TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN PROCESS: TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS Weston Fellows Towson University

TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Abstract This paper is made up of two sections and discusses the instructional design process applied in a ninth grade classroom on the topic of MLA in text citations and Works Cited. It begins with a front end analysis incorporating a needs analysis, learning context analysis and learner analysis; it moves on to discuss the progression of problems in the lesson followed by a description of the end problem; section one wraps up with a look at the learning standards addressed. Section two closely examines a fully implemented lesson plan of one of the problems of progression and contains component/knowledge analysis, instructional strategies, and Learner Evaluation Plan. The paper concludes with a Formative and Summative Evaluation Plan. Key works: MLA guidelines, instructional design process,

TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

TITLE Many important topics are covered in High School English class; however, none are more integral to a young students education than a study of the research process. This paper will examine the instructional process behind teaching two classes of Ninth Grade Gifted and Talented English students in rural Baltimore County the importance, and proper MLA format, of in text citations and a Works Cited list in the research process. The end goal of this paper is that: Students will be able to successfully incorporate properly formatted MLA style in text citations and Works Cited page in a draft of a research paper. Section 1 Front End Analysis Needs Analysis. The first step in the instructional design process that was implemented was a needs analysis. The needs analysis utilized for this project was the Rossett needs analysis. Rossett (1995) (as cited in Brown and Green, 2011, p. 48) has a five-step process for conducting a needs analysis. 1. Determine Purposes Based on Initiators 2. Identify Sources 3. Select Tools 4. Conduct the Needs Assessment in Stages 5. Use Finding for Decision-Making A more informal version of the Rossett process was implemented in the design of the research conducted for this paper. The Rossett process was used for its simplistic nature and ability to be adapted to a variety of situations. The main reason for the informal initiation of the process is because the author of the paper determined the purposes, sources, and tools (Steps One, Two, and Three respectively) through previously teaching experiences. This author knows from previous experiences that the purpose that needs to be

TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

addressed is that students often have difficulty with in text citations. The second step was easy as the classroom teacher is the source of information, the tools (Step Three) were mostly informal observation and previous experiences. Step Four was also informal and involved previous years collection of data in the forms of research papers submitted by students. The fifth and final step falls into place with determining the progression of instructional design. Learning Context Analysis. A learning context analysis is the next step of a front end analysis, the Jonassen, Hannum, and Tessmer (1998), (as cited in Brown and Green, 2011, p. 59) describe a task analysis as a five step process: 1. Inventorying Tasks Identifying tasks that need to be developed for instruction 2. Describing Tasks The process of elaborating the tasks indentified in the inventory 3. Selecting Tasks Prioritizing tasks and choosing those that are more feasible and appropriate if there is a large quantity of tasks 4. Sequencing Tasks and Task Components Defining the sequence in which instruction should occur in order to successfully facilitate learning 5. Analyzing Tasks and Content Level Describing the type of cognitive behavior, physical

performance, or affective response required by the tasks. This learning context analysis was used for this paper mainly for the third and fourth tasks: selecting and sequencing of tasks. These two steps are of particular importance when attempting to determine which tasks are to be implemented in the design process. Students have difficulties with so many aspects of the research documentation process that prioritizing and sequencing of tasks can prove to be challenging. The first step was simple enough: students need to record their sources, cite sources using proper MLA rules, and create a works cited. The second step simply elaborates on these tasks. Students need to create source cards as they are conducting research in order to properly record their sources, they need to

TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

follow proper MLA in text citation rules and apply them to their paper, in order to accomplish this they must know what they are, and finally students need to create a Works Cited page with all of their sources. The fourth step was perhaps the most important in the implementation of this instructional design sequence because it is, in fact, the crux behind a successful plan. The sequence of the instruction matter, for example, students need to know the proper format for a bibliography entry when they are conducting research in order to have the proper documentation for a source. If they do not have this than it is possible students wont have the correct information at their disposal when they go to complete their citationsadly, an altogether too common occurrence. Learner Analysis. Learner analysis is the third and final step of the front end analysis conducted. This is an important step because it helps the instructional designer in determining how to tailor instruction to the students. The Smaldino, Lowther, and Russell (2008), (as cited in Brown and Green, 2011, p. 78) leaner analysis should focus on three aspects of the learners: general characteristics, specific entry competencies, and learning styles. The general characteristics of the learners for this instructional design process are easily gathered since the instructional designer is also the classroom teacher for these students. The learners are sixteen ninth grade GT students at a rural Baltimore County school. They are between thirteen and fourteen years of age, white, fourteen females, two males, and all have had minimal exposure to the research process. All students attended the same middle school, are middle class socio-economic status, proficient in use of computers, and know that it is necessary to give credit for a source. Learning style is the final step for the learner analysis. The process for completing this was fairly straightforward. The instructor gave students a learning styles survey from Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, and Julie C. Chi. The results of the survey showed that nine students were predominately

TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

visual, four tactile/kinesthetic, with the remaining three auditory. Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, and Julie C. Chi noted that visual learners do best with charts, books, videos, etc; auditory learners do best with discussions, lectures, and tapes, while tactile/kinesthetic learners do best with games, model building, and experiments. (Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, and Julie C. Chi, Pg 6) The second piece of useful information gleaned from the learning style survey is how students receive information; Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, and Julie C. Chi differentiate between particular and global reception; If you have a more global style preference, you enjoy getting the gist or main idea and are comfortable communicating even if you dont know all the words or concepts. If you are more particular in preference, you focus more on details and remember specific information about a topic well (Andrew D. Cohen, Rebecca L. Oxford, and Julie C. Chi, Pg 7). Four of the students surveyed were particular while the other ten claimed to be global learners. This is important because it enables to instructional designer to make decisions on how students best learn. Progression of Problems The progression of problems is broken down into five sections, each section contains a set of skills and knowledge students need. The first step in the progression is: Students will understand the importance of documenting sources. For this step students need to be able to identify the perils of not documenting, this includes a study of plagiarism and the pitfalls of plagiarism. Students will need to be able to determine what happens to people who do not properly document at various levels. The second step of the progression is: Students will be able to identify proper MLA works cited format. For this section students will need to have specific knowledge of what MLA Works Cited pages are supposed to look like. Students will also need to be able to properly format a Works Cited page. The components of this are that they need to know the Works Cited page needs to be in alphabetical order, double spaced, indented after the first line, and sources in proper MLA format. The third step in the progression is that: Students will be able to identify MLA in text citation format. This step is, in the experience of this author, the one where students historically have the most difficulty.

TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Students seem to have a difficult time grasping the necessity of citing specific ideas and quotes from particular authors. Students need to know that after every quote, paraphrase, and summary it is necessary to place the authors last name and page number of where the information was found in parenthesis. Students also need to know that if the author is introduced prior to the quote that only a page number is necessary in the parenthesis because the author has been previously named. The fourth step: Students will be able to edit a short paper and correct for MLA in text citation and works cited format. This step in the progression ties in the previous two steps and forces the student to apply their prior knowledge. Students need to know that if a work is in the Works Cited it needs to be used in the paper and if there is an in text citation for a work it needs to be in the Works Cited. For this step students also need to be able to differentiate between quotes, paraphrases, summaries, and original ideas; this skill is necessary so that they can tell if the author is properly documenting his or her sources. End Problem. The fifth and final step, or end problem: Students will be able to successfully incorporate proper MLA in text citations and Works Cited Page in their rough draft. In this section students will use all of the previous steps. They will need to cite quotes, summaries, and paraphrases using MLA formatted in text citations: authors name, page number in parenthesis. They will need to show they can introduce a quote using the authors name, use the quote and follow up with a page number, if no page number is found (web sources) it is not necessary to include one. Students also need to apply knowledge about MLA Works Cited format: alphabetical order, double spaced between entries, intent after first line, and to include entries for all works cited in the text. If students can successfully meet all of the criteria they will have successfully met the performance criteria. Standards

TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

TEACHING MLA FORMAT TO YOUNG HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

References Angeli, E., Wagner, J., Lawrick, E., Moore, K., Anderson, M., Soderland, L., & Brizee, A. (2010, May 5). General format. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/ Cohen, D., Andrew , Oxford, L., Rebecca, and Chi, C., Julie. Learning Style Survey*:Assessing Your Own Learning Styles. Retrieved from http://www.carla.umn.edu/about/profiles/CohenPapers/LearningStyles Survey.pdf