My Confidence Limit is 9.8%

The reason I chose Communications as my first degree was because I had a difficult time with Math for Elementary Teachers. From that point on, I made a conscious effort to use math for as little as possible. I can find the percentage off when it comes to a sale, but that’s about it. So this chapter from LA was excruciating for me. The idea of surveys, questionnaires and even samples was interesting. When someone needs a survey filled out, I’m the go to girl. But deciphering the means, standard deviations or even data questions were quite the challenge. It actually gave me a lot of respect for those who determine what kind of sample they need to gather in order for the survey to have relevance and self-reliance. The type of data needed, samples, and even construction was interesting. I kept thinking about this past week PSSA Writing Test and how they can take these samples to make judgments on what is occurring in all 501 school districts in Pennsylvania. I just wonder what their confidence limits were for this test. Then I read Kirsch. What an interesting topic. Methodological pluralism equates to the IEP of all IEP’s. The way a writer achieves a writing style is internal as well as taught. Has the teacher provided guidance and interpretation, or are they dictating how they want it to be? In the readings from Kirsch, I see where all the discussions begin with experts of writing and the researchers trying to figure out the theory. When it comes to the classroom, aren’t there other factors that restrain the teacher from using the findings of these theorist like Flynn? In Flynn’s thoughts from Composing as a Woman, she reflects on a new approach looking at theory and research methods. But my question is, what training does the average English teacher in high school have that will concur or contradict what the researchers are finding when it comes to teaching composition? In Kirsch, we’re debating if a single methodology is adequate or do different methodologies produce conflict. If we’re going to produce better writers in secondary schools, shouldn’t these methods be used? The students differ just like the methods. Then why are we still teaching the 5-paragraph essay as “the” way of writing and changing sentence structure just because we like to use our red pens? According to Kirsch “To set such limitations early in the development of a growing discipline would be premature;” (pg. 253) then why do we set limitations with our students when they are trying a new approach with their composition?