There's more than one way to solve a problem, as any teacher will tell you. With that in mind, why wouldn't you want to broaden your horizons by searching for alternate solutions to your homework problems on the web? Doing a quick Google search for homework answers turn up dozen of sites where students can collaborate, get help, and find new ways to answer the questions on their homework exercises. I can think of a few good reasons why googling your homework is an excellent idea.
You'll learn more.
The thought process involved in creating a search term in such a way that the search brings up relevant information is an art form in and of itself, and searching for homework answers on the web is no exception to that rule. But in the process of searching for answers, kids actually have to think about what they are looking for as an answer, sort the results their search returns, and eventually choose an answer they think is correct based on their own reasoning. And a common result with searching for life's burning questions - for example, who was Nathaniel Bacon - will often turn up far more information than students ever wanted to know, meaning they are actually getting more detail than their teacher can provide in class.
Your teacher is doing it.
You can bet that if students are smart enough to check out the web for answers to their homework, teachers are doing the same thing to make sure that students are getting the right answers and to make sure that they still know it all. They might even be googling homework answers before class to make sure they know all the possible solutions to a given problem before students think of them, or to see what other students answered to a similar question, so they know what kind of reaction to expect.
You'll get better grades.
Here's a shocker, but kids who look up the answers to their homework and get the right answer score higher. A pleasant side of effect of properly looking up homework answers is getting the expected answer, and therefore getting a good grade on the assignment. Also, if the teacher does claim that you've provided the wrong answer, you're in the perfect position to reverse the teach-student role with your newfound knowledge that you wouldn't have had otherwise. You can go from being wrong to being an excellent student as fast as you can explain to your teacher why your answer is also correct.
Of course, there's always math.
It's worth mentioning that few, if any, of the above pros apply to math homework. If you google math homework, you're either going to get the right answer or the wrong answer, and unfortunately if you don't already have some idea what the right answer is or find a solution that explains itself to you, you're not going to get the wrong answer, not learn anything new, and ultimately not do well in that class.
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Friday, July 1, 2011
How To Plagiarize Like A Pro
Plagiarism is stealing someone else's idea or work and passing it off as something you thought of or did yourself. While certain kinds of plagiarism are acceptable in today's world - web plagiarism among e-tailers being the perfect example - most plagiarism associated with school and academics is definitely frowned upon. Thanks to a number of clever web-based tools, it is getting harder and harder to drop a few lines into your paper without raising an eyebrow. What follows is an informal guide to plagiarizing that doesn't guarantee you won't get caught, but can tip the odds in your favor. First I'll cover the keys to plagiarism success, followed by a quick how-to guide.
Key 1. Generate goodwill by appearing to be a good student.
Teachers and professors are more likely to suspect plagiarism if it comes from one of their worst students who never attends class and just needs a passing grade on the last term paper to squeak by. If you're always at class, participate in discussions, ask questions, and do okay on the exam, you'll look a lot more like a regular student instead of one of the "profiled plagiarizers." If you appear to be a hard-working student with some degree of respect for the academic system, it's almost impossible for your instructor to follow through on their suspicions of plagiarism. And even if you are eventually caught, you may be able to get off the hook much easier if you've already carefully cultivated a good student-teacher bond.
Key 2. Consistency is critical.
If you're going to plagiarize, you need to do it often, on every paper your instructor will see, and especially on the critical first paper of the term. That first paper establishes certain expectations about your writing style and capacity that a plagiarized paper later in the semester will not be able to replicate. You cannot plagiarize only on papers that you don't have time to do, or only on the last paper of the term - your instructor is going to be especially wary if you've asked for a due date extension or it's the final paper, but if you've been carefully plagiarizing the entire time, he or she isn't even going to blink at the discombobulated mess you turn in. By consistently plagiarizing, you avoid contrasting writing styles that are a dead giveaway. This gets a bit more challenging if the course has a written exam component that must be completed in class, because you will have to deliberately attempt to create some of that same confusion that is so prevalent in your plagiarized papers.
Key 3. Be sure to pay attention to the differences between student writing and professional writing.
Sure, the section you've just pasted into your paper sounds bloody brilliant, but there is such a thing as sounding a little too good. Your instructor has probably done some professional writing, and is going to easily see where your amateur style ends and the PhD you copied picks up in a way you simply won't be able to notice. One obvious giveaway here is that plagiarized sections seldom have mistakes if written by a professional. If the sections of your paper that you wrote (and yes, you will need to write a few lines to form the sinew of your zombified paper) have glaring grammar mistakes or even subtle changes like changing verb tenses or passive sentences and other sections don't, you're in trouble. The only way to work around this one is to change what you're copying so it matches your style better. Add a few errors - not the obvious kind - to your plagiarized sections, and be sure to use less clear, more ambiguous language whenever possible, since professional writers are often direct, concise, and use unique turns of phrase in ways you'll never be able to. A simple tip that's often overlooked is foreign phrases and logic words - nobody is going to use "thus", "henceforth" ad nauseum, and joie de vivre do sound smart, but you wouldn't use them in a paper you actually wrote, and your instructor knows this.
How To Plagiarize - Step-by-Step
1: Choose a relevant source.
This means that instead of grabbing a couple lines out of a random paper and lining them up neatly in one of your paragraphs, you need to know what you're grabbing and make sure you're getting the good stuff. If your paper is about why hydroelectricity is not good for the environment, plagiarizing a source that discusses hydro, solar, and wind power is going to be a dead giveaway that you didn't even read the stuff you pasted into your paper - which is the single biggest sin of copying and pasting. If your paper is supposed to be about T.S. Eliot and the meaning of Four Quartets, copying a source that talks about The Dry Salvages in relation to Ash Wednesday might seem like a good choice to a novice plagiarizer. Until your instructor calls your bluff and points out that you didn't even know Ash Wednesday is another of Eliot's works. You need information that fits seamlessly with the rest of your paper.
A smart plagiarizer will try to find paragraphs about the subject material that don't include any other subjects, don't really make any arguments, and generally are what the academic world terms "fluff." Such a paragraph is ideal because you can put it almost anywhere, it won't contradict your own argument (if you don't have an argument, your paper is already on the rocks, and getting caught plagiarizing will only further jeopardize you) and it won't throw up the red flag to a savvy reader. I will point out that by the time you've found such a paragraph, you probably could have composed your own, assuming you write English fairly well.
2: Change words you don't know to words you do know. Change the order of sentences and phrases in the paragraph.
Maybe even mix and match more than one source. All the while maintaining a section of your paper that is carefully void of any intelligent communication. For example, if the author you copied says "There is an ambivalence in Ojibwe community members about their tribal councils that is rooted in egalitarian ideology and practice." the odds are good you're going to need to change a few of those big words. And to do that you're going to have to look them up. I'd try changing the order too. For example, let's say "Ojibwe community members have mixed feelings about their tribal council members because they view them as equals." See how we still have the same idea, without the big words, in a different order? This is key for two reasons.
First, you have a much better shot at explaining the second sentence to your instructor, because you actually know what some of the words mean. Second, if your instructor does a quick Google search for the sentence after suspecting something is fishy with it (Indeed, there is something fishy with it, since it's from a text by Larry Nesper called The Walleye War) they won't find your source. A little experimenting on Google will show you how much you have to change a given sentence to avoid a direct match popping up as a result of a search, but this is the single biggest mistake you can make. Mostly because there's no turning back once an instructor has this kind of ammo against you - you can't explain this one away.
3: Know your paper.
It might follow naturally from number 1 and number 2, but if your prof says, "I'm a little fuzzy about this bit here, could you explain your thought process to me?" they are suspicious, and your responses will determine his or her response. If you know your paper - actually having read it before handing it in - you're off to much better start than most.
Key 1. Generate goodwill by appearing to be a good student.
Teachers and professors are more likely to suspect plagiarism if it comes from one of their worst students who never attends class and just needs a passing grade on the last term paper to squeak by. If you're always at class, participate in discussions, ask questions, and do okay on the exam, you'll look a lot more like a regular student instead of one of the "profiled plagiarizers." If you appear to be a hard-working student with some degree of respect for the academic system, it's almost impossible for your instructor to follow through on their suspicions of plagiarism. And even if you are eventually caught, you may be able to get off the hook much easier if you've already carefully cultivated a good student-teacher bond.
Key 2. Consistency is critical.
If you're going to plagiarize, you need to do it often, on every paper your instructor will see, and especially on the critical first paper of the term. That first paper establishes certain expectations about your writing style and capacity that a plagiarized paper later in the semester will not be able to replicate. You cannot plagiarize only on papers that you don't have time to do, or only on the last paper of the term - your instructor is going to be especially wary if you've asked for a due date extension or it's the final paper, but if you've been carefully plagiarizing the entire time, he or she isn't even going to blink at the discombobulated mess you turn in. By consistently plagiarizing, you avoid contrasting writing styles that are a dead giveaway. This gets a bit more challenging if the course has a written exam component that must be completed in class, because you will have to deliberately attempt to create some of that same confusion that is so prevalent in your plagiarized papers.
Key 3. Be sure to pay attention to the differences between student writing and professional writing.
Sure, the section you've just pasted into your paper sounds bloody brilliant, but there is such a thing as sounding a little too good. Your instructor has probably done some professional writing, and is going to easily see where your amateur style ends and the PhD you copied picks up in a way you simply won't be able to notice. One obvious giveaway here is that plagiarized sections seldom have mistakes if written by a professional. If the sections of your paper that you wrote (and yes, you will need to write a few lines to form the sinew of your zombified paper) have glaring grammar mistakes or even subtle changes like changing verb tenses or passive sentences and other sections don't, you're in trouble. The only way to work around this one is to change what you're copying so it matches your style better. Add a few errors - not the obvious kind - to your plagiarized sections, and be sure to use less clear, more ambiguous language whenever possible, since professional writers are often direct, concise, and use unique turns of phrase in ways you'll never be able to. A simple tip that's often overlooked is foreign phrases and logic words - nobody is going to use "thus", "henceforth" ad nauseum, and joie de vivre do sound smart, but you wouldn't use them in a paper you actually wrote, and your instructor knows this.
How To Plagiarize - Step-by-Step
1: Choose a relevant source.
This means that instead of grabbing a couple lines out of a random paper and lining them up neatly in one of your paragraphs, you need to know what you're grabbing and make sure you're getting the good stuff. If your paper is about why hydroelectricity is not good for the environment, plagiarizing a source that discusses hydro, solar, and wind power is going to be a dead giveaway that you didn't even read the stuff you pasted into your paper - which is the single biggest sin of copying and pasting. If your paper is supposed to be about T.S. Eliot and the meaning of Four Quartets, copying a source that talks about The Dry Salvages in relation to Ash Wednesday might seem like a good choice to a novice plagiarizer. Until your instructor calls your bluff and points out that you didn't even know Ash Wednesday is another of Eliot's works. You need information that fits seamlessly with the rest of your paper.
A smart plagiarizer will try to find paragraphs about the subject material that don't include any other subjects, don't really make any arguments, and generally are what the academic world terms "fluff." Such a paragraph is ideal because you can put it almost anywhere, it won't contradict your own argument (if you don't have an argument, your paper is already on the rocks, and getting caught plagiarizing will only further jeopardize you) and it won't throw up the red flag to a savvy reader. I will point out that by the time you've found such a paragraph, you probably could have composed your own, assuming you write English fairly well.
2: Change words you don't know to words you do know. Change the order of sentences and phrases in the paragraph.
Maybe even mix and match more than one source. All the while maintaining a section of your paper that is carefully void of any intelligent communication. For example, if the author you copied says "There is an ambivalence in Ojibwe community members about their tribal councils that is rooted in egalitarian ideology and practice." the odds are good you're going to need to change a few of those big words. And to do that you're going to have to look them up. I'd try changing the order too. For example, let's say "Ojibwe community members have mixed feelings about their tribal council members because they view them as equals." See how we still have the same idea, without the big words, in a different order? This is key for two reasons.
First, you have a much better shot at explaining the second sentence to your instructor, because you actually know what some of the words mean. Second, if your instructor does a quick Google search for the sentence after suspecting something is fishy with it (Indeed, there is something fishy with it, since it's from a text by Larry Nesper called The Walleye War) they won't find your source. A little experimenting on Google will show you how much you have to change a given sentence to avoid a direct match popping up as a result of a search, but this is the single biggest mistake you can make. Mostly because there's no turning back once an instructor has this kind of ammo against you - you can't explain this one away.
3: Know your paper.
It might follow naturally from number 1 and number 2, but if your prof says, "I'm a little fuzzy about this bit here, could you explain your thought process to me?" they are suspicious, and your responses will determine his or her response. If you know your paper - actually having read it before handing it in - you're off to much better start than most.
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Why Homework Strategies Fail
Sure, you’ve heard the strategies experts put in front of students to make them better at actually doing their homework. But have you ever wondered why these strategies aren’t effective for everyone? If so much research has been devoted to “How to Do Your Homework,” why not just research “Why Even Have Homework If Students Don’t Do It?” Anyway, here’s a few common homework strategies and why they fail.
Strategy 1: Make A List.
The Myth: Experts say you need to make a list in order to get organized and put your work in perspective. They claim you will be better able to prioritize and use your time effectively. Making a list is the first step toward building an effective homework workflow.
The Reality: You don’t need a list to tell you that your homework needs to get done. Students who spend time making a list are really wasting valuable minutes when they could be focused on completing homework. Also, homework isn’t always easy to break into simple, list-friendly tasks. If you have a science report due at the end of the week, you’re not going to sit and make a list saying “Collect all my materials. Surf the internet until I find something cool about science. Copy and paste information into document. Save. Print. Turn In.” Your list will just say “Do Science Report.” And for someone who isn’t that task-oriented in the first place, it is not going to be easy to complete that task, since there’s so many mini-tasks associated with it that it just becomes intimidating. So leave the list-making to the teachers.
Strategy 2: You Need A Quiet Spot.
The Myth: Experts say the environment surrounding the student plays an important role in how much homework a student gets done and how well they do it, and for best results, you need somewhere quiet with minimal distractions.
The Reality: Today’s students grew up in overstimulated environments in the first place, so placing them in solitary confinement in the library stacks is not going to magically make them more productive. Instead, a normal level of stimulation is more conducive to a student’s thought process and may be more welcome than silence. A little music in the background, for example, can focus one’s attention on a given project, and even influence one’s mood about the work. If you’re listening to energetic tunes while you’re getting work done, you’ll get a pleasant feeling of energy from the music and a nice endorphin rush from the sensation of having accomplished your goal, so you hardly need a quiet spot to produce quality work.
Strategy 3: Do Your Best Work.
The Myth: Students need to do their best work to get the most out of their homework. If they don’t do their best work, they won’t be able to learn.
The Reality: It doesn’t matter whether students are doing their best work or their worst work, as long as they’re doing the work. If the entire world always had to do their best work, we’d never get anything done. The truth is, the harder you try to do your very best, the more you think about what you could have done better, and then you have to go back and fix it. You never quite reach the point where you say “This is my best work. I am happy with it.” So if students want to turn in work that’s good enough to get by, they may as well do so. Perhaps we should applaud the fact that they can just let things go so easily - if a few more people could do that the world might be a better place.
This post isn’t meant to say, hey, everything you’ve been told about homework is wrong. It’s just supposed to make you think twice about drilling these mindless ideas into students’ heads over and over again. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Strategy 1: Make A List.
The Myth: Experts say you need to make a list in order to get organized and put your work in perspective. They claim you will be better able to prioritize and use your time effectively. Making a list is the first step toward building an effective homework workflow.
The Reality: You don’t need a list to tell you that your homework needs to get done. Students who spend time making a list are really wasting valuable minutes when they could be focused on completing homework. Also, homework isn’t always easy to break into simple, list-friendly tasks. If you have a science report due at the end of the week, you’re not going to sit and make a list saying “Collect all my materials. Surf the internet until I find something cool about science. Copy and paste information into document. Save. Print. Turn In.” Your list will just say “Do Science Report.” And for someone who isn’t that task-oriented in the first place, it is not going to be easy to complete that task, since there’s so many mini-tasks associated with it that it just becomes intimidating. So leave the list-making to the teachers.
Strategy 2: You Need A Quiet Spot.
The Myth: Experts say the environment surrounding the student plays an important role in how much homework a student gets done and how well they do it, and for best results, you need somewhere quiet with minimal distractions.
The Reality: Today’s students grew up in overstimulated environments in the first place, so placing them in solitary confinement in the library stacks is not going to magically make them more productive. Instead, a normal level of stimulation is more conducive to a student’s thought process and may be more welcome than silence. A little music in the background, for example, can focus one’s attention on a given project, and even influence one’s mood about the work. If you’re listening to energetic tunes while you’re getting work done, you’ll get a pleasant feeling of energy from the music and a nice endorphin rush from the sensation of having accomplished your goal, so you hardly need a quiet spot to produce quality work.
Strategy 3: Do Your Best Work.
The Myth: Students need to do their best work to get the most out of their homework. If they don’t do their best work, they won’t be able to learn.
The Reality: It doesn’t matter whether students are doing their best work or their worst work, as long as they’re doing the work. If the entire world always had to do their best work, we’d never get anything done. The truth is, the harder you try to do your very best, the more you think about what you could have done better, and then you have to go back and fix it. You never quite reach the point where you say “This is my best work. I am happy with it.” So if students want to turn in work that’s good enough to get by, they may as well do so. Perhaps we should applaud the fact that they can just let things go so easily - if a few more people could do that the world might be a better place.
This post isn’t meant to say, hey, everything you’ve been told about homework is wrong. It’s just supposed to make you think twice about drilling these mindless ideas into students’ heads over and over again. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
Homework Hotspot - The First Post
Welcome to the Homework Hotspot! Here you’ll find blog postings about all things homework-related. I’ll try to touch on as many different topics in the homework sphere as possible in a way that doesn’t remind you of school. Whether you’re taking a break from hitting the books or looking for some information to deliver your anti-homework coup de grace next period, the entire point of the Homework Hotspot is to make people think twice about homework.
And it’s the idea of thinking about homework that leads me to my first point: The effectiveness of assigning homework is a subject worth debating. As any grade-schooler will tell you, homework prevents kids from being kids. Wouldn’t the world be a better place if children were free to experience and appreciate more of the world around them, instead of the world inside their textbook? On the flip side, teachers have been assigning homework after their lessons for a long, long time, and I’m sure they would argue that homework is an essential part of any child’s education. Would children turn out to be well-rounded members of society without take-home lessons?
For now, let’s leave these questions open to debate. After all, this is a blog, not a dissertation. A few more things to expect on the Homework Hotspot: On occasion, I may also include a bit of humor with homework jokes. I don’t mind providing homework help in any subject, but the value of homework help is the learning process, not getting necessarily getting the right answer, so don’t be surprised if questions are met with more questions. (As you should be able to see by now, I am a fan of questions.)
So put on your proverbial thinking caps, sharpen your mental pencils, and get ready for an adventure into the wonderful world of homework with Homework Hotspot.
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