I personally struggle with completing the readings for any class I am enrolled in. My perception is that a majority of students may have some of the same issues with time management. I think the author pointed out some great tips to help get students engaged in the readings, however, it is ultimately up to the student to get this accomplished.
Discussions can be a great way to get students involved. One thing that I have become very aware of is how individuals process things. We have had a number of workshops and seminars on learning styles and how individuals process questions. I tend to reply very quickly to a question and struggle as a facilitator with the time frame some individuals require to process the question and compile their response. I truly believe that this could lead to some individuals not participating in class as the discussion moves to quickly for them. By the time they internalize the question and prepare to answer, the discussion may have already moved on to another topic and they can feel that it is to late to provide their input or answer.
Another concept facilitators or instructors may struggle with is emotional reactions and conflict that may arise from that. An instructor should be equipped with a set of tools to assist with these types of situations. It would be a hard skill to learn but I believe is imperative to the success of a discussion.
I think an instructor can be setting themselves up by leading a discussion with a question. You run the risk that there will not be a response and the discussion will not progress.
Notetaking can be a challenge for students. I am one of those that tries to take down every word and can get frustrated when things move quickly.
A solution may be to offer through one of the tutoring program a course on note taking and time management for those struggling with accomplishing reading or missing information from notes.
Very interesting readings for this week.
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It's great to see you relating the concepts we are covering in class to your work with Leadership programs on campus. Your entries illustrate the utility of teaching skills outside the bounds of the traditional classroom. I think you also make a good point about giving students more time to formulate their answers in a discussion. If we, as teachers or facilitators, are seeking thoughtful answers, we need to allow our students enough time to devote thought to their responses.
ReplyDeleteFor future entries, focus on adding more detail to your teaching blog. Adding more information from the book, like a summary of the ideas you have highlighted as important, and a discussion of why you found these ideas useful, is a good place to start.
We are also sharing relevant additional resources via links at the bottom of our entries. Let me know if you'd like help embedding links. I'm happy to offer Blogger mini-tutorials at any time.