Alternative Research Path

          The topic that I originally chose for my research paper was whether or not standardized testing could accurately and effectively measure student intellect and competency. If I hadn't settled on that topic, however, I probably would have chosen a topic along the lines of the decriminalization of marijuana. The main reason I would have chosen this topic is because, although marijuana is quickly becoming more acceptable in many areas of the United States, I truly believe that it is still misunderstood by a vast majority of the population. Rather than just sound like a typical stoner, vying for support because I think weed is cool, I would have wanted to flush out the specific instances where marijuana has provided the necessary support for individuals struggling with both mental and physical ailments as well as delve into the reasons why it is still vastly taboo in many political debates.

          If I were to decide on using this as my topic, one article I would use as a source would be the Washington Post article explaining that for the first time, a majority of the population is in favor of the legalization of marijuana. It would be effective in my paper because it would showcase how the majority of individuals feel about marijuana and how the perception of the substance as a criminal thing has dramatically shifted over the years. The main reason I did not choose this issue as my topic is because I feel as if it is a bit overdone and cliché. It is such a hot topic currently, especially being in Colorado, that I feel it would be a more effective use of my time to highlight the errors and inaccuracy in standardized testing, which applies to a vastly larger portion of the population, namely every single student in public schools.

Editorial Effectiveness

          With any controversial topic, it is usually imperative to include some sort of editorial content in a research paper in order to establish your own point of view on the issue. While remaining unbiased and objective, an author should use thesis statements and other aspects of opinionated writing to express his stance on the argument that he is either supporting or denying. Editorials are different from other articles because rather than just handing out the facts about a certain event, the author gives his own personal feedback and opinion on the topic. In editorials, it is necessary for the author to contribute his own views.
          As for my topic on the inaccuracy and ineffectiveness of standardized testing on measuring student intellect and competency, an editorial might be important to show how the general public feels about the vast overuse of standardized testing in the United States. Allowing a student to publish an editorial on standardized testing in a local newspaper would allow him to express how he, and most likely his peers, are affected by testing regiments and how they personally feel about it. Teachers could write about their opinions on how standardized testing is affecting the quality of classroom settings and it would allow individuals, such as teachers and administrators to have an insight into what it is like for teachers struggling to maintain an introspective learning environment while still having to teach to the test. In the editorial written by the editors of "Rethinking Schools," the sordid history of standardized testing is examined and criticized as well as the statements of several high ranking individuals who have spoken out about standardized testing. The editors of this column effectively evaluate outside sources while skillfully interjecting their own opinions to create a very successful editorial.

Developing a Working Thesis

          The thesis statement in any research paper is the most important part of grabbing an audience’s attention and displaying what the author will be discussing for the length of his paper. It is imperative for an author to develop a well-thought and effective thesis statement in order to start off his paper powerfully. If done well, the thesis statement will tell the reader the main point of the essay, the author’s assertion, and why the essay is worth reading. One way to develop and effective thesis statement is through a working thesis statement. A working thesis statement takes the author’s main claim and then supports it through several specific reasons. This helps the author plainly lay out what he needs to cover in his paper and can help organizationally.
          In my essay about standardized testing in the United States, I could argue two different ways. I could either emphasize the effects of too much standardized testing in public schools or I could focus on the structure of the tests themselves and how they fail as accurate testing applications. The first working thesis that I could develop would look like this:

          Public schools in the United States should reduce the amount of standardized tests that are administered annually because they cause students to experience frequent, extreme pressure and anxiety; because school funding and grants could be based off of the test results; because ups and downs in test results that are attributed to natural learning curves will be nullified; because teachers will focus less on teaching valuable information in the classroom and focus more on teaching to the test, and because frequent standardized testing will eliminate the opportunity for creativity in school by teaching conformity and “standard” knowledge.

         
           Next, I could focus on the construction of standardized tests and state:

          Standardized tests fail to provide an accurate portrayal of student intelligence and competence because they contain vague questions with confusing language; because they focus largely on information that is gleaned outside of classroom learning; because they are biased against minority, low-income, and special needs children; because they do not reflect any real-world problem-solving situations, and because they fail to assess the broad spectrum of student traits, such as creativity, compassion, and perseverance.

          Both thesis statements will lead into very different papers and by laying out all of the support for my claim in a working thesis, I can decide which thesis I will be able to more effectively develop.

Visual Arguments

Reading through pages and pages of nothing but text can often be a struggle for some audiences. It can also be quite boring and dull. A great way to break out of this text bound routine is through the incorporation of charts, graphs, breakout boxes and images in your research papers. Using visual arguments can be an extremely useful way to address ideas that may be too extensive to explain in text or just simply to add variety to your paper. There are many things to keep in mind when determining the effectiveness of a visual argument in your paper including the type of visual argument, whether it be a graph, chart, or image, as well as the use of space, color, and text. Most importantly, it is imperative to know how your visual argument will play to your audience and have a powerful effect.

In my specific research paper, my topic delves into the analysis of whether or not standardized testing is an effective measure of student ability and intelligence. If I were to integrate a chart or graphic into my paper, I might include something like this:

  This chart illustrates the importance that that teachers hold to standardized testing compared to other aspects of classroom assessment, such as ongoing assessments, and class participation. This graph is useful to me because it quickly and visually lays out vital information that would have otherwise been pretty complicated to type out in text format.

For more examples on how to include graphs, charts, and images into your research argument, USA Today is a great website to investigate. In an article titled, John Calipari as a Player, the author effectively uses groups of images epitomizing Calipari’s basketball career to break up her lengthy article and accentuate the idea of him as a successful player. Knowing how and when to use visual arguments to best express your ideas is a vital knowledge when writing successful pieces of research.

The Research Paper Blues

Research papers are an inevitable part of life. Everyone who even attempts to stroll the streets of American Education knows that at some point, they will have to complete that 10 page argumentative essay that they are dreading. Picturing yourself crouched over the computer at 1 am, drudgingly tapping at your keyboard, and losing motivation can be quite the daunting image. However, with the beautiful invention we call the internet, at least you’re not crouched over a pile of books, right? There is an infinitely vast amount of information just craving to be discovered, at the tip of our fingertips, but it can often be hard to find accurate and reliable sources of information that you can actually use for your academic papers. Throughout my educational journey, my biggest problem has always been trying to find good, useful information and the website that I can heavily attribute my success to is Google Scholar.

I know, I know, it’s not really a website, it’s a search engine. But after spending some time searching with it, you will come to realize its helpfulness. It is imperative to find reliable sources of information when doing research of any type and Google Scholar is an incredibly good channel to hunt through because all of its search results come from scholarly articles and journals. Scholarly articles are a really great way to find dependable information relating to your topic and provide you with good material for direct quotes. A lot of sites that you would normally go to for research are a compilation of many individual’s ideas, but scholarly articles give you a solid, single author to quote and discuss. The Google Scholar search engine has a lot of features that can help narrow down your search results as well. On the homepage, you have the option to search through not only articles, but also patents and case law. Under case law, there is yet another option to choose between federal cases, state cases, or a plethora of other case options. Just like with any other search engine, Google Scholar will potentially surface with a million results pertaining to your topic, but not necessarily relevant to your paper. After your search, on the left hand side, there are even more options to narrow your results by the years they were published, or more specifically, sorted by date. This website will be helpful in class and in research because since all of its search results are published scholarly articles, the information you find will be reliable and easily utilized for essays. So, next time you become anxious at the thought of sifting through unreliable sources while trying to write a sound paper, just remember that Google Scholar is there with access to all the scholarly articles and case laws that your heart could desire.

The Onion

                The vast quantity of information that is accessible to the general public via the internet is astounding. Even more astounding is the fact that anyone, anywhere in the developed world has the ability to hop on a computer, connect to the internet and post whatever they please. Blogging can be a great outlet for any individual seeking to voice their, opinion, wisdom, and experiences with the world, and as informative and knowledgeable as many blogs can be, there are also a large number that brilliantly satire and parody the news and world around us.

                Scrolling through Facebook on an average day, one might witness several articles pop up that blatantly headline some seemingly outlandish claim. The sheer irrationality of the claim then prompts you to follow the link, and low and behold, it’s just The Onion. The Onion is a blog full of ridiculousness. It’s stocked full of brazenly false and exaggerated articles, which provide for hours of wonderful, parodic fun. While this blog generally aims at entertaining its audience, it also provides a lot of awareness and promotion for current issues. After being lured in by controversial headlines, The Onion can actually make some good points through well-devised satire in many areas, such as politics, popular sports, and science/technology. The only thing I don’t enjoy about this website is the individuals that don’t understand it. There are far too many people in the world that read too literally into websites like The Onion and don’t realize that the actual articles are usually a joke. In a world full of serious news, some well thought, humorous satire helps everyone escape while still being informed.