Self-Assessment Exercise (Week 10):

Editing a Comparison and Contrast Analysis Essay

Task: Place yourself in the Examiner’s role and edit the following sentence outline and formal
essay. You will need to assess the language (grammar, diction and sentence structure), content
(relevance, credibility, and substance), organization (comprehensiveness, paragraphing and
sequencing), and documentation (citations) where needed.

Please do not submit your responses. It is a self-assessment exercise. Check your response
against the correct one that will be available on myeLearning by the end of the week.

______________________________________________________________________________

Topic: Compare and contrast two specific leisure activities used to promote learning at a named
level of schooling.

Thesis Statement: the leisure activities hiking and field trips, used in secondary schools to
promote learning are similar in site seeing but differ in the means of travel and the physical
requirement of the students.

Sub-Topics Topic Sentences

Sight seeing A major similarity between hiking and fieldtrips is sight seeing.

Means of On the other hand hiking differs from fieldtrips in the means of
travel
transport.

Physical Another main distinction between hiking and fieldtrips in secondary

requirement
schools is the physical requirement needed by the students.

According to Hailey Wise (2011) there has been an increase in the accessability to leisure

activities in the 20th century. This greater access has not only encouraged economic growth

through tourism but has also benefited the education system. Secondary schools have

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incorporated some leisure activities into schooling to enhance the learning experience. The

leisure activities hiking and fieldtrips used in secondary schools to promote learning are similar

in sight seeing but differ in the means of travel and the physical requirement of students.

A major similarity between hiking and fieldtrips is sight seeing. Secondary schools use hiking

and fieldtrips to give many geography students hands on experience in the field such as beaches

or volcanoes. Students in other areas of study such as business studies also do case studies

through fieldtrips to different organisations. The hikes and fieldtrips give students the extra

knowledge that cannot be obtained through books but through visiting the site itself. These

leisure activities are very similar in sight seeing and are essential to learning in secondary school.

On the other hand hiking differs from fieldtrips in the means of transport. Although both leisure

activities require a vehicle to transport students the means of transport is still very different.

Class field trips at the Secondary school level require a bus to transport students from school to

the site of interest.

Students would enter the bus and drop out at the site itself. On the other hand, when students

board a bus to go on a hike, the bus would drop them a far distance from their destination. The

hiking students would now have to hike as their main source of transport. Thus, the major

difference between transport in fieldtrips and hiking is that hikers walk as their transport whereas

students on a feildtrip are driven to their destination.

Another main distinction between hiking and fieldtrips in secondary schools is the physical

requirement needed by the students. School fieldtrips in most cases involve a long drive to the

destination. Students are comfortably seated and relaxed on the journey, using minimal amounts

of energy. Opposing that is the great amounts of physical strength and stamina required to

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complete a hike. Hiking normally involves steep hill climbs and large amounts of baggage to be

carried along. This is a major differentiating factor between fieldtrips and hiking.

Leisure activities such as hiking and fieldtrips have become linked to learning at the secondary

school level. The leisure activities share a similarity of site seeing but they are different in means

of transport and physical requirements of the students. These leisure activities have enhanced the

learning experience for many students.