New GTA session at CTE It’s not what’s poured into a student that counts, but what is planted.--Linda Conway
Teach for Understanding (and Eliminate Cheating Concerns as Well):
Use time up front--or, the best defense again plagiarism is early
intervention.
When a teacher looks at proposals or drafts, it’s harder for
students to copy work.
Having a look at an early stage also helps head off flawed projects.
Early feedback provides teachable moments.
Doing a paper in steps helps avoid the night-before overload--and
its temptation to plagiarize.
You’ll save time on grading as you’ve already give comments
on drafts.
Reduce the pressure.
Provide a number of opportunities throughout the semester for students
to demonstrate their learning. If their course grade hangs on one
or two items, they will be more likely to "panic plagiarize."
Keep students informed about their progress.
Make reasonable demands.
Write reasonable and interesting tests.
Students frustrated with assignments that are too long or tests that
have trivial or tricky questions may cheat out of desperation
or anger.
Build a trusting relationship.
Students who feel that they are treated as individuals are less likely
to break that trust than those who feel alienated or anonymous.
Why not believe their excuses for absences? If you have an absence limit,
let that do its work instead of policing every explanation.
During a Test:
If a student has wandering eyes, whisper that you’d prefer he or she move to a less-crowded area.
Stay in the room all the time, and walk around it as well.
Stay alert to the classroom, not totally lost in a book or your own projects.
Seat students randomly in alternate seats or with alternate tests.
Consider having all student personal items—book bags, coats, cell phones—placed beside you during the test. You’ll need to take responsibility for them if you do so.
Using blue books? Have students turn them in early, then randomly pass them out for the test. No one can make surreptitious notes ahead if you do this.
Adapted from Davis, B.G. Tools for Teaching. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass,
1993.
McKeachie, W.J. Teaching Tips. 10th ed. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1999.
Walvoord, B.E., and V.J. Anderson. Effective Grading. San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 1998.
