Learning and Grading Philosophy Developing a Critical Understanding of Labor Economics Ziad and Peter’s Approach Pic: student-satisfaction/252725/

Thesis: A Critical Understanding Is the Highest Form of Understanding Labor Economics Learning rises from an ability to replicate an argument to being able to extend it or compare and contrast it to other arguments and finally to an ability to critically evaluate that argument. The best way to test a critical understanding is through essays, papers and class presentations. A critical understanding allows you to know the worth of what you have learned, to go beyond what you have been taught and to become a creative participant in labor economic analysis.

The Pyramid of Learning Criticize, Evaluate, Conclude Compare & Contrast Extend Replicate A Range B Range C Range

Replicate Accurately replicate a theory or argument (You cannot disagree with something you do not fairly understand) Summarize Summarize without distorting It is easy to repeat: it is hard to boil down fairly Essence Say it more clearly than the authors themselves A really good understanding can catch the essence of an argument

Compare, Contrast, Extend Compare Usually an argument grows out of or presents an alternative to another argument or theory. Comparing what the two theories say provides for a third perspective: yours. Contrast Contrasting two arguments requires a critical understanding of what is missing in each argument but present in the other. Here you must understand how the two arguments match up and do not match up. Extend If you can fairly extend an argument to a new circumstance or apply it to a new area, then you have a deeper understanding of that argument. Extending can also show a critical understanding if in the new area weaknesses in the argument appear that were not apparent to the original authors.

Criticize, Evaluate, Conclude Criticize An argument can be criticize for its logical faults, its weaknesses relative to other arguments, its inability to explain additional phenomena or theoretical issues. Evaluate An argument can be evaluated compared to other arguments and/or the need to understand the topic Conclude What does it all mean? How does it all tie together—the argument, its alternatives, its extensions, its critical weaknesses and strengths. Here you give the essence of your insights to the issue at hand.

Best Testing Methods for Critical Understand Objective In class essays Take home essays In class presentations Term papers The Role of Multiple Choice Quizzes – Helps with replication – Gives you a quick idea of where you are on step 1 Pic: ory/test-prep ory/test-prep

Essay & Paper Writing Tips An expository essay is an argument called a thesis. This thesis is made up of subordinate arguments. Depending on length, each subordinate argument will have its own arguments. The thesis, each argument and each subordinate argument can each be stated in a single, simple, declarative sentence. Avoid compound sentences when stating an argument.

Example of a Thesis and Its Arguments My teacher sucks! (the thesis) – He is disorganized (an argument) – His lectures are confusing (an argument) – He does not care for his students (an argument) – He grades unfairly (an argument) – There are many teachers better than him (an argument) Conclusion: Because he is disorganized, unclear, uncaring and unfair, and worse than others, my teacher sucks!

The Accordion Essay: 1 Each of the arguments in the last slide can have subordinate arguments Example: He is disorganized. – He does not cover the reading material assigned in the lecture either right before or after the assignment. – He gives tests before the material in the test has been covered. – He is always talking about stuff unrelated to the course.

The Accordion Essay: 2 Each subordinate arguments in the last slide can have its own subordinate arguments Example: He does not cover the reading material assigned in the lecture either right before or after the assignment. – The text discusses labor demand first and only several chapters later does the text discuss labor supply – My teacher lectured on labor supply while I was assigned to read about labor demand. – When I ask questions about labor demand, he seems confused like he did not know that was the reading assignment.

The Accordion Essay: 3 Depending on the length of the essay, arguments can be broken down again and again into their components—like stretching an accordion. Each declarative sentence should be the topic sentence of a section of the essay—a paragraph, a section, a chapter. Each paragraph is devoted to providing the evidence to support the topic sentence of that paragraph. The end of each paragraph contains a concluding or transitional sentence that connects to the sentence in the next paragraph – Each section has an introductory and concluding paragraph playing the role for the section that the topic sentence and transition sentence play for the paragraph. The introduction of an essay is a paragraph that states the topic, all the main arguments of the essay and why this is an important issue. The conclusion of an essay is a paragraph that summarizes all the main arguments, key or telling evidence and states why this is an important issue and what can be done about it.

Class Presentation Class presentations and powerpoints should follow the same basic rules of an essay. In this presentation Ziad and Peter showed you how to write an expository essay by organizing through your set of arguments leading to proving your thesis.

Conclusion We argued that a critical understanding required accurate replication of an argument, an ability to compare, contrast and extend that argument and standing on these accomplishments developing a critical evaluation of that argument. We argued that essays and class presentations are the best way to demonstrate a critical understanding. We said that an expository essay demonstrates the validity of a thesis supported by argument and evidence. If our thesis was that my teacher sucked, and I proved that, then my conclusion would be “Get me outta here!”