Preposterous Papers!

A few weeks ago I handed out information on the final argumentative paper. The students were completely overwhlemed! They were actually going have to invest effort in this assignment! When I reviewed the five-page requirement, students' jaws dropped in astonishment. A few girls exclaimed, "But why does it have to be five pages!"

I understood when drafting the criteria that I would be challenging my classes; They are smart and certainly capable. All the students have written persuassive essays in the past, but those essays were not research-based. So we have spent a lot of time learning how to find, paraphrase and quote quality, supportive research. Beyond research, the students are at least familiar with the other requirements, of which we have had lessons covering all they need to know. I also devoted an entire class to constructing outlines and writing a thesis statement in order to make sure everyone had a good grasp of the basics.

I was also aware that I would be raising the bar for a class taught by a foreign teacher, which the students expect to be a blow-off course. (On that note: For anyone wanting to teach in Chinese colleges as a foregin teacher, you have to be assertive in establishing respect. While the students may be really talkative in your class, they are definitely not in their classes taught by Chinese professors.) So I had prepared myself for the dramatized reactions when I presented high expectations for their final assignment. Before discussing the requirements, I asked everyone to take a deep breathe and relax. "Even though the paper, at first, may seem overwhelming," I explained, "we have six weeks before these are due, which, trust me, will be more than enough time to complete your paper stress-free." Despite my assurances, I could still hear grieving mumbles. This final may very well effect my reputation among the students next semester... Hopefully they will say, "If you really want to learn a lot, take Ms. Lindsey's class!"...

With the papers due in two weeks, it seems all students are moving along smoothly. Everyone has completed a rough draft and is now working on a revision after we spent last class doing peer reviews. My only concern is that I have observed how the student's do not usually ask questions when they need help. (This has to do with the Chinese concept of "saving face" which maybe I will someday attempt to explain.) If a student does brave it and ask, it is after class in private. I have made a point to address such questions during the next class, assuming that other students don't know the answer either. I can only hope that the lack of questions means they are competently completing their final papers with ease!