This video explains how the Two Colour Technique can be used to protect students from plagiarism, and help them to express their own authentic critical voice.
When a student wants to express their own critical voice, and can do so without looking at a screen: they should write in a second colour, eg. purple.
When a student needs to look at a screen or has previously looked at a screen, to help them write something: they should write in black and carefully (cite) the source. Students should write in black even if they change, alter, muddle up, paraphrase, alter, or even improve the original text.
This technique renders paraphrasing and patchwriting redundant. When using text from other sources all students need to do is "quote" the text "in inverted commas" and carefully (cite) the source, whilst writing in black.
This combination of purple text, and carefully cited black text, creates a piece of writing that: protects the student from plagiarism, and also helps the student to express their own authentic critical voice.
Our research data has evidence that many students like this approach. The technique has been used successfully with both students writing in English as a first language (L1) and writing in English as a second language (L2).