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Title
Your name
Research Biology Summer Assignment
Date submitted
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Title
Introduction
This template is in APA format. Type over the sample text with your own text. A
research paper is a compilation on authoritative sources. When you use information from a
source, you must cite that source in the body of the paper: an “in-text” citation. APA format uses
a specific set of rules to guide citations. The simplest ways are:
For an organization such as a government website or news service site when no author is
listed:
Example: Only about 28% of those interviewed said they did not understand the Electoral
College system well, while 72% said they understood how it works at least "somewhat well”
(Gallup News Service, 2001).
When the author is given:
Example: “Electing a US President in Plain English” (LeFever, 2008) was merely one of
many instructional events that could be analyzed through the lens of a variety of learning
theories.
When the year of publication is unknown:
Example: We organized the task by creating a “Google document” (Google Docs, n.d.),
with an assignment table where each member proposed, and volunteered for, writing assignments
for the various sections of the paper.
Previous Research and Data
You must cite 10 credible sources in this paper. The text of this paper should be about
1000 words. In this example, we chose to examine a video produced by the Common Craft and
voiced by Lee LeFever, which incorporates a number of learning strategies to help students
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understand, master, and later be able to interact with the political process in a meaningful way.
“Electing a US President in Plain English” (LeFever, 2008) was merely one of many
instructional events that could be analyzed through the lens of a variety of learning theories. In
order to choose an event to analyze, our group members submitted video clips that met the intent
of the assignment, via e-mail, for review and discussion. It became quickly apparent that this
collaborative effort required an event that was easily accessible, particularly in depth and breadth
of content, to all members of the group. Of the alternatives presented, this particular video
appealed to all group members. As voters, we could all relate to both the complexity and
significance of the Electoral College, and it was obvious that several learning theories could be
applied to analyzing the content of the video.
We organized the task by creating a “Google document” (Google Docs, 2011), with an
assignment table where each member proposed, and volunteered for, writing assignments for the
various sections of the paper. We also used this table to propose how we would apply learning
theories to the analysis of the video. As we solidified our writing tasks, we added to the on-line
document in real time. There were numerous advantages to using the Google document to
organize the task. All work and ideas up for discussion were visible to all members at all times.
All members could work on the document simultaneously. We added comments and discussion
points as sidebars to the body of the paper. Editing was easily accomplished through the on-line
word processor. Our member who set up this method to facilitate collaboration for the group was
wise indeed!
Pulling together the final paper was a simple matter of pasting the Google document into
MS Word with an APA formatting add-on tool. To ensure uniformity of style and transitions,
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one group member took responsibility for this task. The “final draft” was then sent by e-mail for
final review and comment before submission.
Future Implications and Impact on Humans
The video, “Electing a US President in Plain English,” explains the presidential election
process thoroughly and simply, using a number of visual strategies that organize the information.
A learner can focus on any number of symbols utilized in the video and would be able to
understand their meaning with at least some prior knowledge. For this reason, among many
others, the video naturally appeals to a diverse audience. For example, on many of the
illustrations, the red and blue colors are used to show differences in political parties- Republican
and Democrat. However, even if the learner does not have the prior knowledge of these political
parties, he will still be able to make the connection that voters are deciding between two different
options, as indicated by the different colors. The same idea is present when illustrations use
triangles, circles, or rectangles in place of particular political candidates or parties. In context,
this instructional event is a useful tool to introduce the concepts in a seventh grade civics class
where students may have very little prior knowledge, or may be used as a recall cue in a higher
level class (such as eleventh grade American Government) to activate prior knowledge and pave
the way for a deeper discussion on the political process, political parties, redistricting, and/or
campaign finance.
In order to examine exactly how the video creates a more accessible foundation to
interpret a rather complex political process, as laid out in the US Constitution, one must examine
a number of different learning theories. To begin, it is clear by the video’s use and assumed
understanding of logic and mathematical knowledge, that there is some expectation that the
learner has reached a certain developmental stage, as described by Piaget. However, there are
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also numerous examples of how the video implements many other theories to make the
information meaningful. First, as Bruner would recommend, iconic imagery is used to clarify
meaning. Additionally, attention to schema and cognitive structure helps the learner to organize
and make meaning of the new information. Finally, once the new information is introduced and
accommodated, it is also important to consider how the cognitive information processing theory
tracks how the information presented is processed and stored to long-term memory. An
examination of each of these strategies, evident in the video, collectively helps to answer the
question: how can the process of electing a US President be presented in a simple, yet
meaningful way?
Future Impacts
Piaget’s theory is based on the idea that learning is a process of continuous selfconstruction. Within his theory, Piaget describes three types of knowledge that children acquire:
physical, logical-mathematical and social-arbitrary knowledge. The second, logicalmathematical knowledge, is constructed within the learners’ minds, which involves construction
of knowledge about relationships between objects. In other words, after fully acquiring physical
knowledge of an object, the learner develops understanding of how "different," "similar," or "the
same in weight" the objects are. For example, "the similarity or difference between one chip and
another does not exist in one chip or the other, nor anywhere else in external reality...this
relationship exists only in the minds of those who can create it between the objects" (Kamii &
DeClark, 1985) When the video explains how each person gets to choose one president and his
vice president, it is represented by a large circle and a small circle (or large triangle and a small
triangle). By using different sized shapes, it implies the difference of the authorities between the
two: the president and the vice president. The viewer needs to have created a previous
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understanding of larger versus smaller, and to apply that relationship to the representation of
level of authority between the president and the vice president. (Bruner, 1964 as cited in
Driscoll, 2005).
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References
<The reference section is an alphabetical listing of all of the sources you cited in your paper.
For this paper, you need at least 10 references. Articles in print or from the web are written in
plain type. Books and videos are in italics. Titles are written in sentence case, not Title Case.
You will find the proper format for several different types of citations listed below. Delete this
text before printing>
Bruner, J. S. (1964). The course of cognitive growth. American Psychologist, 19, 1-15.
Bruner, J. S. (1966). Toward a theory of instruction. Cambridge, MA: Belknap.
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3 ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education, Inc.
Gallup News Service (2001, January 5). Americans support proposal to eliminate Electoral
College system. Retrieved November 30, 2011, from
http://www.gallup.com/poll/2140americans-support-proposal-eliminate-electoral-collegesystem.aspx
Google (2011). Google Docs. Retrieved November 30, 2011, from
http://docs.google.com/document
Kamii, C., & DeClark, G. (1985). Young children reinvent arithmetic. New York, NY: Teachers
College Press.
LeFever, L. (2008). Electing a US president in plain English [Video podcast]. : Common Craft.
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ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY
Bruner, J. S. (1964). The course of cognitive growth. American Psychologist, 19, 1-15.
This is a separate assignment from the Research Paper. DO NOT substitute Annotated
Bibliography for the reference page of your research paper! List your 10 APA references
alphabetically, then, replace this text with your own. An annotated bibliography is a
references page with annotations of your sources. An annotation is a one to two
paragraph summary of each source that includes a description of the information; how it is
useful to your research and/or different from your other sources; and your explanation of
why the source is considered authoritative. An annotation is different than an abstract
because it does more than just summarize the source; it also evaluates the source and
describes its relevance to your research. Annotations are written in your own words - it is
not acceptable to copy and paste abstracts or reviews others have written about your source.
Bruner, J. S. (1966). Toward a theory of instruction. Cambridge, MA: Belknap.
An annotated references page is a references page with annotations of your sources. An
annotation is a one to two paragraph summary of each source that includes a description of
the information; how it is useful to your research and/or different from your other sources;
and your explanation of why the source is considered authoritative. An annotation is
different than an abstract because it does more than just summarize the source; it also
evaluates the source and describes its relevance to your research.
Driscoll, M. P. (2005). Psychology of learning for instruction (3 ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson
Education, Inc.
An annotated references page is a references page with annotations of your sources. An
annotation is a one to two paragraph summary of each source that includes a description of
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the information; how it is useful to your research and/or different from your other sources;
and your explanation of why the source is considered authoritative. An annotation is
different than an abstract because it does more than just summarize the source; it also
evaluates the source and describes its relevance to your research.
Gallup News Service (2001, January 5). Americans support proposal to eliminate Electoral
College system. Retrieved November 30, 2011, from
http://www.gallup.com/poll/2140americans-support-proposal-eliminate-electoral-collegesystem.aspx
An annotated references page is a references page with annotations of your sources. An
annotation is a one to two paragraph summary of each source that includes a description of
the information; how it is useful to your research and/or different from your other sources;
and your explanation of why the source is considered authoritative. An annotation is
different than an abstract because it does more than just summarize the source; it also
evaluates the source and describes its relevance to your research.
Google (2011). Google Docs. Retrieved November 30, 2011, from
http://docs.google.com/document
An annotated references page is a references page with annotations of your sources. An
annotation is a one to two paragraph summary of each source that includes a description of
the information; how it is useful to your research and/or different from your other sources;
and your explanation of why the source is considered authoritative. An annotation is
different than an abstract because it does more than just summarize the source; it also
evaluates the source and describes its relevance to your research.