Reformulating Paraphrasing
BCTEAL 2014
JENNIFER WALSH MARR
Purpose & Context
 What is the purpose of paraphrasing?
 Where & how is it introduced?
BC EAP Articulation Guide
 Subskill: Writing III

i. Write accurate paraphrases and summaries
Textbook Introduction
Skills for Effective Writing 4 (2013) Cambridge University Press
Institutional Context
Institutional Context
“Paraphrasing is not easy. In particular, it is impossible to
paraphrase something you do not really understand. If you
don't understand it, you will be overly dependent on the
original words of your source. This can be a challenge for
anyone studying a new subject or working in a second
language.”
-SFU Canvas (LMS)
https://canvas.sfu.ca/courses/15986/wiki/3-dot-3-paraphrasing
Analysis
 “…the current ways of addressing the issue of
plagiarism and textual borrowing in existing
writing courses may well be failing developing
academic writers.” (Tomaš, 2010, pg. 224)
Literature Review
 Disagreement among “experts” as to what’s
acceptable and not:

Inconsistent instruction:


Tomaš & Rosenberg (2005) found textbooks contradicted one
another with regards to instructions on how to paraphrase and
whether there was room for student writers’ own interpretation or
input in the paraphrase (Tomaš, 2010)
Inconsistent performance

University instructors’ own paraphrasing “involved verbatim
repetition to an extent which could be regarded as plagiarism”
(Roig, 2001, cited in Pecorari & Shaw, 2012)
Inconsistent Modeling
 Instructors don’t necessarily model appropriate referencing and
acknowledgement with source materials in their classes, lessons and
handouts.
 It’s hypocritical to have “loose referencing practices perpetuated” by
instructors themselves (Tomaš, 2010, pg. 240)
Requirements
 Competence & authority
 “successful textual borrowing requires “understanding of others’
work, being able to restate that understanding, having the
intellectual confidence to admit another’s precedence, and …
mastering the control of various tools for the proper display of
this recognition.” (Borg, 2000, cited in Tomaš, 2010, pg. 224,
emphasis mine)
 Legitimacy to develop incrementally, through stages
Legitimate Stages
 Copying?
 “copying, …, might provide a useful early step in the
composing process, a way for them to develop a felt sense of
written English,… a vehicle for learning the language and
conventions they are attempting to appropriate” (Currie, 1998,
pg. 14, emphasis mine)

“… a useful strategy for developing writers who are still in the
process of acquiring a new language” (Keck, 2010, pg. 194).

Mining texts for structures, gambits, vocabulary
Requirements
 Competence & authority through legitimate stages
 Sustained practice:

Starting early (as social practice)

Contextualized (common/shared texts)

I would argue in various forms (both written and oral)
What instructors say they want:
 Tomaš’ survey of instructors (2010, p. 234-236):

Practice

Explicit process (not just the product)

Textual Strategies

Learning Strategies
Textual Strategies
 Functional gambits
 Reported Speech
 Collocations
 “verbs listing attribution” (Tomaš, 2010, p. 237)
 Disciplinary words
Textual strategies
 Disciplinary words
 “Texts on a common topic necessarily draw on a particular
shared pool of words and phrases, both technical and
metadiscoursal, and also to some extent have shared
preferences for grammatical structures” (Biber, Johansson,
Leech, Conrad & Finegan, 1999, cited in Pecorari & Shaw,
2012, pg. 150, emphasis mine)
 “students also need a sensitivity towards which words or
phrases are considered to be unique or technical, and thus
must be quoted or paraphrased; which words are so commonly
used that they need not be quoted; and which words are so
essential to the texts’ main idea that should not be replaced
with synonyms” (Keck, 2010, pg. 217)
Learning Strategies

Notetaking

Key word identification

Source synthesis:

An appreciation for “intertextuality” “the relationship between two
or more texts” (Pecorari & Shaw, 2012, pg. 149)
Implications:
 Paraphrasing is a nuanced skill.
 It takes time and practice.
 It requires socialization.
Where to go from here
 Context

How do we introduce and rationalize paraphrasing?
 Models & Practice

How can we support our students’ development?
 Modes

Is it purely a writing skill?
 Assessment

Can we make our assessment both nuanced and transparent?
Modes
 BC EAP Articulation Guide:

Reading subskill level III


Listening subskill level III


e. Make useful study notes from reading
h. Take notes
Speaking subskill level III

b. Some rewording or rephrasing to clarify meaning
Sample Textbooks
Context
Avery, J., Robinson Fellag, L. (2006) College Reading 3
Guided Practice
Thaine, C. (2012) Cambridge Academic English: Intermediate
More guided practice
Thaine, C. (2012) Cambridge Academic English: Intermediate
Text analysis
Hewings, M. (2012) Cambridge Academic English: Upper Intermediate
Different Modes
Hewings, M. (2012) Cambridge Academic English: Upper Intermediate
Guided practice in different modes
Assignment to students:
1) State which theory you agree with (summarize it
briefly)
2) Explain why it’s a better idea
3) Give a warning of what might happen if we don’t follow
this theory.
Craven, M., Sherman, K. (2011) Q3 Skills for Success Listening & Speaking
Requirements
 Competence & authority
 “successful textual borrowing requires “understanding of others’
work, being able to restate that understanding, having the
intellectual confidence to admit another’s precedence, and …
mastering the control of various tools for the proper display of
this recognition.” (Borg, 2000, cited in Tomaš, 2010, pg. 224,
emphasis mine)
 Legitimacy to develop incrementally, through stages
Rationale
This guided, sustained practice should help students:
 Build their critical thinking & synthesis skills
 Develop their voice & authority
 Establish themselves as legitimate participants in the
academic community
Our learning outcomes
 We see paraphrasing as a nuanced, social skill
Therefore, we:
 Introduce paraphrasing early
 Revisit regularly & with a variety of approaches
 Give opportunity to develop over time
 Discontinue the “othering”, punitive discourse