How about a regularly scheduled two-to three-minute break in the middle of class? John A. Olmsted III recommends it for the following reasons: 1) it provides a change of pace and lets students recharge tired brains; 2) it can be used to get students involved with the content; and 3) it can be designed to [...]
Blog » Class Policies
Let’s Take a Break
Posted Thursday, July 8th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerStudents and Syllabus Development
Posted Tuesday, June 29th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerIf you want to involve students in the syllabus creation process, the best way to do that is deliberately with a concrete activity. Here are three articles that suggest specific ways students can be involved in developing aspects of the course that should appear on the syllabus.
Office Hours and Participation
Posted Thursday, February 18th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerKiren Dosanjh Zucker makes a great suggestion in an article on office hours we’re publishing in the March issue of the newsletter. She says that if you grade participation, you might consider letting students “participate” by coming to see you during office hours.
Making the Pop Quiz More Positive
Posted Thursday, February 4th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerThere’s something about the unannounced quiz that’s awfully punitive, probably reinforced by the way many instructors use them. Pop quizzes occur when there aren’t many students in class or when the class doesn’t appear to be well-prepared. They do get more students coming to class having done the reading but students are preparing because there [...]