of my class, but its your decision and I think that you have a right for your teacher not to distribute your work.

 

[cal-]

Well. Critique the essay, but don't critique the person. Attack the arguments, not the person.

Either way I said "laugh at ESSAYS", not "laugh at stupid people" so your argument is flawed.

However, I would still laugh at them because I am like that.

 

[Yamiyo]

I think it often doesn't work. For example, just last week our teacher set us an assignment to research a particular aspect of Yeats, and she would then photocopy it all out. I got around 80 pages all up. No less than half of this was the Wikipedia article for Yeats, printed many times.

Depending on the exact nature of the task, these are the problems.
1. Everyone does a little too much and so you end up with pages and pages of stuff you'll never read.
2. Some people do bugger all because they know they can use others'.
3. It's really repetitive. Do they think that they can give 30 people the same assignment with each having unique ideas?
4. If you've actually been taught the same stuff, then it's generally more beneficial to use your own notes.

But I guess it can work, like jackattack's school, and sometimes if, like, they give us an assessment and mark it but hand out the best one to everyone.

 

[ccc123]

Our class does something kind of similar. We don't do it with essays, but with notes. Each person is given a particular character/theme/plot to focus on, writes 2 typed pages of tight, succint notes and analysis, and then my teacher photocopies them and distributes them to the class where we go through each page, add things, correct things, etc. I find it a really beneficial way of revising and pretty fair too, my teacher goes through them beforehand and if she finds your notes to be of a shit quality she just hands them back to you and you won't get everyone else's until you improve your own.

I think something like this is a good idea. I'm happy to pool resources, but at the same time I can see the point of those who complain that people who can't be bothered/ can't think of original ideas will just plagiarise. Nevertheless, if the everyone does well in the HSC is is ultimately beneficial for all I suppose.

 

[Omium]

Don't forget it's also funny to laugh at essays from really stupid people.

lulz qft

 

[risole91]

that wouldnt work in my class.
theres nonly about 4 of us that can read fluently.

 

[Aplus]

Either way I said "laugh at ESSAYS", not "laugh at stupid people" so your argument is flawed.

However, I would still laugh at them because I am like that.

Don't forget it's also funny to laugh at essays from really stupid people.

Well, let's leave it.

 

[cal-]

Nah, you're still wrong. re read what I said, then read what you said.

accept it kiddo

 

[55746187max]

obviously sly dog teachers way of avoiding teaching everyone individualy

 

[o.bi.sess]

If you're paranoid about people stealing your ideas or whatever, then write a half-assed essay. Don't be all "aNd in these filmz, we can c da directer..." but don't give them your best ideas either.

Generally, I found that sharing essays is worthwhile, because I got to see things from a different perspective which in turn helped with my own analysis. Then again, that could be because people in my school actually do the work so it was a good learning experience for all involved. Besides, our teachers had a habit of photocopying the best answers from assessments and handing them out anyway.

 

[Red Balloon]

We did something like this in our english class: after writing countless essays of our own, we were given an AOS exam paper to complete, type, and submit with word count (our teacher also submitted her own work) then we wrote numbers on the top of each essay, swapped them round the room, and we peer-marked using an assessment criteria. Then we discussed why we gave each essay a particular mark. It was really helpful, as it allowed us to see how the marking system works, and what standard of writing would acheive a particular range of marks. Having our teacher's there was also really helpful: because it was obviously a very good essay and we could pick which one it was. I guess the thing here was that we did this all in class, so there wouldn't have been much of an opportunity for plagarism.