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Yep, I admit it, I drive the speed limit. I know a lot of
you out there don’t, but here is my reasoning:
1) It’s
the law I picked up on say…ah…a generation ago
2) I
don’t have enough money to pay for a ticket or higher car insurance costs
3) My
father always told me I was supposed to
I look to the subject of academic honesty in much the
same way so it can be difficult for me to understand why a student would choose
to plagiarize. In considering the idea of constructivist learning theory, one
might say that my choice to become a rule follower has been constructed from
meaning and experience tied to the notion of being obedient to higher
authorities. If that is where I draw my source of societal law abiding, how
come my children and grandchildren view rules and authority from another
angle? Perhaps, my words and actions are
inconsistent? Perhaps their experiences
differ greatly than mine or perhaps I’m missing the boat all together.
If as 21st century scholars we propose to value the balance of free speech, social learning and citing sources, how come we find it such a struggle to translate the notion of just how wrong it is to plagiarize to the millennium generation?
