Directions and Scoring Criteria for Short or Long Thematic Papers

Think about STPs/LTPs as ways to develop your current thinking about the readings. It's OK to ask questions, to wonder, to critique, to try out new ideas. To write an STP/LTP, you will need to think deeply about some aspect(s) of the readings.  Often the part that takes the longest is coming up with a theme and figuring out what you want to say about it.  But doing this thinking and processing will make the information "stick" in ways that will help you recall it and, more importantly, use it in your own work. It doesn't matter if I agree with your position, as long as you support it sufficiently, but I will "talk back" in my comments.

To get an idea of what thematic papers look like, please read some of the Sample STPs on the web .

After reading, talking, and thinking about the readings in a set (see below), jot down some of the ideas you think are most important.  Select one on which you want to take a position, and that can be used to relate several readings with your own experiences as a student or teacher. For example, you might choose the theme "is participation in classroom discussion necessary for learning? " based on the readings and your emerging theories of teaching and learning. As you write, develop your theme while using

• ideas from the readings critically to support or challenge your own position.
• your own prior knowledge of teaching/learning experiences (your own, learners you know or have known) to illustrate and support your position.
• a connection back to something you read earlier in the course (for the first STP/LTP, this can be one of the readings you did for the Pilot SLP).

When you finish, give your paper a title that reflects your theme. (HINT: If you have a hard time coming up with a title, it may mean you don't have a clear theme.)

I will use these papers to assess your understanding of the readings and ideas and your ability to use them as you think about teaching and learning.  However, STPs/LTPs are not the traditional "summarize what I read" paper you may be used to.  Instead of summarizing, you will take a position on the theme or big idea and compare it to the positions of the authors you read, as you interpret them.  Some authors may support your position or have theories that are consistent with your view while others challenge it – challenge them back!  Using the readings critically means that you don't automatically accept the author's position, but instead examine the evidence presented and the assumptions made about learners and teachers.

Short Thematic Papers: 3 checks = 2.0, 4 checks = 3.0, 5 checks = 4.0

Long Thematic Papers: 2 checks = 2.7; 3 checks = 4.0

Readings to include in each paper:

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Scoring Rubrics for Thematic Papers

We will evaluate your understanding of the readings through your use of the ideas from class and the readings. We will use the following checklists to assess your papers -- you can use them yourself to make sure you have fulfilled the assignment.

_____ 2-3 pages double-spaced (STPs) OR 4-5 pages double-spaced (LTPs)

_____ Theme clearly identified, title reflects theme

_____ Readings are used critically to support or challenge the position taken (no summaries)

_____ Relates theme(s) to own experience (as student, teacher, or observer)

_____ Discusses implications for future teaching (e.g., for specific problems)

_____ No major misunderstandings of readings

_____ Most readings included from each day (No more than one missing reading per set).

_____ Makes a connection to at least one reading from an earlier group of readings(for the first paper, use one of the pilot SLP readings).

_____ Clear, concise, and grammatically correct writing. This is what will be expected of you as a teacher writing for students and parents.

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