Click on the page below to access I-Search essays written by fellows from previous Institutes. Here is the info/outline for the essay:
Research
Research in a classroom issue or aspect of composition. You will select a topic in which you are specifically interested and then research the latest information related to the issue. You will also be expected to briefly present your findings at the conclusion of the Institute. Topics such as “Strategies to Align Individual Curriculum Requirements with Standards,” “Writing Across the Curriculum,” “Responding to Student Writing” and “Motivating Students to Revise” have been researched in the past. The paper should be documented in MLA or APA style, and will follow the format below:
PART 1: Introduction—Why I chose this topic…here you’ll talk about why this topic is an issue for you/what you hope to gain from the research
PART 2: The story of my search… this is the narrative of your research process—did you begin with the required books for class? Did you hit up ERIC for academic pedagogy articles? It’s just the story of your research process—this is part of what makes it an I-Search paper.
PART 3: What I learned about my topic and how it will affect my practice… “What you learned” has to do with content and “how it will affect my practice” is the actual ACTION plan you’ll have in place when you teach next fall (application of what you learned)
PART 4: What I learned “searching and researching”… this has to do with the connections made in your topic (i.e. revision might have ties to motivation, which ties to publishing and/or writing for a real audience, etc…)
PART 5: Works Cited or References--4-6 sources minimum (MLA or APA)
The I-Search paper will be due on Friday, July 22nd (post-institute). Even though your paper isn’t physically due until the 22nd, you will report on your topic/research progress on the last day of SI. We cannot give you a grade for the course until all work has been completed.