I have been doing a lot of reading this summer…but little “fun” reading, or at least not a lot of articles that would be of broader interest. So these Friday Fragments have been on an inconsistent schedule over the summer; I’ll be back to weekly posts on August 20th.
What I’m reading…
Planning for Student Engagement is focused on middle school teachers, full disclosure, but the strategies outlined to give choice (which I’ve written about before in terms of demonstrating mastery and offering low-stakes assignments) and flexibility (in course design & delivery) are easily adaptable.
Free Speech on Campus: How Universities Can Communicate Our Policies and Values
Free speech, academic freedom, and inclusion are at the core of the modern university’s mission. Students, faculty, and staff deserve ready access to their institution’s positions regarding these values and the policies that bring these values to life.
Older, but still interesting: Six Thinking Scaffolds That Can Move Students Toward Deeper Levels of Understanding offers a few strategies for helping students take charge of their learning. The authors base their suggestions on research looking at “problem-based learning simulations” in biology.
Prompt students to include context: “What information led you to that conclusion? Is there anything that you don’t know yet or that you can wonder about?”
Ask open-ended questions: “What do you mean? Can you say more about that?”
Help students transfer knowledge and experience: “Is there anything that you already understand that might help you here?
Leave room for student ownership: “That’s up to you. I don’t know the patient. How are you going to handle that?”
Invite and manage risk: “That’s a good idea worthy of further discussion.”
Encourage reflection: “How did it go for your team? How are you managing your learning?”
Some of these suggestions make me think of the R2C2 feedback model for performance-based activities, where dialogue encourages reflection, planning, and attempting a task again.