Resources for 11/3/09 NCTE Inbox:

Exploring Plagiarism

• On Tuesday, November 10, from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. EST, NCTE will host Barry Gilmore's Web seminar Write from Wrong: Strategies for Addressing Student Plagiarism. During this session, participants will learn strategies that help students want to write original work, build research and note-taking skills that will help them avoid the need to plagiarize, and evaluate their own study habits and pressures to avoid bad decision making. For more resources for your classroom and students on plagiarism and copyright, see the following resources from NCTE and ReadWriteThink.org.

• The NCTE book Preventing Plagiarism: Tips and Techniques (S,C) by Laura Hennessey DeSena argues for creating assignments that emphasize students' original thinking through freewriting and the use of primary sources. In doing so, we can help build their confidence and critical thinking skills so that they are less likely to rely on online paper mills or to copy and paste from other sources.

• The ReadWriteThink.org lesson plan Exploring Plagiarism, Copyright, and Paraphrasing (M) provides a background for students on copyright, fair use, plagiarism, and paraphrasing. Guidelines for copyright and fair use are discussed, as well as strategies for paraphrasing and the consequences of plagiarism.

• In the 21st century, it's important for students to look at the history of copyright law and generalize about how and why it has changed over time. In the ReadWriteThink.org lesson plan Copyright Law: From Digital Reprints to Downloads (M), students then apply this information to recent copyright issues, look at these issues from the perspective of a particular group, and create persuasive arguments to convince others to see the issue from their perspective.
• The English Journal article "Of Flattery and Thievery: Reconsidering Plagiarism in a Time of Virtual Information" (S) provides a framework for discussing plagiarism and calls on us to avoid overly simplified policies. After considering various perspectives on intent and the purposes of documentation, the author advocates developing standard definitions and guidelines for plagiarism in the department or the classroom. We should also offer professional development opportunities to help teachers transfer abstract concepts of plagiarism to classroom instruction, discussion, and assignments.

• The problems of plagiarism in a digital age continue to challenge the teacher-student relationship and may require more aggressive teaching strategies and student-teacher dialogue instead of more aggressive electronic detection and punishment, as discussed in the Teaching English in the Two Year College article "Another Look at Plagiarism in the Digital Age: Is It Time to Turn in My Badge?" (C).