Try Not To Overreact

In my education class that's supposed to teach me all about being a teacher, I had some questions. I was feeling a bit behind schedule, and a bit behind the ball, and I was wondering if I needed to have all of the education vocabulary under my belt, and understand everything about things like "best practices" and what not. Some people in the class know it, the teacher uses it in her lessons but never explains it, and I was just wondering if it was something that I needed to know.

IDIOT from class responded with this-

Hi Adam,

    It’s easy to feel overwhelmed when first sticking your toes in unfamiliar water.  I suggest that you don’t begin by comparing yourself to others.  The difference between you and them may simply be the amount of practice put into understanding a particular topic.  In other words, if you allow yourself to become discouraged before you’ve even tried you may consider yourself to be a failure in something that you really have the potential for becoming a master in. 

I believe the purpose of this ‘rough draft’ is to allow those of us who are new to this subject to stick our toes in the water so we can better prepare ourselves to dive in. 

I just concluded my research and reaching a full understanding of the subject, and need to get some shut eye, but I saw your distress and wanted to help.

I personally believe that our brain delivers the most useful results after we have asked it specific and well-designed questions.  Below are the questions that I recommend you answer in detail before you begin writing your paper.  After you have sufficiently answered these questions read through your answers and extract the best of what you have written and try to make it as succinct as possible (in other words, summarize it).  Also, it is important to keep in mind that no matter how brilliant or creative your ideas are you need to support them with either logic, confirmable examples, and/or quoted research. 

After you have your answers- lay them out and compare them with each other.  See if you can order them, “scaffold them”, in a way in which they build off of one another.  Then simply write them down in paragraph form, with a topic sentence at the beginning of each paragraph. 

Now, the rest of the class will probably attack me on this, but, as you appear to me to be new to writing papers I recommend saving writing the intro-paragraph, thesis, and conclusion paragraph until last.  While you should have a ‘working thesis’ to begin with I recommend cutting out all of your topic sentences and looking at them closely prior to crafting your thesis.  What is it EXACTLY that all of these paragraphs are arguing?  Formulate this into a concise and articulate sentence….Put more simply, how could you summarize them all in one sentence.  This should be good enough for a thesis for a rough draft. 

Now, there is a great debate on correct opening paragraphs and conclusion paragraphs.  You are welcome to review what others have done and decide for yourself which tactics are best.  Also, I’m sure our generous professor will give us very useful advice.  Anyway, as I can only speak for myself, I think the key of the opening paragraph is to grab the reader’s attention.  This isn’t to say your first word needs to be a swear word.  But, you need to set yourself apart from the rest.  Be creative.  Think, would this grab MY (meaning Adam's) attention.  If not, try again.  Then simply write a few sentences that build up (or lead) to your thesis statement.

Again, controversy, blah blah, your conclusion paragraph shouldn’t say “in conclusion,” or “in this paper I have shown,” nor should it summarize.  It should take the reader to the next step.  They should walk away from your paper feeling as if they have a clear understanding of your supported argument. BUT. You need to leave them with something that keeps them thinking about what you have written after they have read your final paragraph.  Sometimes ending with a question is okay.  Your last sentence should be designed to leave the reader feeling inspired, curios to learn more, or some other sensation that stirs up desirable emotions as it relates to the topic at hand.

 

That’s just my two cents.  I could be very wrong in my advice, but I thought I should offer suggestions as to what I would do in your case. 

I hope I understood your questions…I am very tired and may have simply misunderstood you.

Again, this is only a rough draft.  So remain calm.  “Inch by Inch everything is a cinch,” just take it one step at a time.

Best of luck!   

  Invention and Research

What is my strategy for instruction as it relates to invention and research?

What are my goals for my strategy of instruction as it relates to invention and research?

How are students assessed and why this way?

How is this strategy ‘learner-centered’?

How are the students engaged through active learning?

How is this strategy supported by valid and citable research?

Have I summarized my cited resources?

I wouldn’t worry about educationally specific vocabulary at this stage.  It is more important for you to get your thoughts together and organized for the rough draft.  The three words you need to concentrate attention on are Strategy, Invention, and Research. 

Yeah, can you not?

I'm new to writing papers? I'm just going to let that slide, and try not to rip his head off and eat it for breakfast. 

I hate stupid students that think they're the teachers.