Blogging Pedagogy

In two of the best grad classes I've taken, Tom Cable gave worksheets to fill out in response to each reading assignment. He didn't make us turn them in, they were just to help us get the main points from the readings. Sometimes he would point out an important passage without even asking a question.

I've started doing this for my students when they read from their textbook (except, they are undergrads, so I make them turn them in). I am getting great results so far. Each worksheet is worth 10 points. As I review their reading, I type up questions. None are intended to be tricky. The questions are in the order they appear in the book, and sometimes they even mention page numbers.

They have been answering the questions very thoroughly, and I feel like they are reading more carefully too. Some of the questions ask them to come up with examples, and a lot of them address issues that have confused students in past classes. Others just make them reiterate key points.

For example, I asked the question "why doesn't an author state her assumptions directly?" in order to help the students realize that assumptions are taken for granted. In past classes, some students have talked about an author "putting" assumptions into their arguments as if it was a conscious choice the author made. So the worksheet helps me prevent that misunderstanding.

At the beginning of class, the students pass in their worksheets, and then we go over the answers. So far, they have participated really well when we go over them--they are eager to tell their examples, and if they got a question wrong they are quick to ask clarifying questions.