This is an amazing post, how I wish I’d read this before I did my Masters! I had a very steep learning curve. I’ve not heard of the 5 para model, but when I started using the PEE approach my marks really improved.
Learning to write for enjoyment has been a real turning point though!
Thank you for this wonderful post! In Ontario some major school boards recently voted to take Shakespeare off the curriculum as he was deemed 'irrelevant' to the current generation. The word 'essay' is avoided as it is perceived as 'stressful' by students and teachers have to instead refer to a 'series of ordered paragraphs'. While the dumbing down of curriculum has long started to weaken education, AI technologies will compound and accelerate the degradation of language skills in students. See my recent article on 'Tilling the ground for ChatGPT' https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/tilling-the-ground-for-chatgpt.
Excellent, Kathleen. I've been wondering how English teachers and professors would respond to ChatGPT and other generative A.I. I took a course -- a 400-level course in American Naturalism and Realism -- with a professor who gave us no assigned papers outside of class, with our entire grade based on essay "exams" we took in her presence in class. Always thought her approach made a lot of sense -- proving we'd read the novels and could think about them and write about them, all in one swoop.
This is a great piece, and I think you're right Kate, the five para essay is perhaps a more US thing as I don't recall learning this in a UK school. I think that learning about the structure of a good essay is such an important skill to have - although I realise I am biased as I love both reading and writing them! But I like that you make the connection between using a calculator for maths alongside learning the basics with learning how to write alongside new technology and AI.
I haven't heard of the 5 para model, but I might use it in my teaching from now on. As a teacher who has limited time with my 3rd year undergrad students (6 hours a week over a 7 week semester) I always wrestle with how much of that time I should spend helping them to learn how to write. I have so much content to teach and we go on lots of field trips too, so time is really constricted. But ultimately I don't want to read essays that are appallingly bad so I do a bit of work with them on structuring essays, the skeleton of a paragraph, and how to make critical arguments. I wish this work was already done by the time they are 21, but sadly in my experience most students have no idea about the basics of essay writing.
I'm watching the whole AI chatGPT development with interest. I think it will be really clear, given my years of experience, to spot the AI essays. But what to do about them is not clear. All of my assessments are remote essays, so I'll have to think about how I can change it but also allow students the ability to bring together and demonstrate research and critical analysis of sources. There will be a way, but I think it's a real shame.
This is an amazing post, how I wish I’d read this before I did my Masters! I had a very steep learning curve. I’ve not heard of the 5 para model, but when I started using the PEE approach my marks really improved.
Learning to write for enjoyment has been a real turning point though!
Thank you for this wonderful post! In Ontario some major school boards recently voted to take Shakespeare off the curriculum as he was deemed 'irrelevant' to the current generation. The word 'essay' is avoided as it is perceived as 'stressful' by students and teachers have to instead refer to a 'series of ordered paragraphs'. While the dumbing down of curriculum has long started to weaken education, AI technologies will compound and accelerate the degradation of language skills in students. See my recent article on 'Tilling the ground for ChatGPT' https://schooloftheunconformed.substack.com/p/tilling-the-ground-for-chatgpt.
Looking forward to more of your writing!
p.s. I am a native 'Baslerin' living in Canada:)
Excellent, Kathleen. I've been wondering how English teachers and professors would respond to ChatGPT and other generative A.I. I took a course -- a 400-level course in American Naturalism and Realism -- with a professor who gave us no assigned papers outside of class, with our entire grade based on essay "exams" we took in her presence in class. Always thought her approach made a lot of sense -- proving we'd read the novels and could think about them and write about them, all in one swoop.
This is a great piece, and I think you're right Kate, the five para essay is perhaps a more US thing as I don't recall learning this in a UK school. I think that learning about the structure of a good essay is such an important skill to have - although I realise I am biased as I love both reading and writing them! But I like that you make the connection between using a calculator for maths alongside learning the basics with learning how to write alongside new technology and AI.
I haven't heard of the 5 para model, but I might use it in my teaching from now on. As a teacher who has limited time with my 3rd year undergrad students (6 hours a week over a 7 week semester) I always wrestle with how much of that time I should spend helping them to learn how to write. I have so much content to teach and we go on lots of field trips too, so time is really constricted. But ultimately I don't want to read essays that are appallingly bad so I do a bit of work with them on structuring essays, the skeleton of a paragraph, and how to make critical arguments. I wish this work was already done by the time they are 21, but sadly in my experience most students have no idea about the basics of essay writing.
I'm watching the whole AI chatGPT development with interest. I think it will be really clear, given my years of experience, to spot the AI essays. But what to do about them is not clear. All of my assessments are remote essays, so I'll have to think about how I can change it but also allow students the ability to bring together and demonstrate research and critical analysis of sources. There will be a way, but I think it's a real shame.