Thursday, November 16, 2006

Students say the funny things


In my smaller classes, I have students write research papers in the format of a journal article. For the methods section, I instruct them to describe in great detail how they conducted their research such that someone else could come along and replicate the study. I also have them revise their paper.

Here's an extract from one student's first draft:

"As I sat comfortably in my University of Connecticut provided, slightly rocking/slightly not rocking, highly furnished armless wooden chair, I read..."

Now, this paper obviously has plenty of detail but most didn't, so after the first draft I reminded the class to give more detail in their methods section. In response, this student wrote:

"As I sat comfortably in my University of Connecticut provided, slightly rocking/slightly not rocking, highly furnished armless pine wooden chair, I read..."

Is there a typing symbol for very good satire?

1 comment:

Gerhard said...

Brilliant! It reminds me of my three and a half year old boy's plea's and arguments for yet another sweet or another chocolate