Considering Types

I will now move on to how I actually make my argument and the techniques I will use. After reading from Writing Public Lives, I can now decide on the type of argument I will make. Below is my explanation of that argumentative choice.

Joy Kosik. "Screenshot of Article by AJ Juliani." 10-27-2015. 

For my argument, I want the points I raise to be positive, as I believe this will have a greater chance of convincing parents that common core is good. If I am just bashing their views, like a refutation argument, I would get more negative responses than I want from this audience. Instead, I should do either a causal or evaluative argument. In a causal argument, I could explain why we need change in education and why common core is needed in the first place. In an evaluative argument, I could explain how common core is doing good and actually working. I think the best argument to use would be an evaluative argument, to better bring parents to the side of common core.

My Rhetorical Action Plan

Below I will begin the process of making an argument for my specific audience, parents of students in the U.S. I will also choose the genre I will be using for my argument within this post, as well as look at some responses my argument could have.

geralt. "Speakers." 2014 via pixabay.
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Genre:

1. News article style
1. How Common Core Can Help in the Battle of Skills vs. Knowledge
2. The Soccer Mom Revolt Against Common Core
1. This genre is mostly used to inform readers of events going on in the world and the US, but it can also be used to publish an opinion or argument similar to a QRG. I chose it because many parents get their information from articles online, and would be most likely to see this argument here. 
2. This would be completely online, I could see it being shared online via social media as well. 
3. I would want to use pathos to connect with parents, and logos to drive home my argument. 
4. Maybe a picture or two, and I may include a short video as an example of a classroom. 
5. I would use mostly casual in order to connect with the audience as well as make it easier to read and follow. 
2. A Video, either explaining my argument or as a speech
1. Why Common Core math problems look so weird
2. Arkansas Mother Obliterates Common Core in 4 Minutes!
1. This genre is used for quick access to information, like a how to video, or to show public events to those at home. I would use this as a quick way to give information, and it is in a shareable format as well. 
1. TED Talks style could be used 
2. The setting of this genre could be anywhere in the video, either pictures or a speech podium are examples. 
3. I would use the same argument style as before, but would stick to a couple key points instead because I don't want a super long video. 
4. I could incorporate a lot more pictures and examples into a video, so parents could see the actual standards while I talk and see it being applied. 
5. This would also be informal or casual, as a formal video would be to boring to sit through for my audience. 

Audience: 

1. Knowledge:
1. Most parents only know what they have experienced or what they see from their kid's perspectives. So this means that if they only see the homework, and that their child is having a hard time with it, they will automatically have a bad view on common core. Of course, some parents will know more about common core than others, and in this case that just means that they won't need as much background information when reading my argument. 
2. Values:
1. Parents just want their kids to succeed. If they think common core is stopping that, then of course they won't like it. I need to be clear that it will help their kids when they get to college or to their careers. It's like when you have a really hard class that you hate, but then the next year you thank that class because it prepared you for this. 
3. Standards of Argument:
1. The best research for parents will be based on how kids under common core can succeed in higher education. In this case, I would look for and translate studies about how much more kids understand after common core. 
4. Visual Elements: 
1. Since this can be an emotional subject for parents, I would want positive images paired with my argument. I could use a classroom setting with common core or put videos of students/positive speeches from well known people. 
5. Purpose: 
1. My argument needs to challenge the view that many parents have about common core (on the negative side). My audience is reading my argument because it has to do with something that directly effects their kids and them. If my argument is well put together, it will (hopefully) motivate parents to be more accepting of common core and work with teachers and their students to help it succeed. 

Positive Reactions: 

1. People continue to spread this information and raise positivity for common core. 
2. Others post their own thoughts and comment on the piece, making a debate based on the info I provide. This would be good because it would get more people involved and create new ideas.
3. A reader posts to their own blog or website, publishing their own piece on common core based off of mine. 
4. I add a new argument for common core that becomes integrated into the argument for it on a national level. 

Negative Rebuttals: 

1. Common core will only hurt students because it is confusing and not explained well. 
1. When properly trained, teachers can teach common core just as effectively, if not more so, than they were before. For students getting common core teaching after they are used to the traditional standards, it will be confusing, but only until they get used to the new standards. Then, it will be better for those students in the long run. 
2. Common core won't actually raise America's education standards internationally. 
1. There's no way to know this until a full round of students have experienced common core and moved through college as well. The same system we have been using isn't raising us internationally; the only thing we can do is to improve is change. 
3. If parents don't like it, ten why is common core even in schools now?
1. Common core was created by the states, not the federal government, and every state that is using common core has voted it in. If parents don't like it, they need to get involved politically to remove it. 

Analyzing Purpose

In my last post I stepped back from the debate to look at the bigger picture. For this post, I will go back to my argument and what I will actually say about my ideas and beliefs on common core. Here is a link to a brainstorming map I have created to break down my own argument.

Wesley Fryer. "Mapping Media to the Common Core with iPads." 12-2013 via Blog: Moving at the Speed of Creativity.
Public Domain. 

Analyzing Context

It is always important when looking at a controversy to also consider the perspectives and mindsets of those involved. The circumstances may change the way you look at the debate completely or provide a better understanding of the controversy itself. For this blog post, I will do exactly that by answering specific questions from "Writing Public Lives."

Joy Kosik. "Screenshot of Writing Public Lives Questions." 10-27-2015. 

1. Most perspectives agree on one thing: students need to learn throughout high school and it can be beneficial to go to college. The differences are how this happens. Some believe that standardized tests can be used to see how we are doing as a nation in education, while others believe that these tests cause undue stress and don't really help education at all. My debate is specifically about common core, so here the two views are to implement it or continue the traditional way. 
2. Those who want common core believe the new standards will help students learn deeper and more meaningful concepts. Those who believe the opposite, however, feel that common core is silly in that it is unnecessarily complicated and confusing. 
3. The common ground or belief that these groups share is the agreement on education needing to be made better, the questions is just how. 
4. There isn't really any differences in ideologies here, because both groups want the same basic goal: to help students. 
5. Common core is voted in to each state, so when a text makes a point or argument about it the next step is to pass on the information so that common core can be either voted in or kept out. These authors may want people to just spread the word, or they could suggest getting involved yourself by joining the debate, voting a certain way, or publishing your own views on the matter. 
6. People that believe common core will help students, or want significant change in education, will have texts that benefit my argument most. For example, Jessica Lahey from The Atlantic wrote an article called, "Confusing Math Homework? Don’t Blame the Common Core." This article would be a perfect counterargument to the opposing views, as it supports common core and directly discredits another argument. Another article that will be very useful is by Cindy Long, titled "Six Ways the Common Core is Good For Students." I chose this article because it provides nothing but good about common core, and provides good evidence throughout that I can also draw from.
7. The greatest threat will be articles about common core's failures. Of course, there will be some problems in a new system, however, my argument still stands that this is better than the old system. Most arguments against CCSS come from concerned parents, and these articles are usually emotionally charged. These are going to harm me the most. For example, Joy Pullman's "Top Ten Things Parents Hate About Common Core" article argues against common core by addressing many problems parents may face when dealing with common core at home.

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After reading Zayla and Austin's posts, I felt like we were all successfully going in the right direction with our projects. It's nice being able to choose what we argue and how. I like how Zayla was concise with her answers. I do think though that it is good to put a lot of detail in these drafting stages to make it easier when writing later. I think for my own post I should have been a little more detailed about the aspects of my argument.

Audience and Genre

For this post I am focusing on my audience for this next project. I have made a flowchart to keep track of the possibilities and some of the mediums various audiences would use. This will help me decide on a genre to use for the writing of this project.

Falling Fifth. "The Creative Process." 5-20-2007 via Fallingfifth.com.
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Extended Annotated Bibliography

Here is the start of my annotated bibliography for my next project. I have included some courses and descriptions to help me write later.

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Narrowing My Focus

In my last post I asked a bunch of questions about my controversy of choice. In this post, I will describe a couple of these questions and explain the importance behind them.

Jason Garber. "Deliberating." 7-14-2008 via Flickr.
Public Doman

Question 1:
How are studies on common core conducted and how are these credible?
I like this question because I think it is important to look at numerical evidence for my argument to be effective. I think this question is a good question to focus on during my research because it will help me find good sources.

Question 2:
What do other countries education systems look like in comparison to common core?
One of the biggest downsides of common core in America is that no one really knows how it will turn out. Comparing it to other countries can provide good context to the audience and more evidence to dispute this argument.

Questions About Controversy

In the post below, I will be asking various questions about a controversy I will write about. For this next project, I will be arguing how and why Common Core Standards are effective and a positive change to the education world.

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WHO:
What are the opinions of most teachers on common core?
Are students as invested in these changes as adults, or do most know very little?
Who created common core in the first place?

WHAT:
Is common core actually effective?
Will common core raise our education rankings internationally?
Is there something better than common core?

WHEN:
When did common core first get released?
When did the first state adopt common core?
When will we see the real world effects of common core?

WHERE:
What states have implemented common core?
What states have not implemented common core?
What do other countries education systems look like in comparison to common core?

HOW:
How are people reacting to common core on social media? Is this mostly negative or positive?
How do teachers respond to the controversy? What genre do they typically use?
How are studies on common core conducted and how are these credible?

Reflection on Project 2

I am very pleased with my final draft of my project 2 paper, linked in a blog post below. I thought I edited well and am happy with the structure I used to speak with my audience. In this post, I will conduct a formal reflection by answering some guiding questions, pictured below.

Joy Kosik. "Screenshot of Writing Public Lives Questions." 10-24-2015.  

1. In my final draft, I completely changed the intro and conclusion, and made minor additions or changes to sentences in the body paragraphs. One of the biggest changes was the way I addressed my audience specifically. I included an intro to them as well as a conclusion for them, and throughout the paper (which I used as an example) I commented tips and explanations of the essay itself. 
2. I made sure that my thesis referenced my arguments of the paper, and referenced the thesis throughout to keep my paper on topic. Most of the time I struggle with staying focus, so this forced my example paper to stay organized. The comments also allowed the example to look smooth and not be interrupted. 
3. I made these changes because of my audience. In my first draft, I had trouble addressing them and only wrote an example piece. I think by changing it to reflect my personal audience, it made the example more effective. 
4. These changes showed that I am willing to change formats to something that might be necessary but not normal for me. For example, I hate addressing the audience directly in an essay like that. For this piece though, I addressed the audience in my paper and in my example, something I've always had trouble with. 
5. These changes directly address the audience, so it made my paper way better in these terms. 
6. My intro and conclusion sound the most different to me in regards of my normal writing style. I tried to make them flow better and be more interesting, so I used sentence structures I used to shy away from and a style that is more confident than I usually write with. 
7. I think these changes makes my argument more clear to the reader, mostly because I was more dramatic in argument. 
8. In the essay, I wanted to write a piece that explained why Kessler was effective. I could have argued the opposite, so to me that makes this example essay almost persuasive. In this sense, it was easier for me to include effective evidence. That was how I thought of this genre while writing my example analysis. 
9. Reflecting lets me think about all the steps in my writing process, and I always learn new tricks while reflecting about writing. This essay was the first time I used some different styles and techniques compared to my old writing, so I learned how I liked those and how to use them in the future. 

Project 2 Final Draft

Here is a link to my final paper on writing a rhetorical strategy. I used the commenting feature in Google Docs to speak directly to my audience alongside my analysis paper. This way, I could give an uninterrupted example but also clarify parts of it to my specific audience.

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Punctuation, Part 2

As I did in an earlier post, I will be looking at different aspects of punctuation requirements and descriptions. Below I will describe three different types of punctuation.

Gopal Vijayaraghavan. "Unexpecto Apostrophum." Sep 6, 2007 via Flickr.
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1. The Apostrophe
Apostrophes are typically used when marking a possessive, like when someone or something owns or has an object, for example. They are also used in contractions, such as "don't." There are some exceptions to these basic rules, but most of the time this is the only time to use an apostrophe.

2. Quotation Marks
The basic rules for quotation marks are to use them on direct quotes, not paraphrase or summary. Otherwise, there are just different conventions for types of quotes when using quotation marks. For example, when quoting in a quote, use apostrophes to mark the inside quote. Also, there are different instances when using certain punctuation at the end of a quote. Most of the time, use a comma or whatever punctuation the quote ends with, and always inside the quote.

3. End Punctuation
Here, the main aspect is choosing between a period, a question mark, and an exclamation point to end sentences. Most of the time it should be a period, even when there is a questions within the statement. One of the other big things to take from this section is not to overuse the exclamation point, as it can be very easy to do and make the text not as effective.

Paragraph Analysis 2

In previous posts I edited or changed specific parts of my essay, and this time I went through each paragraph to see what needed to be changed. Below, I will discuss what I learned about my essay overall and how I think I could improve it. Here is a link to this paragraph analysis.

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I think my essay has good transitions throughout, that's something that I try to include because I used to be really bad at including transitions. Some of my paragraphs I feel are very strong, while others I feel like I'm grasping the point I'm trying to make but not quite getting to it. For those paragraphs I might want to do what I did in my intro/conclusion, and just go through sentence by sentence and rewrite. That would help solidify my ideas and I could include new strategies to my writing.

Revised Conclusion

Like my previous post, I will be rewriting a section of my essay, this time the conclusion. Both the old and the new versions can be seen below, as well as some of my thoughts on why the new version is better.

ClkerFreeVectorImages. "Work in Progress." 2012 via pixabay.
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I think the new version is better because I explain more so why the subject is important to the reader. I think this goes further into the subject and is more interesting to the reader. Again, the use of first person bothers me a little, but in a less formal audience I think it could work at making a more effective argument, especially since my new introduction includes this too.

Original:
By using strong language and writing with confidence, Kessler makes a convincing argument for his audience. Through Kessler’s word choice and tone it is obvious what point he is trying to prove, and he proves this point very well. It is easy to see that he has had higher education, as he writes with confidence and is straightforward with his points. After reading this article, it should be clear to the audience that education needs to change, although the solution to this change has not been fully agreed on, even a few years after Kessler’s article advocating for change was published.

New: 

By using strong language and writing with confidence Kessler makes a strong argument for changing education. And arguments like this are becoming more and more important each passing year. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, "in fall 2015, some 20.2 million students are expected to attend American colleges and universities, constituting an increase of about 4.9 million since fall 2000" (NCES). With each passing year, more kids are going to college and more students are in school than ever before. It's almost common knowledge that America is slipping in the educational ranks, which leads to the makers of curriculum trying out changes to make eduction better. This effects most people; it's not limited to the 20 million attending college in 2015. Those students will go on to shape the economy, the government, and the world we know today, and their education is a huge factor in the opportunities they will get to do that. This is why articles like Kessler's are so important. We need this conversation of change, because education is effecting almost everyone, if not all people in the U.S. 

Revised Introduction

To really start off the revising of my draft, I will completely rewrite my introduction. Below you can find the original as well as the revised versions, and I will also reflect on why I believe the revised version is better.

Wally Hartshorn. "Old Shoes, New Shoes." 2-17-2010 via Flickr.
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I like the second version better because I feel like it's more thought out and detailed. While writing it I felt like it sounded more confident, and I also managed to include an updated thesis. Starting it off with "you" makes me a little uncomfortable, but I think including the audience is a must to get them interested. The use of "you" was never okay in high school, so it's hard to break out of that stigma. I think rewriting the intro with the original right there was extremely useful. I was able to include the information I wanted but in a better thought out way.

Original Intro:
Today is similar to the past in that there are always mixed views on U.S. Education and how it should be setup. In Andy Kessler’s article, “Our 19th Century Curriculum,” published on October 8, 2012, he argues that education needs to change to reflect the future of careers. According to his biography from his website, Kessler was a graduate from Cornell University, and has published work for a variety of newspapers and magazines, such as Forbes and Wall Street Journal. Kessler’s background provides him the credibility to claim what he does. By using dramatic word choice and tone, and by providing concise details about the issue, Kessler has created an effective argument in that it makes the reader want to agree with the existence of the problem Kessler presented.

Revised Intro:
If you are a parent, a student, a teacher, or anyone interested in how education in America is set up, then you have probably heard about the old argument about radically reinventing the education system. In Andy Kessler’s article, “Our 19th Century Curriculum,” published on October 8, 2012, he argues that education needs to change to reflect the future of careers, something that was not seen as radical when education first started. But now, this undertaking would disrupt a lot in education, and many see change as too risky or problematic. However, Kessler argues that this change, whatever it may turn out to be, must happen. Kessler is someone who has grounds to argue this, because he graduated from Cornell University and has gone on to publish multiple books, and has written for many famous journals or papers. These include, but are not limited to, Forbes Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and New York Times. This amount of publication gives Kessler the credibility to comment on this subject, and it makes it easier for readers to believe him, or at least give his argument a chance. By also employing strong word choice with a variety of language, and a strong and confident tone, Kessler's article on changing education is effective at convincing his audience that the education system should be changed.

Reflection on Project 2 Draft

In the post below I will be reflecting on my draft as well as planning what I think I will need to specifically revise. To do this I will answer various questions from A Student's Guide to Writing.

When I peer reviewed, I looked at Gabee and Carrie's drafts.

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Thesis?
I have an identifiable thesis, but I think while writing my essay I talked about stuff that wasn't mentioned in the thesis. In order to fix that, I would need to broaden my thesis or condense my essay. Since I like most of the points I talked about, I may just add another sentence to my thesis to include more of my ideas in the essay.

Organization?
I think my essay is relatively well organized. I think I managed to keep on subject in each paragraph, but definitely reworking my thesis will help with overall organization. I think it will be hard to include an address to my own audience inside the essay, as that might be confusing and take away from the essay as a whole, unless I restructured the entire thing.

Rhetorical Situations?
Throughout the essay I talk about the author's credibility and his use of dramatic language, but I never directly say logos or ethos or pathos. I think that by directly using those words the essay would sound more formulaic, and I don't want the essay to be boring. I do talk about aspects of these situations, but I think to make the essay more effective at analyzing the article I need to go more in depth about the subject. I'll probably go throughout my essay and add more details about why the author's strategies worked.

Why these situations?
I chose to look at those situations because I thought they were strong in the article I read. If I'm going to talk about why the article was effective, I need to prove it by using his strongest points/strategies. In order to show these strategies I described the author himself, and then used quotes throughout as examples.

Evidence?
I think most of my evidence goes well with the point I am trying to make. I think that in some parts I may shorten the quote, or include another paraphrase of his work, to have a little more evidence to back up my claims.

Conclusion?
I think that parts of my conclusion are good, but it's like it just isn't there all the way yet. I need to work on the last sentence or two, and make sure that I leave on an open ended note about the subject, which is hard for me to do. I think to do this I might try it a few ways until I can hammer a solid final sentence into place.

Punctuation, Part 1

Punctuation can often be used in wrong ways without people knowing it. For the post below, I will be reading about punctuation and explaining a few things I learned about what I read.

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1. The Comma
 This section discussed when to use commas in various situations. For example, a comma should be used to separate lists, and in general to stop confusion while reading. I never quite knew if it was okay to omit a comma between the last two words in a list, and this section also cleared that up for me as well. (Most experts say to use that comma). I also learned not to use a comma before starting a list, as that might break up the sentence in an awkward sounding way.

2. The Semicolon
I have always struggled with knowing exactly when to use a semicolon, but this section discussed when and how to use one. One of the main things I learned was that a semicolon could be placed with a conjunction, if there are other punctuation in the first clause. This makes it sound more weighted while reading, making it easier on the reader. I also learned that to use a comma in place of a semicolon would most likely create a run on sentence, so now I know to watch out for that while writing.

3. The Colon
This section describes when to use colons, which should be lists, quotations, or summaries. It was a god refresher to read this one, especially since I didn't know all of it. One fact the book brought up was that a colon could be used to separate a quote, and it had never occurred to me to do that before. Some other rules included are: don't use a colon between a verb and its object, remember to use a colon in conventions, and make sure to place it after the independent clause in order to make sense.


Reflection: 
I peer reviewed Carrie and Gabee's drafts for project 2.

Carrie's paper made me think more about the use of commas. I noticed that some of her sentences were run ons, but when I reread those sentences I could still understand completely what she was trying to say. I think that makes it hard to realize you are writing a run on sentence, especially since our thoughts are a steam of words. Here's the excerpt from her draft:

"Parry’s recognition that proponents of the genetic engineering ban have a valid point in fearing the worst from people is necessary to show that she not only recognizes the other side’s claims but also respects the reasoning behind them."

While reading Gabee's draft, I didn't notice a lot of punctuation error. She may have made some short/choppy paragraphs, but overall her punctuation was good throughout. Here's an example of one of her longer sentences with commas:

"Because he projected his intellect, yet still made the article easy to understand, his audience was broadened and his message will be able to get across to a lot more people."

Draft of Rhetorical Analysis

Below is a link to my draft of a rhetorical essay. When reading it please keep an eye out for full analysis. I feel like when I am writing, I skip around or get distracted, making my analysis less than it should be. Also, please keep an eye out for organization. Like I said, I get distracted while working and like to jump around to different points, and I won't realize it.

Link here.

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Practicing Summary and Paraphrase

In the post below I will be practicing a summary and a paraphrase of a significant quote from Andy Kessler's article.

Original Source: 

"Fixing it means looking into the future, not the past. In addition to history and literature and basic communications skills needed for critical thinking, we ought to be teaching a curriculum that has some vague connection with the reality of what employers want today and over the next several decades" (Kessler 1).

Paraphrase: 

Andy Kessler argued in his article, "Our 19th Century Curriculum," that making education better is only possible by using curriculum that looks to the future instead of the past. He says that education needs to include what has always been taught, the basics, as well as focus on what many companies need in their workers today and in the future.

Summary: 

Fixing education means that we have to look to the future of jobs and what employers want, instead of teaching outdated curriculum.

Selena Wilke. "Two People Talking." 2-22-2010 via Wikipedia Commons.
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Project 2 Outline

For Project 2 I created an outline that I will use to construct my rhetorical essay. You can see that outline here.

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Reflection: 
After reading Aaron and Chad's outlines, I realized mine was a little longer. I also noticed that neither of them included a lot of text that they planned on using, but I'm glad that I did. I think it will make it easier when finishing my essay, because I'll have working text to use with what I am also creating for my analysis. 

Draft Thesis Statements

Developing a thesis statement can be hard to do, as they often are too long or don't make sense. In this post I will be drafting a few thesis' so that when I write my essay I have a solid, working thesis that I can use.

1. Kessler does not present his counterarguments, and may not address any solutions to his perceived problems, but this does not overly decrease the effectiveness of his article. By using dramatic word choice and tone, and by providing concise details about the issue, Kessler has created an effective argument in that it makes the reader want to agree with the existence of the problem Kessler presented.

2. In order to convince readers that there are problems in education that need to change, Kessler uses dramatic word choice and tone throughout his article. This connects him to his audience and presents the problem in a clear way, making his writing much more compelling.

3. Due to Kessler’s use of language and tone in his article, the problem he presents can very easily be seen and believed. Kessler convinces his audience by the way he sounds in his writing and the way he organizes and presents his information.

Out of the above statements, I think I like the last part of the first one. I don't think I will include the first sentence of that though, I may combine the part I like with the second statement. The second part of my first statement sounds really clear and straightforward to me, which would be effective in an analytical essay.  

Rennett Stowe. "Tapping a Pencil." 10-30-2008 via Flickr.
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Reflection: 
After reading Allison's post, I felt better about my practice thesis statements because I feel like we used a similar format, although I don't think I will include the author's information in my actual thesis, since I will have already introduced the author and their work. I also read Stef's post, and here I learned that I need to watch out for being clear in my thesis statements. I like the way she worded her, and I need to make sure the one I use is strongly worded.

Analyzing My Audience

There can be many different audiences for different types of writing. Below, I will be analyzing my audience, new students in my major, for this rhetorical essay.

Unsplash. "Audience, Crowd, People..." 5-17-2015 via Pixabay.
Public Domain. 

1. Who am I writing for? What are the audience's beliefs and assumptions?
1. I am writing for a new group of students in my major who need to know how to write rhetorical essays. They may believe that there are no issues to write about, or they may think that in this major they will never have to write an essay, since it is mostly math. 
2. What position might they take on this issue? How will I need to respond to this position?
1. Since they are just learning from me how to write an essay, there isn't much of an opposition that they can take. They may not agree with my style or a certain thing that I do in my writing, but otherwise my piece is simply an example to them .
3. What will they want to know?
1. They will want to know how to analyze other's work and write an essay on it. 
4. How might they react to my argument?
1. They may disagree with whether or not my author is credible/effective, but that will not take away from the example aspect of the essay. Most would probably use this as a resource to reference when writing their own analytical essays. 
5. How am I trying to relate or connect with my audience?
1. Since we are all in the same major, that is how we connect. I would hope to connect with them through my writing on a subject they are also interested in. 
6. Are there specific words, ideas, or modes of presentation that will help me relate to them in this way?
1. In education articles are very prevalent, as well as essays, so this format and example will fit right in with what they are wanting to do. 

Reflection:

After reading Chad and Austin's posts, I felt good about the answers I gave in mine. I think it was easy to respond to those questions because we were given a very specific audience. 

Cluster of "Our 19th Century Curriculum"

Below is a link to a Coggle, which breaks down the text in a visual way. I split it up based on rhetorical strategies, Kessler's message and who he is, and the cultural values surrounding the text.

Link here.

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Analyzing Rhetorical Strategies in Our 19th Century Curriculum"

I this post I will be analyzing the rhetorical strategies Kessler uses while writing his article and how effective they are.

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Logos:
Throughout the text Kessler only links one thing, an example, but when I researched him more I found him very credible. He has written multiple books, and has written for many high end news sources, such as New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and Forbes Magazine. His experience here, as well as the fact that he graduated from Cornell University, makes me feel like he is very credible. Kessler also uses strong and confident word choice, paired with an authoritative tone that makes him sound like he knows exactly what he is talking about and could not be wrong. I never felt like it was condescending, I feel like Kessler wrote his strong ideas well enough with examples and rhetorical questions that it did not feel like he was talking down to his readers.

However, Kessler did not provide counterarguments to his ideas. This he ignored almost entirely, and that could take away credibility from him. However, I still feel that his original argument was strong.

Kessler used these strategies to make bold statements that would (hopefully) convince readers of his opinion. In the beginning of his article, Kessler stated, "despite the 3.8 million job openings...A whopping 1.5 million recent graduates just aren’t qualified for outstanding jobs—not a ringing endorsement of higher education." These numbers are shocking, and by using this Kessler has made the matter important to many more people.

Kessler wrote in a way that was easy to follow, and because of his tone and word choice I felt he was very knowledgable. This made me feel as though he was credible, with definitely increased the effectiveness of his argument. Kessler has written and done many things throughout his life, but his bias may come from his own higher education. However, this does not effect his credibility, as it would be a personal experience (at Cornell nonetheless) that would give him more credence to comment on education.


Pathos:
Kessler does not employ as much pathos in his article, he mainly sticks to facts or ideas he has about the curriculum. However, he does use some language that is not formal, and this humorous language gives more life to the text. For example, at one point Kessler wrote, "they are indoctrinated by economics textbooks that start out with some gobbledygook." This word is just one example of how Kessler uses funny language to connect more with readers and paint a better picture of what he believes is going on inside classrooms (the example above his from an economics class).

Kessler wants his readers to feel shocked at first, as he starts out with those statistic on college graduates, but afterwards he wants readers to realize what he is saying. It's like he wants people to start agreeing with him as he starts writing, and by the end be just as enthusiastic as he is himself.

I already know a bit about this general subject, and the beginning hook did not surprise me as it may have a reader a few years ago. I did, however, agree with Kessler as he explained and continue to agree throughout the text. Kessler provides a good, organized article that explains his points well.

Since Kessler's audience can be anyone effected by education, either directly or indirectly, these types of feelings are good. It catches more peoples' attention and then keeps it throughout the text.

These emotional appeals did not take away from the credibility for me. Even though Kessler says, "geeky backwater" when describing advancing technologies in education that are (were) almost unheard of, this makes him seem more like a real person. I know that he has credibility from his past experiences, and this language just makes it easier to connect with someone most people would think of as a scholar.

Ethos: 
Kessler organizes his article in an easy to follow way, and even though there are two pages I did not feel overwhelmed at the size while reading it. He also employs some statistics and facts, such as when he says, "over half of college graduates with bachelor degrees under the age of 25 don’t have jobs or are underemployed." He only presents these hard numbers in the beginning of his article, as the rest he breaks down with his own ideas in specific areas, like computer science and economics.

By using these strategies in the beginning, Kessler is trying to shock readers, and this way get them to keep reading. These statistics could also be a way to give readers more background info before he explains why education needs to change so fundamentally.

When reading, I felt very similar to this. The numbers made me pay attention (as a college student myself) and opened the gates to the rest of his ideas and why they made sense.

For this audience, these strategies are effective. Most people know little about the topic, and the information (shocking as it is) gives people the knowledge necessary to understand where Kessler is coming from in the rest of the article.


Reflection: 
After reading Lia and Zayla's posts, I mainly learned that I have to be careful about the author's bias and seeing if he has one. Lia's post was about use of water, and the scientist that wrote it seems very passionate. It made me realize that I may agree with the author and completely miss his own bias, so I will need to watch for that.

Analyzing Message in "Our 19th Century Curriculum"

In this post I will be looking closer at Kessler's main message in his article, "Our 19th Century Curriculum."

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It seems like Kessler's main goals are to express his own opinion on education as well as inform others about the topic and persuade readers. He starts by explaining what's happening in education, and says, "after paying average private college tuition and room and board ...over half of college graduates with bachelor degrees under the age of 25 don’t have jobs or are underemployed." In this statement, Kessler attracts attention with the aspect of paying lots of money for college, something many can relate to, and then uses a fact to inform the reader. These facts and ideas that Kessler presents are all expressing his opinion in an attempt to convince his audience that change in education is absolutely necessary.

The point in "A Student's Guide to Writing" that does not seem to apply at all is the one about responding to a specific event. Nothing really serious or motivating happened in education. The entire process of people realizing change was needed happened over a long period of time, because these new high end jobs did not just appear out of thin air. The career world has been slower to changer than any one specific event could happen, so this article is expressing ideas, but not responding to something that happened.

Kessler advocates for one major thing: change. He does not really address anything else in his article, he just goes into more detail about why we need change in specific career areas in school. So, in this sense, there is not any other layered messages, especially since he does not provide any concrete solution to this apparent problem.

Analyzing My Own Assumptions

Similar to the previous post, below I will be analyzing cultural assumptions that I have about the text by answering questions from Writing Public Lives. 

Kosik, Joy. Screenshot of Questions from Writing Public Lives. 10-3-2015. 

1. I agree with most of what Kessler talked about in his article, "Our 19th Century Curriculum." I believe that education does need to change, as he does, and mainly support Common Core as a result. I think these values have endured because changing education is a slow process, and so the need for change has not really been met fully until now, when this new curriculum is being adopted in many states. 
2. I don't agree with Kessler in regards to college as it is now. Yes, it may be failing for some students who re unemployed after they graduate, but Kessler makes it sound like college is useless as a whole until all of education changes. I think higher education is important, especially if someone's goal is to advance in a career. 
3. Kessler's article is only three years old, so many of the cultural aspects in this topic are the same. I would say that a major difference is the attention changing education is getting, because now it is actually happening while back then people were mostly just talking about change. Today, there is a lot of controversy in this field about changing education curriculum, most of which is about Common Core. This debate over change was present in 2012 as well, when Kessler's article was released, but Common Core has gained a lot more attention since then, so the topic is more widely discussed. 
4. The only aspects that have changed over the past few years are the amount of people who are interested in changing (or not changing) education. Some of the ideas about making changes developed into Common Core, and those who oppose now have something specific to fight. 

I have a really strong opinion on this topic, which would be hard to ignore while analyzing a text if that text supported what I don't believe. I think I got lucky in that Kessler's argument I mostly agree with, and I think that my bias may give me an easier time of readig the article multiple times and breaking it down in different areas. 

Reflection: 

After reading Gabee and Jon's posts, I felt more validated in picking an article with my view points. I think it will also help to have something pretty specific, in that it led to a specific event (Common Core). This only thing I need to remember is that while writing about my actual analysis I need to put my bias aside. If Kessler did something bad in his writing or something is wrong, I can't let my own bias get in the way of including that. 

Analyzing My Texts Cultural Setting

The text I used in my last post, "Our 19th Century Curriculum," is the same I will be using below. For this post, I will be analyzing the cultural norms of this topic ad how the text relates to them by answering the three questions from Writing Public Lives.

Kosik, Joy. Screenshot of Writing Public Lives Questions. 10-3-2015.

1. Most people don't expect a lot of change from education because it has been so long since anything has changed. That's why Kessler opens his article by talking about something most people are worried about paying for: college. This grabs peoples' attention because directly afterwards, he says that going to college is practically useless since most students still will not be prepared to join the careers that are hiring. This is huge for a lot of people, and immediately gets them interested in change in education. Another norm for the culture Kessler is referencing seems to be going to school in the first place, as he assumes his audience are those either in or paying for kids to go to a university or some form of higher education. 
2. This text indirectly addresses these norms. Kessler talks about the price of college and goes on to suggest what may happen, and providing this scenario does address the norms, although not directly. 
3. This text is one of the many opinions on education, and more specifically, changes in education. Kessler supports change, and even goes into detail about each most popular major (with businesses) and how schooling could change to support these majors in college. Kessler wrote this article to try and convince more people that changing education is beneficial to all students going into careers after school. He hopes that in this way, education will be changed. 

Cultural Analysis of "Our 19th Century Curriculum"

In the post below, I will be looking at the article by Andy Kessler, "Our 19th Century Curriculum" and analyzing it through a cultural lens.

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Kessler writes about how the American educational system was set up to give students the best chances at getting jobs, but now jobs have changed requirements, and our schools aren't meeting them. He uses words like, "future, change, and curriculum" to help his argument.

Kessler's main message is that jobs changed, so education needs to change too. We can't expect jobs to be filled, because many students are simply not prepared for them like they used to be. American education will only get better, Kessler argues, if creators of curriculum look to the future of the world, not the past.

Kessler uses those main words to connect his audience to what he is talking about and give more emphasis to what he is saying. Kessler stated in his article, "Fixing it means looking into the future, not the past. In addition to history and literature and basic communications skills needed for
critical thinking, we ought to be teaching a curriculum that has some vague connection with the reality of what employers want today and over the next several decades."