I found it ethically difficult to cut and paste from other people’s works and pass them off as my own, however; it was very easy to cut and paste from the internet. I completed this assignment in less than 30 minutes and did not really have to think too much about it. My safe assign score was an 84%, so it was very close to the 90% I plagiarized. All I did was add 90 words to my 1,000 word essay. I pulled my content from four sources and just cut and pasted their content.
I believe students do not share the same ethical dilemma that I did, in fact they seldom care if the answers they give are even correct. I teach high school mathematics and I have seen a lot of different types of cheating. Perhaps the worst case I ever saw was when over half the class wrote on their papers that 11 * 7 = 4. They didn’t even stop to think about the sentence they wrote down, nor did they care if it was correct. When I approached the students about their apparent cheating, they did not even seem bothered by their indiscretion. I find it troubling to say the least that students are so apathetic to cheating. Of course, I can put some safe guards in place to catch students in the act of cheating, but this does not address the fact that they find it acceptable to copy work from other students. I have tried to address the issue from a different approach. I discuss with my students why taking something without permission is wrong. I give them all candy and have three to four students walk around the room taking everyone else’s candy without asking for permission to take their candy. The students become very hostile. They do not like having their candy taken without their approval, I correlate this scenario to someone stealing another person’s work. This usually sends the message home. We then talk about ways to make sure our work is our own. I try to establish a classroom environment that centers on learning, not answers. I have found that if we focus on learning, then students are more receptive to helping each other learn how to arrive at a solution. In my class it is not enough to provide an answer; you must also be able to explain your reasoning.
Even though I focus my instruction on learning, I still see cheating. Students have a wealth of knowledge right at their fingertips and find it easy to cut and paste. I didn’t realize how easy it was to cheat until completing this assignment. I believe it is our job to find a way to encourage students to not just cut and paste; we have to make them think for themselves and give credit when credit is due. The idea of documenting someone else’s ideas and works must be made to “stick” in their brains (Inspired by: “Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die” by Chip Heath (Author) and Dan Heath (Author).)
It is interesting to see student cheating from the perspective of a math teacher. Because I work with students at computers everyday, I see cutting and pasting on a daily basis. But, in all actuality, cheating on math is more the ‘old fashioned’ way of ripping off a neighbor. I thought it would still give the cheater a moral pang of guilt to cheat in such a way. When a student cuts and pastes on a computer, in their minds, they are stealing from the computer – an inanimate object. But when they cheat off a neighbor, they are stealing from a living, breathing person. Yet it still is prevalent.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part of your post was, “I try to establish a classroom environment that centers on learning, not answers. I have found that if we focus on learning, then students are more receptive to helping each other learn how to arrive at a solution.” Excellent!! And I truly feel that is the answer to this dilemma. If we are able to center on learning by rewarding effort and process, then the solution is just a perk that comes with the package, not the only achievement.
On a side note – how much snow did you get? I heard Georgia got slammed! By Georgia standards at least :).
We got 5 inches of snow, but the problem is the ice. We are not equipped to deal with ice and snow. We have been out of school all week.
ReplyDeleteMy kids were so mad when they heard you haven't had school all week! We have gotten 24"-36", depending on the area, since Saturday and we haven't even slowed down. But like you said, we are much better equipped to handle it. AND....we don't get the ice like you do. I would much prefer snow to ice any day!
ReplyDeleteI work with Asian students and the education is viewed completely different than most Americans. I should say that it is viewed completely different by the student’s parents. Most Asian students are pushed by their parents so much to achieve a high score that they will do anything to get an A on an assignment. For many of the Asian parents, a B or even A- is not good enough and it does not matter if the student worked hard and put in their best effort. So for some of the students cheating or plagiarizing a paper is something they are willing to do in order to achieve a higher score. Bree, I liked what you said about establishing “a classroom that centers on learning, not answers.” I also agree with Sabina in that when effort is rewarded, learning can and will take place. Often times the students learn more when they are focused on learning and doing the work and not just striving to earn a high mark.
ReplyDelete