Monday, November 1, 2021

Engaging Students in Critical Reading

Over the past decade, we’ve learned a lot more about how our students read, or rather, often don’t read. Some of it comes from the fact that once students learn how to read, they’re not taught how to read to learn. In other words, they often are not taught explicit strategies needed to develop deeper and more critical reading skills. And if there is one thing we’ve learned about transferring skills between classes, it’s that explicit teaching of skills and strategies and explicit reflection of those same skills and strategies is hugely beneficial.

We’ve also learned that students lack the motivation to engage with their texts when they don’t understand the purpose of why they’re reading something.

The impact of online based reading is important, too. Online texts simply look different than books in a page. Aspects such as the lay out, the use of white space, of text boxes, and more impact the information students take from these pages. Teaching them explicit strategies for navigating these differences can be helpful.

Below are some general guidelines to keep in mind when assigning readings, followed by some classroom activities and/or homework you could consider in order to help students develop their critical reading skills.

General Guidelines

·       Incentivize students to complete their readings through the use of online responses, dialogic journals, submitted annotations, quizzes. Research has found that making work utilizing the readings worth NO LESS than 20% of their end grade dramatically increases student engagement with the readings.

·       Talk to students about why they’re reading a particular text. Are they reading for information? To write a summary? To compare information in one text to another? To determine if the text is appropriate for a research paper? To imitate an author’s style? To see an example or illustration of a particular idea or concept? Helping students understand why they are being asked to read a particular text can help them determine what strategies may be most helpful to use while reading that text.

·       Overtly teach critical reading skills and strategies. This means, literally, showing our students how to annotate a page or walking them other critical reading strategies such as a “Says/Does” activity or a “Doubting and Believing Game” activity. While we often mention these strategies while teaching, students are rarely shown how to do them and may be hesitant to ask.

·       Remember to teach strategies specific to your discipline or discuss common purposes for reading in your discipline. Research has shown that readers in specific disciplines often have strategies and tools they use specifically for their disciplines – such as the use of headers and the like.

·       Teach reading strategies specific to online and textual readings. Show them how to annotate on a screen and other practical skills.

      Teaching Activities

·       Active Reading (Marking Up the Text)

o   Demonstrate to students how to mark up a text. Read through a text together as a class and demonstrate how to do things like: underlie key words or ideas, circle or box words you want to remember or look up, place a question mark in places you have questions or write down the question in the margins, place a check mark next to significant ideas, and other annotation strategies.

o   If students are struggling, have them consider the following questions to help.

§  What issue is the writer focusing on?

§  What is the writer’s thesis, either explicit or implicit?

§  What tone is the writer taking?

§  Who is the audience for the piece?

§  What evidence is the writer using? Is it effective for the audience?

§  Do you agree with this author? Why or why not?

§  What connections can you make between this author and other texts you’ve read, either in class, in other classes, or outside of class?

·       Dialogic Journals

o   Ask students to do the following. On a piece of paper, make two columns. At the top of one column, write “Quotes”. At the top of the other, write “Response”. As you come across quotes or ideas that catch your attention in some ways, write them down in the first column. Be sure to include the page number. In the other column, write your response to that column. Include both why you wrote down that quote and your response.

·       Says/Does

o   Ask students to make very specific marginal notes. These notes should ask students to summarize, in less than a sentence, what the paragraph says and what the paragraph does. Do this for each paragraph in a text.

o   Example:

§  Says: People who teach students and study their research habits need to take into account the affective/emotional (rather than just the intellectual) aspects of conducting online research.

§  Does: Describes an otherwise neglected aspect of this research and argues for incorporating attention to it in studies.

·       The Doubting/Believing Game

o   This activity asks students to read a text, at least twice, making different notations for each reading.

§  For the first reading, you’re asked to go into the reading already doubtful. As you take notes and annotate, keep these concepts in mind.

·       Look for internal contradictions or lapses in logic.

·       Doubt all assertions, even reasonable ones.

·       Look for both hidden and not-so-hidden assertions and question them.

·       Compare with your own experiences and find places where they do not align.

·       Look for mistakes or imprecision.

§  For the second reading, you’re asked to believe the author and make notes looking at the following ideas as you read.

·       Don’t doubt assertions.

·       Take the perspective of another reader

·       Be willing to change your mind.

·       Find metaphors, analogies, and associations.

·       Consider examples, belief systems, and perspectives where the proposed thesis might make sense.

 

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

Save the date--March 3, 2022--

for a workshop on ungrading. Cate Denial, Bright Distinguished Professor of American History and Director of the Bright Institute at Knox College, will join us March 3 from 1-2:30 pm to facilitate "Making the Grade: An Introduction to Ungrading."

This workshop will provide an overview of the research for ungrading, varying levels of ungrading, and the opportunity for hands-on planning.

More information coming soon. 

Thursday, October 7, 2021

Let's Chat

We've been so energized by getting to see many of you again in the CTL--whether to talk about teaching or just to catch up. 

Please know that your well-being is forefront in my mind. And it's always ok to drop by my office (Cole 309--I moved!) for a conversation. If you are like me, you are still on the pandemic rollercoaster, and I'm here to tell you there's no right way to feel. And this On Being podcast really tackles this topic. If teaching feels overwhelming or the work-life balance seems more challenging than ever before, it is!

The Center for Teaching and Learning committee is preparing to meet and talk about plans for possible faculty development opportunities this year. I'm still happy to put together more teaching squares (a supportive group of your colleagues to bounce ideas off of, to visit your classroom, to just be there). If you would like a midterm visit, I'm happy to drop in to meet with your students to encourage them to reflect on their learning and to provide their thoughtful feedback to you. If there is a topic or area of focus you'd like the CTL committee to consider, please let me know.

We are always happy to hear from you!

Jen



Wednesday, September 29, 2021

What are you listening to?

Making time for our practice is often one of the real challenges we face in the teaching profession. But here are a few podcasts that might be interesting and, dare I say, fun to sneak into your routine.

Check out Season 3 of Dead Ideas in Teaching and Learning, where CTL Director Catherine Ross and guests address "teaching and learning systems in the academy and how they need to be changed. Topics include beliefs about rigor, the value of undergraduate education in research universities, how to generate systemic change in institutions, issues of equity, and how faculty are evaluated."

For a smorgasbord of conversations about teaching--ranging from open education to creativity in teaching and so much more--listen in to host Bonni Stachowiak as she interviews innovative thinkers Teaching in Higher Ed.

Check out Vanderbilt’s Leading Lines for inspiring conversations about using educational technology to enrich student learning.

For a resource-rich podcast on anti-racist pedagogy, the H.E.A.R.T. podcast has much to offer. And for a deeper dive, there is In the Margins.

Finally, if you love a crowd-sourced effort, here's a curated list from the Higher Ed Podcast Project. 

What are you listening to? 


Tuesday, September 21, 2021

Welcome!

After thinking for many months about the best way to provide information and share ideas about teaching and learning while trying to descrease the overwhelming amount of it all, I decided a blog might be the best choice. A place where you choose what's of interest to you.

Here you'll find teaching strategies, theories, ideas, discussions, and other forms of information. I'll include opportunities offered by the CTL for faculty development, and various opportunities that come to me from other sources. You'll find posts from our Studios and our consulting librarians. And we would love to hear from you. If you'd like to guest blog, please contact me. Keep this page bookmarked for weekly updates.

One place where we might begin this year is thinking about the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (SoTL), an inquiry-driven approach focusing on student learning. When I think of SoTL, I think about what I'm most interested in changing about my teaching for better student learning. I think about trying one new thing. A pedagogical experiment of sorts. Feel free to share what you're up to in the comments.




Engaging Students in Critical Reading

Over the past decade, we’ve learned a lot more about how our students read, or rather, often don’t read. Some of it comes from the fact that...