Axia Essay Guide

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Essay Guidelines

By attending college, you have chosen to take control of your education and future, as

opposed to the "okay, what's next" attitude students often have as they are moved routinely

through grade school, through high school, and, sadly, often through college. In the higher

education setting, the objective is for you to acquire the skills of research, assembly of facts,

synthesis of the materials you have found, and careful assembly of your thesis. The higher-

education goals here are for you to develop good, sharp, marketable abilities, not solely to

acquire an artistic polish for your character.

This also means a cold, hard look at your educational process. Realize that when an

instructor assigns an essay such as "My Opinion of the American Electoral Process," the

instructor is not truly curious about your opinions (after the first 1,000 essays, he or she has seen

it all)—the objective of the exercise, and of immensely greater value to you, is to compile a

paper consisting of your impressions and what they mean, as shown by information you have

looked up elsewhere. If you write, "I think the election process is the foundation of liberty," that's

fine and a noble sentiment, but so what? If, on the other hand, you write, "I think the election

process is the foundation of liberty because I have seen life in America, I have read about life in

foreign countries, and surveys have shown that 90% of Americans and 57% of people outside the

US have the same feeling" (Zogby, 2004)*, the result is that whoever reads your essay will go

away with a little more knowledge, and you have reinforced what you have written as truth.

Note the citation in parentheses after the statistics above. Take as a rule of thumb that

every paper you write at Axia will be in APA formatting and will contain citations and references

for every bit of information that is not common knowledge.

The college experience, if harvested to greatest advantage by you, the student, is a

continual series of challenges to take the ball and run with it. If you take your impressions and

bolster them with information available in libraries, publications, and so on, your high school

"What I Did Last Summer" essay will become "What I Did Last Summer and Why You Should

Do the Same." As you learn to write something educational to anyone who reads your

composition, you have contributed to the world of knowledge.

*This quotation is for purposes of illustration only, and does not represent factual information.

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Table of Contents 1. Requirements for Writing ........................................................................................................... 3

A. Subject of your Essay............................................................................................................ 3 B. Intended Audience................................................................................................................. 5 C. Reason for Writing ................................................................................................................ 6 D. Assembling the Information.................................................................................................. 8 E. Calculating Document Length............................................................................................... 9

2. Information for Writing ............................................................................................................ 10 A. Observations........................................................................................................................ 10 B. Journal ................................................................................................................................. 11 C. Research .............................................................................................................................. 12

i. Reading ............................................................................................................................ 13 ii. Asking Questions............................................................................................................ 14

D. Getting Started at Writing ................................................................................................... 15 E. Critical Thinking ................................................................................................................. 17

3. Organization for Writing........................................................................................................... 18 A. Thesis Statement ................................................................................................................. 18 B. Organization ........................................................................................................................ 19

4. Preliminaries for Writing .......................................................................................................... 20 A. Writing a First Draft............................................................................................................ 20 B. Continuing the Process........................................................................................................ 21

5. Finalization for Writing ............................................................................................................ 22 A. Revising .............................................................................................................................. 22

i. Essay Checklist ................................................................................................................ 23 ii. Paragraph Checklist ........................................................................................................ 24

a. Transitional Expressions ............................................................................................. 25 B. Proofreading ........................................................................................................................ 26 C. Group Revisions.................................................................................................................. 27

6. Sample Essays........................................................................................................................... 28 A. First-Person Essay Sample.................................................................................................. 28 B. Definition Essay Sample ..................................................................................................... 34 C. Analysis Essay Sample........................................................................................................ 40 D. Cause and Effect Essay Sample .......................................................................................... 46

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Requirements for Writing

Subject of your Essay

In college, business, or most writing situations, you will either be assigned a topic (by the instructor, boss, or other leader), or you will have to select a topic of your own. In the first case, choosing a topic is easy—it has been handed to you. If you are to choose a subject, you must consider: What do I want to write about?

In either situation, once you have the subject of your writing, the path to creation of the essay is the same:

Development of the topic:

1. Suitable for the assignment a. The topic should contribute to knowledge, not merely repeat canned

information, i.e., your research should add something to the common knowledge compiled of your topic or a new insight into it.

2. Appropriate focus a. If focus is too general, the subject cannot be dealt with effectively. For

example, "world peace" cannot be discussed with any accuracy in a five-page paper. Very often, the topic must be narrowed to allow its focus to fit within the assigned length of the essay.

i. List as many subtopics of your selected topic as you can. ii. For each sub-topic that might work, sketch out main ideas and

how many paragraphs of information it might contain. This will give you a rough idea of length of that element in the final draft of the paper.

iii. Continue listing "sub-sub-topics" for each sub-topic that is still too large.

iv. Remember that to deal with a smaller element in detail is better than to address a broad subject vaguely.

b. If focus is too specific, the subject may not be extensive enough to fill the assigned number of pages. For example, "world peace on L Street in Pensacola, Florida" has so little to do with the universality of "world peace" that not enough information exists to make a five-page essay.

3. Personal concern a. The topic should matter to you, whether for personal or official

reasons. b. Your personal reaction to the topic may or may not be appropriate to

express in the article, so you must decide to include or leave out your reaction.

4. Your writing may require one or more of the following duties a. Argument—persuasive writing b. Analysis—going into detail to understand the functions of a process c. Definition—making clear the meanings of words and terms d. Description—making the process or appearance clear to the reader

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e. Discussion—presenting various attributes or considerations of the topic without necessarily drawing a conclusion

f. Evaluation—making a judgment of the topic g. Explanation—making clear the process, construction, function, or

other aspects of the topic h. Interpreting—rendering the topic into language or concepts more

easily understood by the reader i. Reporting—describing from the scene or writing the consecutive steps

of a procedure

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Intended Audience

Just as in speech, what you say and how you say it depends on the person you are speaking to (if introduced to the governor of your state, for example, you would probably not say, "Hi, how are you doing," whereas that might be perfectly appropriate in greeting a close friend). In the same way, writing effectively depends heavily on your knowledge of your audience.

In writing, remember always that only one person at a time is reading the page. Address yourself to that single person, not to an imagined group of people reading your document—In cases in which use of the second person is permitted, use you, not all of you, many of you, each of you, or such terms.

If working, say, for the public relations department of a company with an assignment to produce a bulletin on the subject of recycling, the wording of a bulletin sent to management would be different from one addressed to coworkers. The latter would be more effective in a cheerful, sharing-the-work tone, mentioning how employees could perform recycling. The bulletin sent to management would be more effective with a serious, responsible, tone mentioning the benefits to the company, comparisons with other companies, and perhaps mention of cost.

In this present case (your college classes), the audience obviously is your instructor or in some cases the other students (if you are asked to give a presentation to the class).

Elements of an Audience

(not necessarily in order of importance) 1. Age 2. Educational or economic background 3. Ethnic background 4. Gender 5. Hobbies or activities 6. Occupation (student, professional colleague, unknown individual, etc.) 7. Political, religious, moral beliefs and values 8. Socio-economic role (potential employer, car buyer, spouse, child, etc.)

Specifics about the Audience 1. Why is he or she reading your document? 2. What do you wish this individual to know, think differently about, or do after reading

your document? 3. What does he or she probably know about the topic already? How much information do

you need to fill in? 4. What specialized language should you use with this audience? 5. What information might surprise, excite, or offend the reader? How should you deal with

those subjects? 6. What concepts about the subject does the reader already have? How can you use or

correct those concepts? 7. How do you expect the reader to read the document (every word from the top, scanned

for specific information, or browsing for conclusions)? Will headings, summaries, tables of contents, or indexes aid the reader?

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Reason for Writing

Your reason for writing is the purpose for communicating to the readers, essentially the same as the reason for speaking—to communicate something (an explanation, a persuasion, a definition, a statement, and so on). You can organize yourself by understanding clearly what your assignment requires (which is almost the same as "what you need to communicate") and the best way to achieve that objective. During your experience at Axia, you will learn to write business documents, case studies, essays, long and short reports, position papers, research papers (and other forms your instructor may specify). You may be asked to explore your feelings about a subject, or you may be asked to write about a personal experience. In these cases, writing would be difficult if you are avoiding writing in the first person (which is using the pronoun "I"), e.g., "The writer visited the scenic canyon dam" would be an odd statement if "the writer" is you. Better would be simply "I visited the scenic canyon dam." Remember that as a general rule, though, academic writing uses the third person. Assignments may require you to suspend judgment and present the results of your researches and discoveries without including your own opinions, writing in the third person (using the pronouns,

"he," "she," "it," and "they"). For example, "Creation of the scenic drive at the foot of the reservoir's dam is reported as a great tourist attraction, although detractors cite the dam's construction problems."

If the assignment requires you to include your opinion about the published material, it may still be most effective and more typically academic writing to use the third person. You can include your opinion without using "I" or "my"—"Creation of the scenic drive at the foot of the reservoir's dam could prove to be disastrous in spite of the tourist attraction; a hiker walking below the dam can spot numerous cracks in the dam's foundation—the dam is a disaster waiting to happen."

Some assignments may require you to provide several answers to a problem. Still others may require a single solution, which you must support in your writing. Most academic writing is in three types:

1. Analytical writing is defining and examining issues or subjects. Such essays use facts, statistics, and research findings. An analytical essay describes situations, explains processes or mechanisms, or reports the results of research. These are usually written in the third person. Note that in an analytical essay, you will be creating a synthesis of information by compiling the various pieces of information you have found in your research. The writer must be able to find data in the document (to inform the reader, after all, is why the essay is written). Organizing the information is helpful perhaps into different sections, and using tables and illustrations. Layout organization is very important in analytical writing.

2. Expressive or interpretive writing involves personal opinions, experiences, viewpoints, judgments, and/or feelings. Expressive writing is most often in the first person and usually uses narration to tell a story or describe an event from the writer's point of view. Organization is usually simpler with this sort of writing—it is read from beginning to end rather than skipping from one reference or subtopic

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to another—and this means more freedom of expression. Personal opinion papers fall into this category. A typical experience at Axia, particularly in lower-division classes, is to be asked to write an essay of this type as the initial paper for the class.

3. Persuasive (also called argumentation) writing may involve both researched data

and personal opinion. This type of writing appeals to the reader's reasoning and feelings to convince the reader to a point of view or to take a particular action. Although many university professors will forbid use of the second person ("you") in college writing, a persuasive essay very often is most effective using that writing method. Like advertising copy which attempts to communicate directly to the reader ("You cannot live a happy life without an Ajax Widget. Buy one today!"), a persuasive essay is often most effective using the second person—"To save our city from the disaster a scenic drive at the bottom of the dam would cause, you can make a difference by calling the city manager's office to complain." This is not to say that third-person writing could not be effective—"To save our city from the disaster a scenic drive at the bottom of the dam would cause, a concerned citizen can make a difference by calling the city manager's office to complain."

You may find that these three approaches may appear or overlap in a single assignment, but inevitably, one approach will be the predominant element. Your instructor's syllabus or assignment handouts may use more specific terms than "analytical, expressive, or persuasive" in a writing assignment: analyze: identify the elements of the subject and discuss how they work together argue: take a position on the subject and support your position with evidence

cause and effect: describes why the event occurred and what results it had compare & contrast: explain the similarities and differences between subjects

define: specify the meaning of a term or concept discuss: examine the main points, competing views, or implications of the subject evaluate: judge the quality of significance of the subject (pros & cons) interpret: present the meaning or implications of the subject report: survey, organize, and present available information on the subject summarize: state the main points in a text, argument, theory, or other work

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Assembling the Information

Most if not all Axia College student writing will involve research. This is, after all, a major element of your education at Axia, the ability to marshal all the forces you can to present your ideas, theories, arguments, and projects. Creative writing, plays, poems, and novels are not directly within the focus of the adult-education philosophy of Axia, so although these forms of writing can be extraordinary products of the human spirit, the skills you acquire here more likely will be aimed at practical, business application. In planning your research for an assignment, consider the kinds of evidence you need: facts, examples, expert opinions, and so on. Which would best suit the audience, purpose, and topic? The assignment may allow a compilation of already published information in sources you can research, or you may find you need to conduct interviews, surveys, or experiments. You may find that fulfilling the requirements of the assignment still leaves room for further development of your topic—in creating an essay on the mineral-mining history of the Las Vegas valley, for example, you may discover a small newspaper article on a new gold discovery. This would increase the pertinence and timeliness of your essay. Further research into gold mining in Las Vegas would make a much more thorough essay. A critical element of using any researched information in your written work is to attribute the information to its original source. There are many styles of indicating these attributions in written work, but Axia uses the citations and reference formatting principles of the American Psychological Association.

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Calculating Document Length

Many Axia College instructors will specify document length when making assignments. Some instructors require that the length conform precisely to a number of words. Other instructors use the word-count as a guideline. Be sure that you understand how specific your instructor is. If the instructor uses word-count as a guideline, consider that 250-350 words fill one page of text, double-spaced. The exact number of words would depend on margins, typeface (Axia uses only Times New Roman, Arial, and Courier New), and the font size (Axia uses only 10 or 12). Most word processor programs will calculate word-count for you. Remember that word count refers only to the words in the text, not including those in the cover page or references page(s). Many instructors specify document length by number of pages. In this case, of course, precise number of words does not matter.

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Information for Writing

Observations

As a college student, you are developing powers you may or may not have exercised previously. One of these powers is that of observation. The objective of any level of education is to make the student more aware of what makes the world tick, but at the college level ("higher education"), these powers are increased exponentially. Take the points you have learned personally and the points you have been taught in school and confirm or deny those tenets as you encounter life experiences. As you develop the powers of observation and synthesis, you will become ever more capable of discerning the basic truth in any given situation. Learn to be more piercingly observant. As you observe life around you, not in the half-conscious way many of us go through a day but as an alert, college-trained individual, whole new aspects of life will open themselves to you. As you sit in your seat on a bus, for example, you may notice what percentage of the passengers are of what gender, what income level, what age, what apparent self-confidence level, and so on. How does the driver appear to react to the riders? You may find that carrying a notepad and pencil in your pocket or purse is handy to collect information and insights you can use in future writing projects.

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Journal

Another word for a journal is "diary." You can keep one in a notebook or on a computer. The handy thing about a journal is that you can record daily impressions without worrying about anyone else reading them, and you will have access to information you may find useful or interesting later, when you may have forgotten it. Another important value is that the more you write, the better you write. Writing every day will make writing easier. There are no rules for what you put into a journal. You may find that thinking critically about national or international issues and putting your impressions into your journal can direct you in career directions you never considered before.

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Research

When you are writing a research paper, most of the information you will include in it will come from materials you find in the writings of others, not from your own original research. Original research, as heroic as it may sound, may be a waste of time if you are merely following a well-traveled path, or the scope of your research is smaller than that of existing statistics. Sampling the residents of a single neighborhood regarding their opinions of a municipal project may not make your essay as authoritative as using the already published statistics regarding the opinions of the entire city. Finding out what has already been published on a topic is easy. Make a list of words that relate to your topic. Use synonyms and phrases associated with the subject. Using Axia Library and the World Wide Web, search using these words and phrases. Note that you must discern the trustworthiness of your sources. Material from Axia library can be vouched for, but merely to quote from the World Wide Web (on which anyone can publish anything) without being sure of the stature of the source can be as weak as saying "I read it in a book."

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Reading

In a university, you will do a great deal of reading. Even if the assignment itself does not require reading, you may find that reading more about the topic can help you with insights and new ideas you may not have considered.

If assigned to write an essay on a citrus-growing area of Southern California, for example, you might choose the town of Santa Paula because it likes to call itself "The Citrus Capital of the World." At first glance, it is a typical small town, a quiet, pretty place surrounded by orange groves, and a superficial essay might be little more than a virtual "My Visit to Santa Paula" report. Checking into the subject of Santa Paula, you may discover that it was "home-away-from-Hollywood" for actor Steve McQueen, who kept an airplane at the Santa Paula Airport.

Researching the name of Santa Paula, California, more fully, however, will bring to light that the town was destroyed in 1928 by one of the worst disasters in US history, the collapse of the St. Francis Dam in Saugus, some 40 miles away. The St. Francis Dam had been a project of William Mulholland, creator of the famous California Aqueduct that brought water (and subsequent expansion and fame) to Los Angeles. Before the St. Francis Dam gave way on March 12, 1928, Mulholland had been a hero. The famous, winding drive through the hills above Beverly Hills and Hollywood was named for him.

A wall of water said to be 78 feet high swept from the dam through the Santa Clara Valley toward the Pacific Ocean nearly 60 miles away, destroying almost everything in its path: buildings and structures, railways, bridges, livestock, orchards, the town of Santa Paula—and William Mulholland's reputation. The flood left parts of Ventura County under 70 feet of mud and debris. Over 500 people were killed, and damage estimates topped $20 million. William Mulholland ceased to be a major influence in Los Angeles (Davis, 1993). Many years later, he was characterized as the villain in the motion picture, "Chinatown."

All this information (or perhaps none of it) may apply to the assigned subject, but it can certainly present new perspectives and avenues of approach to the topic. Research can fill your writing with significance and make it truly educational to readers—including yourself.

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Asking Questions

Besides the obvious "asking questions of the subject," you will do well to ask questions of yourself. Questions about your subject may lead to answers that will give you new perspectives on your subject and new ways to approach the topic. The classic questions are the famous "Five W's and an H," what, when, where, who, why, and how. With any subject, ask yourself:

What happened, what is the subject, and what developed? When did it happen? Where did it happen? Who was involved in the subject? Why did it happen? How did it happen?

Another method of asking questions may relate to the direction you want the essay to take. Essay patterns can take the aspects of: Cause & Effect, Classification, Comparison & Contrast, Definition, Description, Division, Illustration, Narration, or Process Analysis. Depending on the design you intend for your essay, your questions may take different aspects:

1. Cause & Effect describes why the event happened and what results it had or could have had. An example in a single sentence: "When the baited hook from the sport fisherman fell into the pond, it attracted the attention of a hungry trout that immediately lunged for it." Possible question: How important is a specific bait?

2. Classification shows what groups or categories the subject can be put into: "Sport fishing has various categories, such as fly casting, deep sea line fishing, trawling, and other variations." Possible question: Which of these categories is the most popular?

3. Division is to specify the parts or categories: "A sport fisherman must have a minimum of a pole, a line, a hook, and bait. Past these necessities are a reel, floats and sinkers, and possibly a pair of rubber waders or a boat." Possible question: Does more equipment equal greater catches of fish, or is skill more important?

4. Illustration paints pictures and mentions reasons for the subject: "With the reddening sky of morning at the horizon and a warm breeze off the lake, the sport fisherman can find a sense of tranquility and freedom not found in many other sports." Possible question: Would fishing be as enjoyable in a busier, more urban environment?

5. Narration tells how the subject happened: "The sport fisherman loads his gear into the car, travels to his or her favorite fishing spot, unloads the gear, and begins the adventure." Possible question: Which of the preparations is most enjoyable?

6. Process analysis explains how the process is done or how it works: "Sport fishing is a simple process—the fisherman puts a baited hook into the water, and a hungry fish bites onto it. The popularity of the sport goes past this, though, as the peace and tranquility of a fishing trip are rarely experienced in other endeavors." Possible question: What part of the process contributes most to the enjoyment?

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Getting Started at Writing

Many writers take a rather uncomplicated approach to getting started, which is simply jotting down thoughts, ideas, or “stream of consciousness.” This does require that you have given long thought to what your writing project will be and how it will be organized. When you have an idea of what you want, just sit at the computer and bang out whatever comes to mind, not worrying too much about perfection. With this technique, writing is in the revising; the first draft is just roughing out the ideas. The "real writing" is done later as you go back over what you have written, saying to yourself, "Hmm, this part would go better up here, that should be "happily," not "happy," and that part about the black limousine doesn't really add much—I'll take it out."

As your go through your rough draft, you may get ideas for adding information, you may see points at which a quotation from an authority would work perfectly, and you may see a whole new perspective your essay might take. This process can end up taking more time than the original input of the rough draft, but this is the polish, tweaking the original draft until it is “good writing” and something you can be proud of.

Some writers discover ideas for writing by using creative techniques like freewriting, brainstorming, or clustering.

Freewriting

Freewriting is to write without stopping for a certain time (say, 10 minutes) or to a

certain length (one entire page, for example). During the freewriting experience, you ignore the hesitations in your mind and just write! Write words, keep writing, connect the previous word to another word it may suggest, keep writing, take off on a tangent the previous words may have suggest, but keep writing. What you write is not as important as continuing to write! Keep at it, even if it means writing the same word over and over until a new one appears in your mind. Do not stop to reread it, do not block ideas that might seem inappropriate or repetitious, and do not worry about grammar, punctuation, or spelling. Freewriting is a sort of shooting a firehose through your head and washing out unformed ideas. Freewriting may give you access to insights and ideas you were unaware of.

Taking freewriting a further step, you can practice "focused freewriting," in which you do essentially the same—letting your mind and imagination go, writing without stopping—but you touch on your assigned subject, or at least hover around it.

Brainstorming

This is a technique similar to freewriting, but in a sense, it is more compressed. The object of the technique is to focus intently on a subject for a time (say, 15 minutes) and write down every detail and idea that come to mind. Without requiring yourself to write in sentences, no matter how sketchy they might have been in freewriting, you can jot down single words or phrases in a notebook. Brainstorming could be done in a restaurant while at lunch, for example. Like in freewriting, shut off any internal editors you might have; write ideas, words, and insights that apply to the subject in any way. Once finished, the list may provide new approaches or perspectives to the subject that you had not been consciously aware of before.

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Clustering

Like both freewriting and brainstorming, clustering (also known as mind-mapping; some students call it the "satellite system") is a technique for drawing inspiration from yourself, but clustering is even more focused. You start with your topic. Write it in the center of the page with a circle around it. Think of words or ideas related to that central topic. Write them around the outside of the circle and connect each to the main idea with a line. Selecting each of the satellite ideas, think of words or ideas that apply to it. Circle them and attach them to their corresponding satellite with single lines. As you examine the "molecule" you are creating, you may spot ideas that apply to or could modify other ideas, so you may draw lines between them, sometimes with further explanations along those lines.

Any of these techniques can serve to get your writing out of the starting gate. Most students find that once they have begun, to continue is not as hard. Getting started can be the hardest part.

Fishing

Fly Fishing

Deep Sea Fishing

Fishing Gear

Flies

Waders

Pole

Boat

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Critical Thinking

Critical thinking is arguably the most important thing you will learn in college. "Critical" is not meant negatively but rather is healthy skepticism, not accepting everything at face value. Critical thinking is not found solely in the actions of college graduates; this skill can be developed in the course of life and through trial and error, but the purpose of a university is to teach you what otherwise might take decades to learn. As you observe successful people, you will find that a great majority of them use critical thinking. Critical thinking can be defined in four processes:

1. Analysis 2. Interpretation 3. Synthesis 4. Evaluation

Analysis is to separate something into its elements or parts. For example, to look at a skyscraper as a single entity would make its appearance on the city block nearly a miracle. On the other hand, analysis would indicate that it is a gigantic pile of bricks, stone, and steel framework. Perceiving the skyscraper in its constituent parts suddenly makes it less of a monolith and more of a simple puzzle.

Analysis can assist you in nearly any problem. Seeing an advertisement on TV, for example, may at first glance make you believe that you should jump up, run out, and spend money on whatever the ad is ballyhooing. But with analysis of the ad, you may note that (a) it is colored in tones that are sad (grays, soft blues), (b) it features photographs of suffering children, (c) its language implies that the responsibility for the problem is yours, and/or (d) it obscures the final cost. With a simple analysis of the ad, you may decide that you are not as motivated to submit to it as you thought.

Interpretation is to decide the intention of the author or creator of what you are watching. Many frauds are built on people's misinterpretations of the defrauder's purposes. All of us have beliefs, opinions, and values, and it is the obligation of the critical thinker to discern what those beliefs, opinions, and values are in the speaker, writer, or creator of the subject the critical thinker is considering. In many cases you may find that the wording, design, or implication of what you are observing suggests a conclusion that is not warranted without some (perhaps unjustified) assumptions.

Whereas interpretation can often point out weaknesses in chains of logic that may have been written to appear genuine and valid, careful interpretation can also reinforce conclusions that may have been doubted.

Synthesis is the next logical step in the critical-thinking process. As you synthesize what you have been observing, you make connections among parts of the ideas or connect entire ideas together. You create a whole new idea by drawing conclusions about implications and/or relationships. Synthesis creates something new from the parts you bring to the process.

Evaluation is to decide the quality and significance of what you have discovered by synthesis. The better you become at critical thinking, the more capable you will become at judging ideas, works, and processes both as they appear and as they seem to you, comparing these ideas, works, and processes against your critical-thinking analysis and your own experiences, observations, and attitudes.

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Organization for Writing

Thesis Statement The reader expects what you have written to focus on a main idea, or thesis. Try to condense and summarize the main idea of your essay in a single sentence of 25 words or less. If a TV reporter were to ask you what your essay was about, and the reporter could give you only a few seconds, how would you answer? The thesis sentence often appears at the end of the introduction, but it can appear at the beginning or in the middle, depending on the effect you want. The thesis sentence at the beginning of the introduction is a more traditional style billboarding the subject and using the rest of the introduction to explain. Placing the thesis sentence in the middle of the introduction means you have teased the reader with the first sentence or two, heightening interest, then presenting the thesis sentence and finishing with supporting sentences. Placing the thesis sentence at the end means you wish to lead the reader into a desire to learn more or into a determination to act, then you crystallize the data into the thesis of the essay. The thesis sentence has three functions:

1. It narrows your subject to a single idea, the main concept you want the reader to gain from reading your essay.

2. It names the topic and provides something specific about it. 3. It communicates your purpose for writing about the subject.

The thesis sentence can also provide a preview of the way you will arrange your ideas. The thesis sentence, like anything else in your essay, may not jump fully-formed into your head. You can form the thesis sentence and refine it as you develop the rest of the essay. Writing the thesis sentence early, though, can give the essay some guidelines and direction when changes develop. In some research papers, your instructor may specify a research question or a hypothesis to take the place of the thesis statement. In any case, you need to be sure that the thesis statement, research question, or hypothesis:

1. makes a concise assertion about the topic 2. is limited to a single idea 3. is clear, specific, and significant 4. implies your purpose in writing about it

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Organization

Most academic essays will have a basic organization—Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. The introduction states the topic, the body supplies the information, and the conclusion notes the relationships in the information, enabling the reader to understand the topic. You may organize the paragraphs in several ways, depending on your subject, your purpose, and your audience:

1. Chronological—This organization tells the story of the event in the order of the happenings.

2. Climactic—This arrangement places the ideas in order of increasing importance to the thesis or of increasing interest to the reader.

3. General to Specific—This style begins with a general discussion of the subject and moves gradually to a specific delineation of it as it increases details, facts, examples, and more focused information.

4. Specific to General—The opposite of "General to Specific," this organization starts with the specific problem or idea, then extrapolates generalized rules and/or solutions from it.

5. Problem Solving—This technique first outlines a problem that needs to be solved, then the essay provides a solution.

6. Spatial—In describing a person, place, or thing, the narrative moves from a starting point.

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Preliminaries for Writing

Writing a First Draft The first draft, also called the "rough draft," is not expected to be a finished document—it is the first attempt, and from it you can polish the final product. To produce your first draft, read over the notes and outlines you have acquired, and sketch out whatever comes to mind. Use freewriting (mentioned above). Write as if you were explaining the topic to a friend. Think of a phrase for your project, one that encapsulates the topic and is catchy. Do not restrict yourself to an order—start writing the body first, or the conclusion. Start with whatever seems most logical (and easiest) to you.

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Continuing the Process

Several points will keep you working on your project and reduce any tendency to slow down or go astray:

1. Give yourself enough time. 2. Set up a good work place. 3. Do not stop without leaving a note to remind yourself where you left off. 4. Do not worry about mistakes (in the rough draft). 5. Do not stop—which means skipping over the hardest parts and coming back to fill

them in later. 6. Do not criticize your work as you go along. 7. Refer to your thesis statement and outline(s) to keep yourself on track regarding

content, organization, and purpose—but do not feel locked in: if you discover something more interesting or a direction that is more illustrative, follow those ideas.

8. Be sure to include research material where appropriate (cite sources, and keep track of your references).

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Finalization for Writing

Revising

When you are revising your composition, you are standing back from it, looking at it from various angles and from as impartial an attitude as possible. You must distance yourself from what you have written. Here are some techniques that can help:

1. Take a break—a whole day is best to set the work aside, but at least go a few hours without looking at it.

2. Ask someone else to read it—A friend's reading of your manuscript might bring out problems you had overlooked. This is an ideal favor for study team members to do for each other.

3. Make an outline from a reading of the draft—Sometimes sketching out an outline while you read your essay will show up gaps in logic or organization.

4. Read it aloud—One of the best ways to discover misplaced words or awkward sentences is to read the essay out loud as if it were a radio script.

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Essay Checklist

A good idea might be to make yourself a revision checklist and print out a few copies for use with future written work. Elements this checklist should contain are:

1. Purpose—Does the paper conform to the assignment? Is this purpose consistent throughout the document? 2. Thesis—Does the paper have a clear thesis statement? How soon does this statement appear? By the end of the document, has it remained faithful to the thesis? 3. Structure—Do the main points of the essay support the thesis? Are the main points arranged effectively? 4. Development—How well do the supporting information, details, quotations, and evidence support the thesis? Does the essay have parts in which the information is not quite so convincing? Can these points be strengthened? 5. Tone—Is the tone of the essay appropriate for the thesis? Are parts of the essay weaker in tone than others? 6. Unity—Does each sentence and paragraph build to the conclusion and confirmation of the thesis? If not, can they be rewritten—or cut? 7. Coherence—Can the essay be read easily? Are parts of it rough or awkward? Could transitions smooth the reading between paragraphs? 8. Title—How accurately and interestingly does the title indicate the content of the essay? a. A descriptive title is almost always appropriate b. A clever or witty title is more appropriate for informal (or commercial) writing c. The title should indicate the scope of the essay, applying to all parts of the essay, not to a single section or sections d. The title should not restate the assignment or the thesis statement 9. Introduction—Does it contain the thesis statement? Does it indicate the scope of the coverage? 9. Conclusion—Does it pull the elements discussed in the body of the text into

an easy deduction? The conclusion should not introduce new information but rather synthesize the information that went before.

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Paragraph Checklist

Also a good idea is to make a checklist with a closer focus, one that checks your writing at the paragraph level:

1. Unity—Does the paragraph adhere to the subject of the topic sentence? 2. Coherence—Do the sentences follow a clear sequence? Are the sentences connected by parallelism, restatement, pronouns, and transitional expressions? a. Transitional expressions 3. Development—Is the general idea of the paragraph well supported with evidence (details, facts, examples, logic)? Note that an expository paragraph of fewer than 100 words is considered by most readers to be inadequate.

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Transitional Expressions

1. To add or show sequence: again, also, and, besides, equally important, finally, first, further, furthermore, in addition, in the first place, last, moreover, next, second, still, too

2. To compare: also, in the same way, likewise, similarly 3. To contrast: although, and yet, but, but at the same time, despite, even so, even though,

for all that, however, in contrast, in spite of, nevertheless, notwithstanding, on the contrary, on the other hand, regardless, still, though, yet

4. To give examples or intensify: after all, an illustration of, even, for example, for instance, indeed, in fact, it is true, of course, specifically, that is, to illustrate, truly

5. To indicate place: above, adjacent to, below, elsewhere, farther on, here, near, nearby, on the other side, opposite to, there, to the east, to the left

6. To indicate time: after a while, after a while, as long as, as soon as, at last, at length, at that time, before, earlier, formerly, immediately, in the meantime, in the past, lately, later, meanwhile, now, presently, shortly, simultaneously, since, so far, soon, subsequently, then, thereafter, until, until now, then

7. To repeat, summarize, or conclude: all in all, altogether, as has been said, in brief, in conclusion, in other words, in particular, in short, in simpler terms, in summary, on the whole, that is, therefore, to put it differently, to summarize

8. To show cause or effect: accordingly, as a result, because, consequently, for this purpose, hence, otherwise, since, then, therefore, thereupon, thus, to this end, with this object

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Proofreading

This is the last, most microscopic examination of your essay, the correction process that should remove the tiniest error. The problem, of course, is that you have seen the essay many times by the time you reach this stage, and your mind automatically makes logic-sweeps across passages that in fact have weak meanings. Professional proofreaders make good money for nit-picking to the Nth degree, and here are a few techniques they use:

1. Read the essay as printed on paper. Statistics have shown that proofreading is more effective on a sheet of paper than looking at an electronic screen.

2. Read the paper aloud, slowly, carefully pronouncing every word you read. 3. Place a ruler under each line as you read it. 4. Do what newspaper proofreaders call reading "against copy": compare the printed copy

one sentence at a time to your final draft. 5. To keep from becoming hypnotized by continual reading, try tricks like reading

backwards or reading the paragraphs out of sequence.

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Group Revisions

The study team technique of Axia is one of your most powerful tools for producing the perfect essay. Not only will the keen eyes and fresh insights of your teammates give you an unjaded perspective on your work, your reviews of their writing will alert you to errors you may be making in your own writing. There are some important elements to collaborative revisions:

1. Be sure you know what the writer is saying (this is particularly important if your teammate is not a native English speaker or is prone to regionalisms).

2. Restrict yourself to the important basics (see the Essay Checklist). Remember you are the reader, not the writer, so you should resist the temptation to reword sentences, add information, or otherwise amend it.

3. Be specific—if something confuses you, state why. If you disagree with a conclusion, state why.

4. Be supportive as well as honest. Preface a criticism with a positive statement—This covers the reasons behind the California Gold Rush, but I'm confused by the statement about peripheral industry—does this mean mining camp shopkeepers made more money than the miners? Do not use abstract terms like poor, inadequate, and so on—these must have a basis of comparison. If you indicate to the writer that the organization is poor, it is poorly organized as compared to what? Rather than making such comments, make constructive statements—At this point the organization of the paragraph leaves me wondering why the loads of bricks were included. Weren't they more important in the paragraph above, where the house is being built?

5. While reading, write your comments on paper. If you are to meet in a face-to-face situation later, the written comments will enable you to recall what you thought while reading.

6. If you are reviewing your teammate's paper via email, remember that you must be very careful in descriptions. In email, your tone of voice, facial expressions, shrugs of the shoulders, and other nonverbal communication will be invisible. Beware of making jocular, teasing, or anything other than straightforward and honest statements. Be careful that what you have written expresses your exact impressions about the essay.

Axia College 28

Sample Essays

First-Person Essay Sample A first-person essay is not typical of academic writing but is appropriate if the assignment requires personal insights and declarations.

What I have Learned about the Philosophy of Adult Education

Claire Alexander

Axia College

Axia College 29

What I have Learned about the Philosophy of Adult Education

<-The title defines the essay in a nutshell. In academic writing, a simple title is better—one that

is too witty or not descriptive is not helpful to researchers

<- The introduction paragraph establishes the subject and the parameters of the essay. It

also contains the thesis sentence, which, like the title, summarizes the essay but contains more

explanation and information.

Adult education is centuries old, the philosophy of teaching adults has developed into

formalized practices of higher education, and I have also experienced more informal techniques,

such as employee-training sessions at the local supermarket. Behind each adult education

process, regardless of formality, I have learned that adults have learning styles that affect the

program, and we have different reasons for learning. As an educator myself, in order to develop

adult education programs and teach them effectively, I must consider the unique characteristics

of adult learners and the theories of adult education. As an adult student, I must also understand

my own motivations. Adult education requires careful consideration by developer, facilitator,

and learner. <- This sentence is the thesis statement of the essay.

<- Paragraphs below, in the body of the essay, define the subject term (in this case, "the

philosophy of adult education") and explain more fully the thesis statement.

The primary purpose of any education is the acquisition of knowledge, but we adult

learners are often faced with real-life situations that require additional skills, and our purposes

for education are more pragmatic. <-This is the topic sentence of this paragraph. The rest of the

paragraph should contribute to it. According to Chris Lee (1998) in an article regarding the

Father of Adult Learning, Malcolm Knowles, “…adults tend to have a problem centered

orientation (to learning)… adults seek the skills or knowledge they need to apply to real-life

Axia College 30

problems they face" (p. 3). In today's frenetic, ever-changing environment, many adults are

overwhelmed with advances in technology, so many of today’s adult learning programs address

the need for training and instruction in technological advances. Tom Nesbit (1999) describes

how adult education helps us react to changes in our rapidly developing world, whether on the

job or in the classroom. <-This paragraph begins the description of "adult education philosophy"

with the elements that contribute to the philosophy.

Adult education programs should be structured with us and our adult learning styles in

mind. <-This is the topic sentence for this paragraph. Most of us as adult learners are self-

motivated: we desire knowledge but may resent being forced into a specific learning

environment. We have a tank full of experiences that fuel the learning experience, so the more

closely codified techniques used in childhood education do not apply to us. Susan Imel (1998)

offers a few key points for the design of adult education programs: learners need to be involved

in planning and implementing learning activities, program developers need to use the learners’

previous experiences, and the facilitator of the adult education program should create an

environment supportive of both learning and collaboration. <-This paragraph describes the

elements of adult educational motivation, which affects the considerations of the creators of the

adult education program.

If I am designing adult education programs, I must remember Knowles' insights: “Adults

become ready to learn things that they need to know or to be able to do in order to fulfill their

role in society" (cited in Lee, 1998, p. 3). Adult learning programs need to be personally

important to the adult learner. We adults desire to learn for a multitude of reasons: intrinsic

motivation, development of social relationships, job requirement, career advancement, desire for

mental stimulation, and the need to seek knowledge. <-This is the topic sentence for this

Axia College 31

paragraph. Knowles notes that, “Adults are more motivated to learn by internal factor, such as

increased self-esteem, than they are by external rewards like pay raises and promotions" (cited in

Lee, 1998, p. 3). Admittedly, we also may learn in a grudging manner, especially if higher

authority forces it upon us (and unfortunately, this is the platform on which much adult education

is formulated), but we adults are self-directed and prefer to make individual choices. <-This

paragraph continues the description of adult learner motivations and the subsequent developer

considerations.

Typical of an adult college student and of myself is the motivation to fulfill educational

goals, and I seek a postgraduate degree for additional success in my chosen profession.

Education is no longer the abstract goal of the teenage college student. I find my description of

my motivation typical of adult university students: desire for knowledge and to satisfy an

inquiring mind, but I also find that personal advancement specifically in areas of job enrichment

and development has acquired a higher priority. <-This is the topic sentence of this paragraph.

<-This paragraph treats learner characteristics more closely.

I am motivated to learn in the interest of bringing about social change. <-This is the topic

sentence for this paragraph. I desire to participate in community work and show an improved

ability to serve mankind. According to Paulo Freire, programs seeking to bring about social

changes and modern activism use “education as a liberating force" (cited in Tisdell & Taylor,

2000, p. 5), which echoes the motivations of younger college students in which I reach personal

fulfillment and knowledge in more abstract terms. <-This paragraph continues examination of

the adult learner while comparing to the young learner.

My education as an adult is most successful as I see the relevance of the proffered

information and skills, but I bring experiential knowledge to the learning environment, so as my

Axia College 32

experiences are varied, I expect the educational program to avoid confinement to a single theory

or philosophy. I have learned that responsibility for success in adult education falls upon both the

facilitator of the learning program and upon me, the learner—internal motivation is the primary

reason for adult learning, so continual evaluation of my educational philosophy is important. <-

The conclusion paragraph introduces no new material but rather expresses a synthesis of

information stated above and draws the reader to the conclusion (in this case, the final sentence).

Axia College 33

References

Imel, S. (1998). Using Adult learning principles in adult basic and literacy education. Practice

Application Brief. Retrieved January 8, 2002, from ERIC database:

http://www.ericacve.org/pab.asp

Lee, C. (1998). The adult learner: Neglected no more. Training, 35(3),210-215. Retrieved

December 21, 2001, from the Apollo Library:

http://www.apollolibrary.com/cp/edu/edd511.html

Nesbit, T. (1999). Mapping adult education. Educational Theory, 49(2), 75-90. Retrieved



Tisdell, E. J., & Taylor, E. W. (1999/2000, Winter). Adult education philosophy informs

practice. Adult Learning, 11(2), 110-115. Retrieved December 27, 2001, from the Apollo

Library (Publications – Adult Learning: Arlington):


Axia College 34

Definition Essay Sample

A definition essay explains and discusses the subject. It may or may not draw a conclusion to motivate the reader (although to keep one's finger from the scale is almost impossible). A definition essay frequently may use forms of the verb "to be" (is, was, will be, and so on), but your writing will be more vibrant the more you avoid using these forms in favor of action verbs.

The Philosophy of Adult Education

Claire Alexander

Axia College

Axia College 35







Adult have been "educated" in one form or another for centuries, and the modern

philosophy of teaching adults has developed into formalized practices of higher education and

more informal techniques such as employee-training sessions at the local supermarket. Behind

each adult education process, regardless of formality, is the concept that adults have different

reasons for learning, and those reasons give rise to different learning styles. Those learning styles

affect the development of program. In order to develop adult education programs and teach them

effectively, developers must consider the unique characteristics of adult learners and the theories

of adult education. The adult student, too, should understand his or her own motivations. Adult

education requires careful consideration by developer, facilitator, and learner. <- This sentence

is the thesis statement of the essay.

<- Paragraphs below, in the body of the essay, define the subject term (in this case, "the

philosophy of adult education") and explain more fully the thesis statement.

The primary purpose of any education is the acquisition of knowledge, but adult learners

often face real-life situations that require additional skills, so their purposes for education

become more pragmatic. <-This is the topic sentence of this paragraph. The rest of the paragraph

should contribute to it. According to Chris Lee (1998) in an article regarding the Father of Adult

Learning, Malcolm Knowles, “…adults tend to have a problem centered orientation (to

Axia College 36

learning)… adults seek the skills or knowledge they need to apply to real-life problems they

face" (p. 3). In today’s fast-changing environment, many adults find themselves overwhelmed

with advances in technology, so many of today’s adult learning programs address the need for

training and instruction in technological advances. Tom Nesbit (1999) describes how adult

education helps adults react to changes in our rapidly developing world, whether on the job or in

the classroom. <-This paragraph begins the description of "adult education philosophy" with the

elements that contribute to the philosophy.

Adult education programs should be structured with the adult learning style in mind. <-

This is the topic sentence for this paragraph. Since most adult learners are self-motivated, the

adult learner desires knowledge but may resent being forced into a specific learning

environment. Adult learners have a tank full of experiences that fuel the learning experience, so

the more closely codified techniques used in childhood education do not apply. Susan Imel

(1998) offers a few key points for the design of adult education programs: learners need to be

involved in planning and implementing learning activities, program developers need to use the

learners’ previous experiences, and the facilitator of the adult education program should create

an environment supportive of both learning and collaboration. <-This paragraph describes the

elements of adult educational motivation, which affects the considerations of the creators of the

adult education program.

When designing adult education programs, the developer must remember Knowles'

insights: “Adults become ready to learn things that they need to know or to be able to do in order

to fulfill their role in society" (cited in Lee, 1998, p. 3). Adult learning programs should be

personally important to the adult learner because adults desire to learn for a multitude of reasons:

intrinsic motivation, development of social relationships, job requirement, career advancement,

Axia College 37

desire for mental stimulation, and the need to seek knowledge. <-This is the topic sentence for

this paragraph. Knowles notes that, “Adults are more motivated to learn by internal factor, such

as increased self-esteem, than they are by external rewards like pay raises and promotions" (cited

in Lee, 1998, p. 3). Admittedly, adults also may learn in a grudging manner, especially if higher

authority forces it upon them (and unfortunately, this platform characterizes much adult

education), but self-directed adults prefer to make individual choices. <-This paragraph

continues the description of adult learner motivations and the subsequent developer

considerations.

An adult college student typically expresses a motivation to fulfill educational goals,

seeking postgraduate degrees for additional success in a chosen profession. No longer with the

abstract educational goal of the teenage college student, the adult university student typically

describes his or her motivation as desire for knowledge and to satisfy an inquiring mind, but

personal advancement specifically in areas of job enrichment and development has acquired a

higher priority, whether spoken or not. <-This is the topic sentence of this paragraph. <-This

paragraph treats learner characteristics more closely.

Some adults are motivated to learn in the interest of brining about social change. <-This

is the topic sentence for this paragraph. The learner may desire to participate in community work

and show an improved ability to serve mankind. According to Paulo Freire, programs seeking to

bring about social changes and modern activism use “education as a liberating force" (cited in

Tisdell & Taylor, 2000, p. 5), which echoes the motivations of younger learners in that the adult

reaches personal fulfillment and knowledge in more abstract terms. <-This paragraph continues

examination of the adult learner while comparing to the young learner.

Axia College 38

Adult education is most successful as the learner sees the relevance of the proffered

information and skills, but adult learners bring experiential knowledge to the learning

environment, so as life experiences are varied, so must the educational program avoid

confinement to a single theory or philosophy. Responsibility for success in adult education falls

upon both the facilitator of the learning program and the learner—internal motivation is the

primary reason for adult learning, so continual evaluation of one’s educational philosophy (for

both facilitator and learner) is important. The ultimate adult educational philosophy is that what

one believes ultimately impacts what one achieves educationally as either developer, facilitator,

or learner. <-The conclusion paragraph introduces no new material but rather expresses a

synthesis of information stated above and draws the reader to the conclusion (in this case, the

final sentence).

Axia College 39

References







Nesbit, T. (1999). Mapping adult dducation. Educational Theory, 49(2), 75-90. Retrieved







Axia College 40

Analysis Essay Sample

An analysis essay takes the subject and identifies its components, looking clearly at the elements that make up the subject. Useful words in such an essay are first, second, third, and so on, and another, in addition, moreover, and next,.


Claire Alexander

Axia College

Axia College 41

Constructing an Adult Education Course






Adult education is centuries old, and the philosophy of teaching adults has developed into

formalized practices of higher education and more informal techniques such as employee-

training sessions at the local supermarket. The challenge of creating an educational program

specifically for adults must recognize that, regardless of formality, adults have learning styles

that affect the program, and they have different reasons for learning. The components of an

effective adult education programs are the recognition of the unique characteristics of adult

learners and the consideration of the theories of adult education. <-This sentence is the thesis

statement of the essay.

<- Paragraphs below, in the body of the essay, discuss the subject and explain more fully

the thesis statement.

The primary purpose of any education is the acquisition of knowledge, but adult learners

are often faced with real-life situations that require additional skills, and their purposes for

education are more pragmatic. According to Chris Lee (1998) in an article regarding the Father

of Adult Learning, Malcolm Knowles, “…adults tend to have a problem centered orientation (to


face" (p. 3). In today’s rapidly changing environment, many adults are overwhelmed with

advances in technology, so many of today’s adult learning programs are composed of training

Axia College 42

and instruction in technological advances. <-This is the topic sentence of this paragraph. The rest

of the paragraph should contribute to it. Tom Nesbit (1999) describes how adult education helps

adults react to changes in the developing world, whether on the job or in the classroom. <-This

paragraph begins the analysis of the adult education philosophy with focus on its elements: the

requirements for creation of educational programs.

As adult education programs are structured with adult learning styles in mind,

acknowledging that most adult learners are self-motivated, the programs must also recognize that

although the adult learner desires knowledge, he or she may resent being forced into a specific

learning environment. Adult learners have a tank full of experiences that fuel the learning

experience, so elements of the more closely codified techniques used in childhood education,

such as rote repetition, do not apply. Susan Imel (1998) points out a few key components of adult

education programs: learners need to be involved in planning and implementing learning

activities, program developers need to use the learners’ previous experiences, and the facilitator

of the adult education program should create an environment supportive of both learning and

collaboration, such as roundtable discussions, allowing adult-learner participation in

presentation, and/or greater flexibility in classroom time. <-This is the topic sentence for this

paragraph. <- This paragraph describes additional elements of adult education program

formation.



to fulfill their role in society" (cited in Lee, 1998, p. 3), which forms yet another component of

the successful adult education program. Adult learning programs need to be personally important

to the adult learner. Adults desire to learn for a multitude of reasons: first, intrinsic motivation;

Axia College 43

second, development of social relationships; third, job requirement; fourth, career advancement;

fifth, desire for mental stimulation;, and sixth, the need to seek knowledge. <-This is the topic

sentence for this paragraph. Knowles notes that, “Adults are more motivated to learn by internal

factor, such as increased self-esteem, than they are by external rewards like pay raises and

promotions" (cited in Lee, 1998, p. 3). An adult education program is more effective if the

learners have a say in study hours, study material, study extent, and other elements of the

program. <-This paragraph continues the description of adult learner motivations and the

subsequent developer considerations.

Although many adult-education programs are very pragmatic, another component of

adult education is the abstract: some adults are motivated to learn in the interest of bringing

about social change. <-This is the topic sentence for this paragraph. The learner may desire to

participate in community work and show an improved ability to serve mankind. According to

Paulo Freire, programs seeking to bring about social changes and modern activism use

“education as a liberating force" (cited in Tisdell & Taylor, 2000, p. 5). Civic volunteer programs

must make use of the tenets of adult education because their participants are typically middle-

aged and older. <-This paragraph continues examination of the adult learner while comparing to

the young learner.

Adult education is most successful as the learner sees the relevance of the information

and skills, but adult learners bring experiential knowledge to the learning environment, so just as

life experiences are varied, so must the educational program avoid confinement to a single theory

or philosophy. This means that the developer and facilitator must be continually aware of new

developments and continually observant of classroom successes and failures in the ongoing

presentation of the material—in other words, the components of a successful adult education

Axia College 44

theory are on continual change. <-The conclusion paragraph introduces no new material but

rather expresses a synthesis of information stated above and draws the reader to the conclusion.

Axia College 45

References







Nesbit, T. (1999). Mapping adult dducation. Educational Theory, 49(2), 75-90. Retrieved







Axia College 46

Cause and Effect Essay Sample

A cause and effect essay traces known (or probable) effects from a cause, or it discusses the causes that led to known or probable effects. It would contain words like as a result, because, consequently, for this reason, and therefore.

How the Philosophy of Adult Education Changes Teaching

Claire Alexander

Axia College

Axia College 47

How the Philosophy of Adult Education Changes Teaching






Adults have been "taught" for hundreds of years, but only recently has the philosophy of

teaching adults developed into truly effective formalized practices of higher education and

successful informal techniques such as employee-training sessions at the local supermarket. As a

result, without considering the special requirements of the adult learner and leaning on age-old

techniques used to tech children, education would be ineffective with older learners, would

contribute to unemployment with its failure to empower the employee, and would add to the

deterioration of the national standard of living. <- This sentence is the thesis statement of the

essay. Behind each adult education process, regardless of formality, is the concept that adults

have learning styles that affect the program and that adults have different reasons for learning.

Consequently, in order to develop adult education programs and also to teach them effectively,

the educator must consider the unique characteristics of adult learners and the developing

theories of adult education. At its most successful, adult education requires careful consideration

by developer, facilitator, and learner. <- This is the introduction. Paragraphs below, in the body

of the essay, develop the ideas mentioned in the introduction (in this case, "how the philosophy

of adult education affects teaching") and explain more fully the thesis statement.

The primary purpose of any education is the acquisition of knowledge. To grade school

students and teenagers in high school, "learning" is an abstract idea, but adult learners are often

Axia College 48

faced with real-life situations that require additional skills, and their purposes for education are

more pragmatic. According to Chris Lee (1998) in an article regarding the Father of Adult

Learning, Malcolm Knowles, “…adults tend to have a problem centered orientation (to


face" (p. 3). Therefore, in today’s fast-paced, ever-changing environment, many adults are

overwhelmed with advances in technology, very many of today’s adult learning programs

address the need for training and instruction in technological advances. Earlier organizations

tasked with employee training discovered that "familiar" teaching technique no longer worked.

<-This is the topic sentence of this paragraph. The rest of the paragraph should contribute to it.

Such time-honored concepts as sitting in classrooms, memorizing lessons, daily quizzes and

tests, and even specified classroom hours can require adaptation and adjustment for the adult

learner, as illustrated by Tom Nesbit's description of adult education helping adults react to the

rapidly developing world—whether on the job or in the classroom (1999). <-This paragraph

begins the description of how adult education philosophy affects teaching techniques with the

elements that contribute to the philosophy.

With the discovery that adults learn differently from children, adult education programs

began to be structured with the adult learning style in mind. <-This is the topic sentence for this

paragraph. Most adult learners are self-motivated: the adult learner desires knowledge but may

resent being forced into a specific learning environment. Adult learners have a tank full of

experiences that fuel the learning experience. The creation of lessons for children can be simple,

a recitation and explanation by the teacher followed by some mimicking by the pupils, but the

need for adult education caused programs to be created with psychological strategies of

interaction and cooperation. Susan Imel (1998) offers a few key points for the design of adult

Axia College 49

education programs: learners need to be involved in planning and implementing learning

activities, program developers need to use the learners’ previous experiences, and the facilitator

of the adult education program should create an environment supportive of both learning and

collaboration. <-This paragraph describes the elements of adult educational motivation, which

affects the considerations of the creators of the adult education program.



to fulfill their role in society" (cited in Lee, 1998, p. 3). For these reasons, adult learning

programs need to be personally important to the adult learner. Adults desire to learn for a

multitude of reasons: intrinsic motivation, development of social relationships, job requirement,

career advancement, desire for mental stimulation, and the need to seek knowledge. <-This is the

topic sentence for this paragraph. Knowles notes that, “Adults are more motivated to learn by

internal factor, such as increased self-esteem, than they are by external rewards like pay raises

and promotions" (cited in Lee, 1998, p. 3). Admittedly, adults also may learn in a grudging

manner, especially if higher authority forces it upon them (and unfortunately, this is the platform

on which much adult education is formulated), but adults are self-directed and prefer to make

individual choices. <-This paragraph continues the description of adult learner motivations and

the subsequent developer considerations.

Whereas the education of young college students is designed to provide them with

knowledge to develop themselves occupationally, socially, and culturally, the typical adult

college student is motivated to fulfill more specific, personal goals which may not include many

"traditional" college objectives—postgraduate degrees sought by adult students are usually for

additional success in a chosen profession. A college education for the teenage high school

Axia College 50

graduate is often an abstract concept, and indeed the adult entering a university typically

describes his or her motivation as desire for knowledge and to satisfy an inquiring mind, but

personal advancement specifically in areas of job enrichment and development has acquired a

higher priority for the adult, whether on the job or in the classroom.<-This is the topic sentence

of this paragraph. <-This paragraph treats learner characteristics more closely.

As a result, whereas education for younger students may consist of information totally

new to them, adult education is most successful as the learner sees the relevance of the

information and skills to knowledge already attained. Effective adult education programs use the

experiential knowledge adult learners bring to the learning environment, and also, as the

experiences of life are many and varied, so must the educational program avoid confinement to a

single theory or philosophy. As the changing world has made continued education a necessity,

success in adult education has become an obligation to adapt the learning program to the

learner—internal motivation is the primary reason for adult learning, requiring continual

evaluation of the educational process. <-The conclusion paragraph introduces no new material

but rather expresses a synthesis of information stated above and draws the reader to the

conclusion (in this case, the final sentence).

Axia College 51

References







Nesbit, T. (1999). Mapping adult education. Educational Theory, 49(2), 75-90. Retrieved



Date post:	12-Sep-2021
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