Essay #3
The Problem and Solution Essay
Also Known As “The Collaborative Report,” “The Group / Problem and Solution Report,” and “Essay Three”
Length: As long as is necessary, though no shorter than six pages, and no longer than twelve.
Weight: 20% of course grade
Due Dates: See Below.
Elements: Proposal; Hard-Copy Report; Group-Written Process Log; Report Website, PowerPoint or Other Media Presentation (uploaded to the class Smartsite); Special Questionnaire; Individual Analysis. Also, see group and individual checklists, below.
Description:
For your third essay, you and your assigned group of colleagues will examine a problem, conundrum, crux or obstacle in the teaching field, in education theory, and/or in classroom applications; and then decide upon, create or imagine a solution to that problem. Resembling a feasibility or recommendation report that you might write for a technical writing course, this essay requires that you
• Decide upon a specific (limited) audience and writing situation
• Establish the purpose of your report
• Describe the specific problem your group will address
• Describe two or more potential solutions to the problem
• Analyze the merits and limitations of each
• Based on your analysis, draw logical recommendations for implementing one or the other solution
The essays in our reader provide a few inspirational models. As with any essay you write, make sure that your topic, purpose, intended audience and specific evidence are clear to your reader. With regard to scope, consider especially those educational problems whose solutions might help individual teachers, and shy away from those larger social or statewide concerns whose problems would require significant amounts of money or an act of Congress. In other words, with regard to audience, propose solutions to problems for teachers or maybe principals, but not state or national legislatures.
Suggested sections for this report include the following:
~ Introduction (the problem);
~ Background (if not covered by the Introduction);
~ Standards (what you imagine as an ideal product, condition, situation);
~ Options (the real-world options available to you);
~ Evaluation/Analysis (decide what criteria are most appropriate for evaluation);
~ Recommendations.
These headings are not required; adopt–or devise–those that best apply to the matter at hand. As always, the format of your essay should support your content and purpose. Note, however, that you and your group must complete the parts of the assignment listed below under the “Checklists” heading.
Due Dates:
September 27th Briefly review this assignment sheet in class.
October 4th Receive group makeup assignments; Meet with your group; Determine each member’s duties; Establish a group mailing list at Yahoo Groups, Google Groups, or Facebook, or establish a SmartSite project site for your group. Be ready to share your communication plan and media with the class on October 9th.
October 11th Determine your approach and topic for Report Three.
October 18th Present a Proposal for Report Three. Review and discuss assignment checklist by today (see below).
October 30th Submit a progress report by today. With your group, create a “to do” list for the time remaining before your report is due.
November 1st Time in class to be set aside for group work today. Make sure you understand all the written requirements for each group and each member of a group (see below).
November 8th Present your group’s Report Three multimedia presentation.
November 13th Submit Report Three and all supporting materials, including the individual responses, reflections and evaluations.
Checklists:
Each group must submit the following:
• A proposal of a topic (and a revised proposal, if the first is deemed insufficient or unclear).
• A six page or longer report.
• A completed questionnaire. This should include the signatures of every member of your group.
• A group-written explanation of how the work was divided.
• If applicable, a special commendation for one of the group’s members.
• A completed web site, PowerPoint presentation, or multimedia presentation. (We will discuss ways that I will procure a virtual copy of your presentation.)
• A short, typed explanation of division of labor for thegroup presentation, as well as a plan for remaining within your group’s allotted presentation time, including attention paid to preparation for technical needs and concerns (due on the day of your presentation).
Each student must submit the following:
• A written explanation of work completed by the participant, as well as challenges and pleasures of the collaborative process (about two pages). Revise this particular document thoroughly, for in the past it has helped to determine the grades earned by individual participants.
• A statement of praises and dispraises: assert who you think did more than his/her fair share of work, and who did less. These will not be shared with the class, though they may help to determine individuals’ grades for the project. As part of your statement of praises and dispraises, imagine that you had a number of points to give out to your group’s members, including yourself, and that number of points is equal to the number of members of your team, plus one. How would you distribute your points?
• An assertion of what grade you think the final project deserves, and why. Keep class grading standards in mind (see http://writing.ucdavis.edu/instructor-resources/grading-standards-1/).
