Group items tagged

One of the benefits of group work could be learning to negotiate different expectations about work styles in a group. Recognizing that up front, instead of 3/4ths of the way through the project when the wheels come off, might help students learn better in collaboration, and feel better about group work. I've seen exercises like this used in leadership or "team-building" exercises - there's no reason this activity wouldn't work with a committee or department.

Curating your own portfolio can be a valuable metacognitive exercise, helping students cement their learning and plan for the future. Or it can be an exercise in checking off boxes. Which sounds like a better use of student time and tuition dollars?

A report on studies which show the positive impact of exercise and being in nature on subjects' creativity and mood. Next time your class begs "can we have class outside", why not suggest a discussion during a walk to the other end of campus?

Interesting stuff in this article, from managing what can seem like a torrent of feedback, to thinking about the ways that different people respond to the same comments, to the metacognitive exercise of thinking about your own reactions. It's also worth noting that these tips come from a book that's not just for students - and the techniques might be useful for faculty and staff too.

Good tips for structuring peer review exercises so that they provide the feedback (and builde skills at attentive reading) which students need.

What exercises do you use to help students develop their abilities to engage points of view with which they may not agree?

This excerpt from Dee Fink's book "Creating Significant Learning Experiences" argues for using both "scoreboards" - clear and reliable grading criteria - and "applause" - praise for accomplishments - to motivate students. I was particularly taken with the exercise at the end of the section in which students and a professor collaborate on a letter to thank the student's previous teacher for contributing to the student's development.

Interesting ideas here about the value of requiring students to annotate their own work and the sources they consult. Note the point that these professors actually dedicate regular class time to the exercise.

Sometimes our talk about student creativity verges on treating it like a magic "special sauce". Here are some concrete exercises which we can teach students to seed or spark creative approaches.

Lots of faculty members give a "getting to know you" survey on the first day of class. This article gives an interesting frame for that exercise - how will you process and respond to the students?

A nice overview of metacognition by Jose Bowen, and a specific metacognitive exercise which could be added to any course activity. Any article which has citations from Socrates to 2013 ought to be popular at Kenyon...

Interesting review of a new book on writing pedagogy. The central message of the book appears to be one which I've heard many Kenyon faculty members discuss - deliver only a few critical messages to a student per writing exercise, based on their current stage of writing development. There's a much better chance that the student will take those one or two lessons to heart than if they're hidden in feedback which bleeds red ink.

This episode of NPR's Planet Money presents a good case study in applying the 4-factor fair use test. The topic is web sites which present song lyrics. In specific, they look at a site called RapGenius, which makes a "transformative use" case by providing a site where users can annotate and explicate lyrics. (Despite the name, the site includes any genre of music as well as poetry, prose, and news.) RapGenius also has an education program for faculty who want to use it as a classroom tool for close reading exercises.

A short open access textbook which presents main concepts of various kinds of information literacy to students. It includes case studies and hands-on exercises.

Do bullet points oversimplify the nuanced arguments in a lecture? I'm not prepared to give an unequivocal "yes" like this author, but I think questioning your PowerPoint style (and perhaps your students' lecture-attending style) is a good exercise.

The next step after the standing desk, perhaps? (Certainly I'd have a better chance keeping a desk that small clean...)

I've noticed this as a weak spot in my own workshops. Small assessment exercises can give a lot more clarity than a roomful of blank stares (or worse, one right answer).

Virtual and augmented reality have obvious benefits in capturing student attention but face questions about their potential to help students to make substantive gains in understanding--especially considering the costs of the equipment and the time needed to build activities. But it is not too early to consider how we want to use these technologies in the classroom, and it may prove a useful exercise in reimagining how we use the technology we already have access to.