An examination and dissection of the student’s essay on what schools should teach reveals a mix of assumptions supported by facts and generalizations that go far beyond the data. The student has effectively responded to the first question and provided a clear analysis of the most important issues in this case.
However, in the analysis of the first case, the student fails to provide statements from strong background of knowledge. The student posits that the “first issue is that there might be a misunderstanding on the parents and administrators parts about the problem being one of only cultural differences.” The use of the word “might” expresses possibility or probability and therefore fails to ascertain whether the student has clear cut knowledge on his assertions.
The second issue is not only an assumption and a generalization; it has no evidence and has not been presented as a fact. By simply noting down that “the “civilizing impulse” attitude of white settlers thinking that they were instrumental in bringing about a new world is the same impulse that justified residential schools,” the student fails to provide evidence and can be best described as a personal bias thinly disguised as a fact.
The third issue is well represented and articulated. However, the student fails to provide a strong point on how a full-time Tsimshian administrator and or teacher would resolve the conflict in the Setsco School curriculum.
The strongest part of this case is the analysis of the second question on the true nature of the problem at Setsco Lake School. The student approaches the question from an informed perspective and brings to light the specific nature and parties involved in Setco Lake School’s problems. It is within this section of the essay that the student explains how a Tsimshian teacher would balance between the demands of the current curriculum and the Caucasian population.
The third question lacks evidence and data to support major assumptions. The student notes that “the reality is that the stakeholders in North American schools don’t necessarily share the same goal of encouraging students how to grow into more autonomous…” This is an assumption that demands support from data or citation. However, the student makes some very important and noteworthy discoveries in the case study.
The exclusion of students’ opinion in what should be taught in schools indicates that the student has shown signs of having thought long and hard about the issues. The resources used to support sections of the paper are relevant, but the student should have used recent resources to demonstrate research and current status of the issues under examination.
Despite the fact that the student has managed to demonstrate a clear cut understanding of the issues within this case study, some issues are not well supported by facts and data. Assumptions and generalizations that have been made have to a large extent been supported by citations from other sources.
The student exercises caution in making most assumptions and moves away from contradictory evidence. In fact, one strong part of this essay is how the student avoids adopting contradictory undertones. The student would have done better by using data from the most recent articles to support most assumptions and generalization. However, despite these shortfalls such as suggestions for actions that are not rooted in data in the conclusion, the essay demonstrates hard thought and dissection of the case study materials.