Response Writing on Kantz

Frame Exercise:
I define a fact as a statement that can not be disputed. I define a claim as an assumption or idea that can have evidence for or against it. An opinion is a preference or idea that a person favors more than others. And an argument is a claim with heavy evidence, so much so that it is difficult to prove otherwise.


In Margret Kantz'article "Helping Students Use Textual Sources Persuasively", the audience (which in this case is educators) learns that students struggle with using sources with creative and original arguments for many different reasons. Several reasons are 1) students misread the tone of the as factual when it is narrative or vice versa, 2) they fall back on the comfortable regurgitation of information in the sources because they don't want to feel wrong in an assumption, or 3) they simply so not know the right questions to ask themselves when trying to find an original idea, gap, or niche.  The purpose for the article is 1) so that educators can help students who struggle with the finding original angles and 2) help avoid plagiarism.

Kantz refers to an example in student Shirley who knows how to pick out main ideas from sources, organize facts chronologically, and give good summaries. However, Shirley does not understand where gaps from original thought can be found. Kinneavy's triangle diagram of rhetorical situation is given to explain how Shirley can find a creative entrance. Encoder, Decoder, and Reality represent a triangle of communication where miscommunications can happen. Between the reader, the interpreter, and what is real of the subject, there are many different ways to enter the conversation or subject with questions not previously asked.

Some simple heuristic questions she poses to help students find gaps are:
"Why does he think that way?"
"What effect does it have on the success of this communication?"
"What is your question or problem with this topic?"

Kantz also says that even when the student realizes how to identify a gap, he or she may still write papers that compute findings because 1) the stress of a letter grade, 2) it is stressful to undertake a new process for  draft needing to be complete soon, and 3) some students may not know how to plan, build, and organize.
Kantz ends on the note that paper writing is about creativity and creativity is rhetorical.

In reflection of the reading:
I find Kantz' way of explaining why some students have trouble coming up with original ideas intriguing. I believe that at some point I have become a Shirley, taking the easy way out and repeating source findings as summary in order to not think on my own. I think her idea of having students try to pose a question or claim before researching might be helpful to this type of student. I will also be helping my students learn to build on ideas, rather than repeat them.