From Inquiry to Academic Writing A Practical Guide, 3rd edition

180 CHAPTER 7 | FRom SummARy To SynTHESiS

•   ^ Josh Keller points to two additional studies of writing to suggest that

students are developing literate practices that are more impressive

than those of previous generations. This can be attributed to the fact

that current students have more opportunities to write and they know

what it means to write for an audience. But he also observes that an

emerging body of evidence challenges these recent claims, forcing

educators to consider what constitutes good writing.

How do you formulate this information into a gist? you can use a tran-

sition word such as although or however to connect ideas that different

authors bring together while conveying their differences. Thus, a gist of

these essays might read:

GIST OF A SyNTHeSIS

Although Clive Thompson and Cynthia Haven suggest that new electronic

media have created a paradigm shift in the ways educators think about writ-

ing, journalists such as Josh Keller have also cited evidence that dampens

enthusiasm for the benefits of writing on blogs without students’ having

instruction in formal, academic writing.

Having drafted the gist, we returned to our notes on the worksheet

to complete the synthesis, presenting examples and using transitions to

signal the relationships among the texts and their ideas. Here is our brief

synthesis of the three texts:

Although Clive Thompson and Cynthia Haven suggest that

new electronic media have created a paradigm shift in the

ways educators think about writing, journalists such as Josh

Keller have also cited evidence that dampens enthusiasm

for the benefits of writing on blogs without students’ hav-

ing instruction in formal, academic writing. In particular,

Thompson cites research conducted at Stanford university

to challenge prevailing arguments about electronic media’s

effects on students’ literacy. The Stanford study, with its sam-

ple of more than 14,000 pieces of writing and randomized

sample of student participants, seems very persuasive.

Indeed, despite pundits’ complaints, students may be more

literate than in the past.

Cynthia Haven also analyzes the Stanford study, indi-

cating that we may very well be experiencing a revolution

in literacy. Students use electronic media to sustain social

networks and create change. As Thompson also points out,

students are writing more than ever before and are more

adept at applying principles of rhetoric than were students

The gist of our synthesis.

“Although” signals that

Thompson’s and Haven’s

arguments are qualified.

Specific example of a key

piece of evidence that

has sparked debate.

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