How to correct Plagiarism with P-12 students....

How to correct Plagiarism with P-12 students....

So often in my daily work I see patterns of plagiarism with the students that I supervise. As a former classroom teacher I taught the research process with both my elementary and secondary students. This is one the larger reasons I support having a Thesis requirement on advanced degree programs. I greatly appreciate having to write a thesis proposal for my Masters Degree, a full thesis for my Specialist Degree, the dissertation for my Doctorate Degree. It is very evident that where there is practice there is perfection. You must write professionally in professional settings and to do this you must have practiced extensively.

I enjoy writing which is the reason I focus so much on content and the construct of written communications. You will find that in most of my writing I do not quote as much as others do in general writing. In short, I write freely...I do not find the need to quote in my informal communications in that I always rephrase what I have read. However in more formal documents, I will cite my sources. Nonetheless, I do cite my sources as references in my various blog post. Again, these are often documents that I have read of which I do not need to cite as I am not using quotes.  This practice comes from repetitive practice. Having said, we must teach our students the correct processes in research and formal writing. This holds true to texting which is another post...

Having also been a high school assistant principal, I saw too many copy and paste documents submitted to teachers for evaluation. The sad issue was that the teachers accepted and graded the papers and awarded high scores. This in my view was deplorable. I addressed the matter with various teachers and I found that they did not know any better. Again, if there was more formal writing in college programs of adult students with thesis requirements we as educators would have a better command for the research and documentation process. Plagiarism is very common because it is not understood and recognizable by the common eye. Very often people talk the way they write. I can very easily spot the falsehoods in a person's written communication if they are speaking in the opposite voice. This is a first sign. Secondly when you have sources that do not match you may consider some form of plagiarism to exist. Again, without any training on the research process you will overlook these indicators. Lastly a very common eye-opener is the individuals' inability to discuss their work. In short, they have no idea where to begin a conversation about what they have submitted.

The correction process towards plagiarism is not an easy fix; however it can be done with more applied efforts in professional writing. In my school district we employ a concept of Power Writing. I am a advocate of this practice. However, we are having to really push the issue. Many educators write poorly and do not know it. They avoid writing and they do not correct their students. They allow students to write poorly and speak using incorrect english. Others write poorly and don't care. In both situations students fail to master the process therefore plagiarism exist. If we have more practice in writing we will see better results with our students. Therefore I am taking an active approach towards this issue. Again, the educator must be proficient. This is why I will begin, hosting writing series with my staff to determine the need for assistance and to better focus on how to improve the problems associated with plagiarism in P-12 educational settings. We will begin on this week in Career and Technical Education writing and correcting our works. With this corrective action we will improve the writing of our students and less the frequency of Plagiarism in P-12 settings.

Resources:
Chao, C., Wilhelm, W., & Neureuther, B. (2009). A study of electronic detection and pedagogical approaches for reducing plagiarism. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 51(1), 31-42.

Posted by:
Melvin Alonza Lowe, III, EdD
Educational Director of Programs
Career & Technical Education - Macon County Public Schools
lowema@maconk12.org

Post-Doctoral Program
Walden University
M.S. Program Instructional Design & Technology