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9. How should I read student papers?
Because group interaction and dialogue are so important to Social Constructionists, reading student papers should never be done just by the instructor. As Kenneth A. Bruffee notes in "Collaborative Learning and the 'Conversation of Mankind,'" "To think well as individuals we must learn to think well collectively--that is, we must learn to converse well" (399). Students may do this through peer group sessions which focus on reading student essays for content rather than for mechanical errors. Bruffee argues: "The way they talk with each other determines the way they will think and the way they will write" (400). Social Constructionists would argue that such conversation does not occur when a classroom revolves around students independently writing papers, turning them in to the instructor who then reads them, and finally, the instructor returns the papers with grades and comments. According to James Berlin's perception of Social Constructionism, because the dialectic has not occurred, knowledge has not been produced. In effect, nothing has been learned (692-93).As far as grading student essays, a task unavoidable in most circumstances, Social Constructionists look for papers which are critically written, papers which show the student has legitimately thought about the topic. Social Constructionists do not necessarily dismiss mechanics, but critical thought or what David Bartholomae calls "academic writing" becomes the most important aspect of the essay (488). |