Four Ways to Increase
Learning
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Assign a journal
Journal assignments take a variety of forms: field notes or
lab notes, reading response journals, daily comments on
public events, inventories, personal reactions. Journals can
be public or private. Communicating by way of an e-mail
distribution list is an example of a public journal. For a
successful journal assignment, monitor progress, read
entries frequently, and define parameters.
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Assign microthemes
Microthemes are brief essays written in a limited amount of
space, such as a 5" by 7" index card. Use this kind of
assignment when you would like something more formal than
journal writing. Evidence suggests that frequent, short
pieces of writing have a more positive effect (for learning
and writing) than one long piece of writing. Microthemes
challenge students to communicate concisely what they have
learned.
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Manage the long-term paper
Establish frequent assignments that begin early in the
process. Start with a proposal that has a defined format.
Ask for several progress reports over a period of weeks. Or
ask for reviews of specific sources being used in the term
paper. Assign microthemes along the way--definitions of key
concepts, descriptions of major processes. Ask for analysis
as well as summaries or reports very early in term-paper
assignments.
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Establish a community of writers
Create a system to engage your students in each other's
writing projects. For instance, if you assign an article
review, establish pairs or trios of students to read two or
three articles so that they can use each other for debate
and analysis as they each write one of the reviews. If all
of your students are writing on the same topic, establish a
system in which groups of students (three or four) read each
other's drafts and then write an analysis of the
similarities and differences in their papers. Reproduce a
professional writing context: establish a system of blind
review among your students for formal pieces of writing.
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Four Ways
to Increase Class Participation
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Five minutes of in-class writing
At the beginning of class discussion: Start the
discussion by asking a question that everyone writes about
for five minutes. The quality and quantity of class
participation in the ensuing oral discussion is guaranteed
to increase.
In the middle of a lecture or discussion: This is a
good technique to create a break in the lecture, to start a
new direction, or to encourage active participation.
At the end of a lecture or discussion: Ask students
to summarize what has been said, to identify the main points
of the class period, to identify points of confusion or
misunderstanding. Or ask students to write their responses
if the material has been controversial.
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Fifteen minutes of out-of-class writing
Assign a topic or ask a question based on reading or class
materials that students will address in fifteen minutes
writing (a page or less). Do this frequently--once a week or
every class period. Expect many students to complete the
assignment right before class. This kind of writing will
promote class discussion. Consider asking students to
exchange their writing at the beginning of class and write
responses. They will be uneasy at first, but if this kind of
writing becomes a regular feature of the class, they will
become quite good at responding.
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Student responses to student questions
This kind of assignment works especially well in technical
fields. Ask students to write down their questions on an
index card ("I don't understand how..."). Students exchange
cards and write answers to the questions. The answers can be
written in class or out of class. Extend this assignment by
asking two or more students to write responses for
comparison.
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E-mail communication
Ask students to communicate with you weekly by e-mail. You
can identify specific topics that they will address. Create
a version of an Internet list group or news group with an
e-mail distribution list for your class (it's relatively
easy to do this).
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