Purposes of the Assignment:  

a. To prompt thoughtful examination of current research and theory related to selected factors that appear to influence students' reading performance, and 

b.  To achieve a sense of closure on the discussion of presenters' work.  

Directions: 

Select one of the presentations and evaluate it in some detail.  (Suggestion, for the sake of efficiency: select the presentation by the presenter whose work you summarized in the online forum.)  Discuss what you believe to be the salient points of the presentation in the context of our earlier discussions.  This may, at your option, include how the presentation was related to the speaker's papers that we read (repeated, complemented, ignored, clarified, etc.).  Then make a series of evaluative comments (positive or negative) about the presentation.  These comments can include, but are not limited to, the following categories: 

Importance of the work
Soundness of the research--procedure, interpretation of data, limitations
Quality of the arguments
Practicality
Relationship of activities demonstrated to research and theory

Develop your comments with explanations, citing specific details of the presentation or the presenter's papers to justify your evaluation.  

How the critical analysis will be evaluated: 

Elements of the critique will be evaluated under the following rubrics: 

1. Plausibility and detail (30%): The best papers will plausibly represent the work of the speaker as presented at the Reading Symposium.   Reference to specific details of the speech and one or more of the papers by the speaker will establish a clear picture of what the speaker said. 

2. Critical analysis (40%): In addition to providing a plausible overview of what the speaker said, the best papers will include several evaluative statements about the presentation.  These evaluative statements will be

a. supported by specific details 
b. of more than one type (e.g., a research limitation and a practicality issue)
c. informed by current research and theory that you mention explicitly.  Appropriate reference to a relevant book on educational theory or research will ensure the highest rating on this dimension.
d. inclusive of some aspect of the presenter's written work as well as the spoken presentation

3. Presentation (30%):  Papers will be logically organized, clear, and free from errors of punctuation, usage, spelling, and grammar, and they will observe APA style, including complete bibliographic information of any specific source mentioned.  

Back to Index Page
 

John Zbikowski, Department of Curriculum and Instruction  Comments on this web page? Email zbikowsj@uww.edu Last updated May 23, 2006   URL: http://facstaff.uww.edu/zbikowsj/symp_critique.htm