Synthesis essay grading

Prompt

We have read about the core learning and educational theories that this class is based on: Constructionism, Constructivism and Critical Pedagogy. These theories are broad, and contain many ideas and concepts, some of which overlap, some of which are different. Theories in Education, Psychology and Social Sciences are often not as cut-and-clear as theories in Physics or Math–their boundaries are fuzzier and there are different interpretations. However, this **does not **mean that “anything goes.” Despite the fuzziness of the boundaries, there are boundaries and limits, and it is important for your to understand what can and cannot fit inside each theory, and how they complement or contradict each other. The goal of this writing assignment is for you to critically reflect on and synthesize these theories in relation to each other, and to tie these theories into our work as designers of learning technologies.

The paper should be about 1000 words.

The paper consists of two parts:

A concise synthesis of the relevant ideas of constructionism, constructivism and critical pedagogy. The synthesis should build on the papers we have read and the class discussions, which shows by using quotations from at least one paper for each theory. The synthesis should be structured by how the theories frame the model of learner (who is the learner and how does she/he learns/operates), the model of learning (how does the actual process of learning takes place for each learner), the model of knowing (what does it mean to “know” something? What is “knowledge”?) and the model of schooling (what are school and education for). Keep in mind that this should go further than the rough initial models we have proposed in class for constructionism and constructivism. Importantly, the synthesis does not just summarize the main ideas into the different models, but makes clear:

What each theory shares with the others and where it is distinct.
Where the theories are clear and where there is more flexibility or lack of clarity.
A discussion of the implications for your work as designer of learning technologies. This means that you should take up some of the generative themes or big ideas addressed in the prior part of the paper, and reason about how this could inform approaches to developing technology-rich learning environments or products targeted at particular populations of learners, educational topics, or learning situations of your interest.

Important points to consider:

A literature synthesis does not address any of the following questions:

Do you like the article?
Do you agree with the author?
Is the premise realistic? Does it scale?
Do the assertions reflect your personal experience?
It is important to remember that the focus of the class on constructivism, constructionism and critical pedagogy does not imply that other learning and educational theories, such as behaviorism, are not valid; on the contrary, each of the other theories bares relevance for different aspects of learning and education. Thus, the focus also does not imply that all learning and education should be organized by these theories. For example, learning to drive a car is more an issue of proper (behaviorist) training, learning how to precisely cook a dish could involve only memorizing the recipe and the procedures. Any learning approach that tries to involve constructionist learning experiences for those topics is most likely to fail. Rather, we believe that these theories (the three Cs) are relevant for certain topics and a certain type of learning that we are most interested in. Thus the design of the corresponding learning technologies would strongly benefit from a deeper understanding of these theories.

Rubric

Check - (80%)

Check (90%)

Check + (100%)

Theories

BUT the essay is cursory, vague, or significantly misinterprets one or more of the theories.

The essay accurately summarizes each of the three theories, distinguishing them from one another.

AND the essay clearly traces learner/learning/knowing through the theories and productively engages with relationships between the theories, making specific points about shared assumptions and tensions.

Engagement with papers

BUT quotations are inadequate, misinterpreted, or not well-integrated into the essay.

The essay consistently uses quotations or cited paraphrases from the papers to illustrate

rather than presenting the quotations as self-evident, the author integrates quotations into the essay’s argument.

AND the quotations/ paraphrases are deployed to address central themes or important nuances of the papers. The integration of textual evidence into the essay is purposeful and effective.