Purpose Statement
Students are encouraged
to pay attention and to engage actively in their learning through short writing
assignments in class which interpret questions posed by the instructor.
Description of Activity
With some
frequency--perhaps twice in a 75 minute classroom session, students are asked
to write briefly on a posed question: the meaning of quotation, a short summary
of an argument presented, the definition of a term or brief explanation of a
concept, etc. Students the compare their responses with those of their peers.
Materials Needed
Paper, writing materials
and an attentive student.In a recent class students were asked to explain, for
example, the meaning of George Bancroft's observation that "the proper
role of public opinion in a democracy is not to make right but to discern what
is right." Students refined their responses in a collaborative way.
Application
Each exercise should
take no more than 5-6 minutes. Students are asked to refine their responses
based on further class discussion. Students are told that questions posed in
class could reappear as examination questions.
this web page was created
on 11/22/99 at 4:18:42 PM
and modified on 11/22/99 at 4:18:42 PM