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Luke Dills Megan Keaton English 112 9 April 2013 Watson, Jacqueline. "Discussion in Religious Education: Developing Dialogic for Community Cohesion and/or Spiritual Development." International Journal of Children's Spirituality 16.2 (2011): 97-108. ERIC. Web. 5 Mar. 2013. In this paper the author, Jacqueline Watson, states that there is a new focus on religion in the world and that the United Kingdom (UK) has set up new government agencies and branches to build itself into a more cohesive community. The issue that some of them are to address is that of religious education (RE) and Watsons article also addresses this. She states that she has researched and found some dialogue centered teaching programs that would help community cohesion as well as spiritual development. The research was brought about through investigations that were comprised of four schools that were each asked to include dialogue in RE lessons. These investigations reveal both the students and the teachers perspectives about using dialogue in class. Watson concludes that dialogue can and should be used in RE since it builds both community cohesion and spiritual development. Watsons article is very well written. It is very understandable, even for those who are not engaged in the field of religion and/or education. The grammar is clean and correct throughout the entire article. Watson uses references, with proper citation, to back up all of the stated ideas/opinions. She quotes some government sections as well as both education and religion experts. The essay also states many of the factors that would need to be considered and addressed if class discussions were used such as the teachers role in the discussion, the students

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effort and sense of security, and even the possibility of having students be in the same classes for a few years. The essay remains important all throughout, so there are not any sections that should be skipped. The introduction sets the stage for the argument very well so that there is a good foundation for the reader to start with. The body consists of how RE could and possibly should use discussions for the development for the students, and the conclusion outright states what the situation is with RE and what needs to be done. The body also describes how using discussions would be beneficial, such as creating an atmosphere of individual development and growth. Additionally, the conclusion states that progress is being made with research being done by multiple stated organizations, and should be researched further since positive results are consistently being found. This paper really helped me understand how discussion classes are operated, as well as how some students and teachers feel about the use of discussions to teach. Furthermore, I believe that I will be able to use this paper as a strong advocate for this style of education, and I will be able to present a strong defense with the research that she has done. In each school I visited, students generally enjoyed discussion, and young people and children were attentive to each [others] comments and views (101). While the teachers may be concerned about discipline, for many students a significant constraint on discussion is lack of confidence to speak in front of their peers (103). Even those who did not contribute to whole-class discussion said they found it interesting to hear different points of view; they felt classroom discussion was valuable in demonstrating the reality of diverse perspectives and the same information can be examined and understood in different ways (101).

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Chaudhury, S. Raj. "The Lecture." New Directions for Teaching & Learning 2011.128 (2011): 13-20. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. In this article, S. Raj Chaudhury states that lecture, while it is prevalent, does not teach students conceptual topics and has shortcoming that should be addressed. Chaudhury then states that new methods to assist lectures are being developed, and that it is still a very relevant and evolving teaching method. Furthermore, Chaudhury goes on to assert that new more dynamic lectures are attempting to insert hands-on learning and inter-student discussions to help them assimilate concepts for more long term use, which were investigated and used in various education courses. Finally, in the conclusion of the paper Chaudhury states that lectures will be a common method of teaching for a while longer, but that it is becoming more effective by making them more dynamic and engaging for the students. In the introduction to the essay the author talks about the shortcomings of lecture. However, in the final paragraph of the introduction he states that the essay will be presenting evidence to support lecture, which was very misleading from what was stated just before. This made the beginning quite confusing and therein set a questionable foundation for the rest of the paper. In the next section of the paper the author tells the reader the etymology of lecture, which both helped and hurt his writing. It was good because it helps give the reader some of the history behind lecture, but hurt the writer because it comes off feeling like a cop-out. The writer should have used a different method of introducing his ideas to make him seem more credible. After these two flaws the author has much better organization, and proceeds to give valuable evidence in the case for lecture. He or she is also using second person throughout the essay, which suggest that this paper was written for teachers.

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I am going to use this article as a support for lectures by showing that the lecturing method is still relevant and evolving; therefore, becoming even more effective. I can also use it by showing the various new techniques and methods that experts are applying to lectures so that it can be better for students to retain knowledge. I will also be able to lend some ethos since the author, S. Raj Chaudhury, is the associate director of the Biggio Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning at Auburn University (20). However, because the lecture continues to be the primary method of instruction in introductory college courses, it is important that we look at ways in which modern lecture classrooms can become more effective environments for engaging students in learning(14-15). Although the lecture method likely will continue to be a common method of teaching in higher education, the nature of the lecture is evolving from static formats in which students sit passively listening to the teacher speak nonstop for fifty minutes to more dynamic and interactive sessions that require active student involvement in learning the subject matter(18-19). The good news, however, is that all teachers can develop effective lecture-based systems, grounded in evidence-based practices, that stimulate and reinforce student learning and understanding in both the short and long term (19). Ellis, R. A., and R. A. Calvo. "Learning Through Discussions in Blended Environments." Educational Media International 41.3 (2004): 263-274. Academic Search Complete. Web. 22 Mar. 2013. The essay starts with many statements about the effects of an online discussion based teaching curriculum, which were all cited with conclusive research done by others. The

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introduction sets the stage for the upcoming argument by summarizing the current situation of teaching with technology and discussions. The article continues by building upon previously done research by adding technology into the investigation of qualitative discussions. The article then shows statistics of what the students in discussion classes thought they were learning, whether it be understanding other peoples viewpoints, trying to solve a task, developing communication skills, learning based on others experiences, or by not engaging at all. The authors conclude by stating that for online discussions to be effective online discussions must be connected to classroom activities, and that students who approach the discussions more strategically should be paired up with those who are more surface learners. It is also explained that for the discussions to be effective certain measure would need to be made so that the students are aware of what their objectives are, as well as knowing how the discussions and various viewpoints will be helpful for them. This article is very well written. The grammar is immaculate and third person is used throughout the entire paper except for the conclusion where the authors are addressing teachers and educators. The paper has a very good flow to it and transitions from subject to subject smoothly. The body of the paper presents various charts and statistics that back up the authors arguments with research. It is presented very well and it even fully explains how to read the charts, which shows great consideration and forethought on the authors part. This establishes a large amount of logos and ethos. It shows logos by appeal to the logical side of people by showing great consideration for the reader, and ethos because it show that the writer is very concerned about the conceptualization of the information by the reader. I will be able to use this article to show how students can get the most out of discussions. It also will help me to show the various benefits that students get out of discussions aside from

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the topic that they would be discussing. I might also be able to use this essay to suggest that the students in discussions based classes be told what the benefits of them are so that they might better participate. Students who conceive of discussions as a useful way of learning more about the subject tend to engage in online discussions in a reflective and meaningful way (272). If students are not aware of the purpose of the discussions or they have negative perceptions of the learning context, then they are not likely to benefit from the discussions or perform well in the subject(272). Learning through discussions is a key aspect of the student learning experience in higher education (263). Pritchard, David. "Where Learning Starts? A Framework for Thinking About Lectures in University Mathematics." International Journal of Mathematical Education In Science & Technology 41.5 (2010): 609-623. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. In this paper the author, David Pritchard, argues that teaching through lecture, at least in mathematics, is still needed and should be looked at as a modern teaching technique instead of as an outdated teaching methodology. The author sets the foundation for the rest of the paper with one of his beginning sections where he goes over the assumptions and definitions of certain words that will better help the reader understand the entire article. He also addresses the case against lectures fairly early on in the article, but the problems are addressed immediately after they are brought to light. He spends quite a bit of time on this, but after he is done defending the faults of lectures he assesses the benefits of lecture and what it does well. He then states that there are three areas in which lectures perform exceptionally well: communicating information,

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modeling problem-solving, and appropriately motivating students. After revealing these areas he explains them more specifically as he goes over each of them one at a time. Also, he presents information to alleviate certain problems that are commonly encountered within these areas. The first piece of information to assimilate is that this article is written for the, International Journal of Mathematical Education in Science and Technology, which explains why the author uses second person in his writing. It should also be taken into account that the writer is a citizen of Scotland, which could explain some of his grammar and possibly his formatting as well, although that may be simply a different style for his professional field. He also follows the basic rules of grammar and has an extensive vocabulary, which suggests that he is very educated. The article is very easy to follow thanks to the superb organization. He also shows a huge amount of knowledge on the subject of lecturing. He seems to be familiar some of the leading concepts and ideas around teaching methods and cites many leading experts articles and essays. I am going to able to use this article to both show the flaws and strengths of lectures. The author goes into immense details on the flaws of lecture, but he also gives numerous rebuttals and gives one of the best defenses for lecture that I have heard thus far. Even though the author was a bit misleading in the beginning, I will still be able to use the plethora of information that is given to the reader. I can use this article to show what lectures do right, what they do wrong, and what they need to do to improve. The author has logos firmly in his writing and it does much to validate his argument. My three quotes are as follows. Because [lectures] combine face-to-face interaction with a relatively structured setting, they provide opportunities to address both cognitive and affective aspects of learning,

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even when students behave not as idealized actors but as the human beings they are (619). In particular, a large study of engineering students [29] found that lectures were the only form of mathematics teaching that all categories of student regarded as useful, while a recent study of mathematics students [30] found that the perceived usefulness of lectures had not diminished with the advent of online material, and that face-to-face teaching methods were still perceived as more valuable than written material (612). A further advantage of lectures, when designed with an intelligent combination of writing, visual aids and speech, is that they allow communication through multiple channels (614). Covill, Amy E. "College Students' Perceptions of the Traditional Lecture Method." College Student Journal 45.1 (2011): 92-101. Academic Search Complete. Web. 18 Mar. 2013. In this article the author, Amy E. Covill, investigates and analyzes a survey that attempts to determine some students perception of lectures. In the introduction the author reviews the generally held beliefs of teachers that the lecture method is inefficient at teaching students long lasting concepts. After this, the author states that she wonders how the students perceive lectures, which is the basis of the paper. She then goes over some of the points of active learning methods. Next, the author states that the results of many investigations into learning methods are inconclusive. Additionally, the author states that the students perception of either teaching method is a large contributor to how they will assimilate the given information. An investigation was then done to determine if the students have the same negative viewpoints of lecturing as the educators. The survey showed that fifty-one percent of the class stated that their growth in that specific field was very high, and another forty percent showed that their progress was high.

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Also, some research that was done showed that active learning methods are not predominately used since approximately 60% of teachers use the lecturing style; therefore, the active learning method has less support to help institutions use active learning as a more common practice. Finally, the author expresses that the field of educational teaching methods needs to be further analyzed and investigated to acquire conclusive results. The grammar was mostly correct, having only one or two errors. Also, the organization was hard to follow. Additionally, at times the article seems to go back and forth from analyzing lectures and active learning methods, which made it hard to figure out what the author was trying to argue for or against. However, the author did explain the results of the survey very well and showed enough information for the reader to understand how the survey was given out, how the students were to fill it out, and how the scoring system operated. The author also cited many leading experts in the field of educational teaching method, which gives her much ethos and quality information. Finally, the conclusion gives many important facts, which helps give a better context for the results of the investigation. By using this paper in my argumentative essay, I will be able to point out that both the lecture system and the active learning system both have their benefits and flaws, and that student perception and the teachers abilities greatly affects how students react to various teaching methods. The three quotes that I may be using are as follows: College students believe that they work hard in lecture style classes in order to get a good grade, they strongly believe that they learn a great deal with this method, and they believe that their retention of the material will be long-lasting. (para.19 sen.2)

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(Entwistle & Tait, 1990) If students believe that learning is memorizing facts, they vastly prefer traditional lectures; if students believe learning is building understanding, they prefer methods requiring them to be active (qtd in Covill, para.8 sen.2)

While researchers continue to explore the relative merits of lectures versus active learning methods, many educators continue to view active learning as superior to lecturing. (para.5 sen.1)