Category: Discussions (Page 4 of 7)

Consult the KWL+ worksheet we completed in class, and write a blog post (at least 400 words) in which you introduce your research question.

What is important here–and I can’t stress this enough–is that you research something you want to know more about, not something you think you already know the answer to.  You may be curious to know why there are so few African American ballerinas in major companies, or you may want to know how much “housing projects” have changed in New York since James Baldwin wrote “A Talk to Teachers” in 1963, or you may want to know what we really learn from playing computer games.  Just be curious.

REMEMBER YOU MUST GET YOUR TOPIC APPROVED BY ME! 

To complete your post:

1. Type your research question at the top. Remember that this should not be a simple yes or no question.
2. Address the following two questions in paragraph form:
   1. Why are you interested in this question?  (Feel free to talk about your own personal experience with the topic, or to tell an anecdote about your experience with this subject matter) 
   2. What do you expect to find in your research? (Why do you expect to find this?) Remember that it’s okay to be wrong–-you might find a completely different answer than the one you intended to find. You won’t get marked down for that on your Unit 2 assignment!

For your sixth post assignment, actively read and be ready to discuss in class “Schools are Killing Curiosity” from The Guardian  and  “Research Starts with a Thesis Statement” from Bad Ideas about Writing

Then, write a blog post of at least 400 words addressing the following questions;

What is something you were interested in when you were a kid? Are you still interested in that topic? How did asking questions help you learn more about that topic? If so, how has your curiosity changed and grown over the years? And what role did the educational system play in your curiosity (good or bad)?

If you are not interested in this topic anymore, what do you think happened to that interest? Do you remember the specific time you LOST interest?  What did you become interested in instead (and why)?

Submit this at least two hours before class on Wednesday, 10/11!

Finally, when you have some time, think earnestly about a topic you are interested in, something you might want to know more about and focus on for your Unit 2 assignment.

This can be something heavy, like police brutality, or it can be something that seems on the surface more light-hearted, like ballet. The only criterion is that you are actually curious about it. This may seem like strange advice, but it can be helpful to go for a walk and think about topics you’d like to write about. Come home and jot down a few notes. You will soon be expected to have some idea of a topic you’d like to research, even if it’s a bit vague.