ACE Series Part II: Asserting ACE Arguments One Paragraph at a TimePosted on August 1, 2013 by Richard NewtonThe assertion is an endangered species. With stunning regularity, I read student papers where paragraphs are flush with facts but lacking in authorial opinion. And if my conclaves with other teachers are any indication, you’ve noticed this too.I hear ya’. What can possibly be confusing about the assertion? You take a topic. You take a stance on it. Bada bing, bada boom, you’ve written a assertion.Nothing to it, right? But if you want students to bulk up their anemic arguments, then it’s worth looking at why many struggle with assertions….
ACE Series Part I: Your Students Can ACE Critical WritingPosted on July 23, 2013 by Richard NewtonYep, we asked for it. The classroom has never been more diverse. Students are coming from both sides of the poverty line, from all walks of life, and from everywhere on the map. Slowly but surely our ivory tower’s doors are widening to more of the world. And we professors have the opportunity of a lifetime. We get to guide students on the path to informed global citizenship, the dream of a university education.But that also means we can no longer pass the buck. You know what I’m talking about, and you’ve seen what I’ve seen.