tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post6707937934602643019..comments2024-03-14T04:16:20.472-07:00Comments on In Socrates' Wake: In-Class "Warm ups" and "Cool downs"?Michael Cholbihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02012523929044363216noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-53997819795465323112014-01-29T10:26:51.263-08:002014-01-29T10:26:51.263-08:00Hi - I know this is an old post - but in my grad s...Hi - I know this is an old post - but in my grad school and advanced undergrad classes many courses would have a graded requirement that at least one day of the semester you have to be the secretary. Further, the following class the prior secretary must provide printed and primed copies of their notes for everyone and give a presentation summary at the beginning of class. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-56759217031003300542011-12-07T08:47:25.364-08:002011-12-07T08:47:25.364-08:00Chris and Jim,
That seems like a great idea. I...Chris and Jim,<br /><br />That seems like a great idea. I'm of two minds about allowing laptops in the classroom and that might be a way of making sure those on laptops stay focused.Jennifer M Mortonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00605594189543742740noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-4099231672631835902011-12-06T16:38:32.015-08:002011-12-06T16:38:32.015-08:00Chris,
I require any student taking notes with a l...Chris,<br />I require any student taking notes with a laptop to email them to me immediately after class, with the understanding that there should be some correlation between the amount of time they spend on the computer and the quality/extent of the notes. It wouldn't be hard to then post the notes on Blackboard or whatever you use. Sharing it as a google document would be nice, then the class could edit the notes to improve them.Jim Spencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307914014334788688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-16228578575213849112011-12-06T14:58:26.688-08:002011-12-06T14:58:26.688-08:00Given how bad students tend to be regarding taking...Given how bad students tend to be regarding taking notes (if they even bother), this thread has got me thinking about whether it might be worth it to assign (on a rotating basis) the job of "class secretary". Such a person(s) would have the job of essentially "taking the minutes" for the important points raised by the instructor and by the class. <br /><br />I'm not sure how to properly integrate the idea, or how to assess it, but it might be worth a shot. I think it might be quite useful.Chris Panzahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01656795570624714115noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-36824245758436612992011-12-06T09:49:41.836-08:002011-12-06T09:49:41.836-08:00I have been better about doing this in the past, s...I have been better about doing this in the past, so this is a good reminder!<br /><br />I like to give a quick review of the main points of the last class period as a warm-up. Alternatively, I used to give a brief 3-4 bullet point description of what we'll cover in class that day, but have gotten away from rhis practice. Students have expressed appreciation for this in the past. I think it can be especially useful for helping to give them a context for what is going on at any given point during the class, which helps retention and understanding. I almost never do a cool-down, but it sounds like a useful thing to try.Mike Austinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02489700864050607425noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-62617092512187196592011-12-06T08:13:51.543-08:002011-12-06T08:13:51.543-08:00Excellent topic. Lately I have been doing two thin...Excellent topic. Lately I have been doing two things at the start of class. One is to ask someone to review what we talked about last class. Usually several students get involved, and they seem to pay more attention than if I am doing the review. I also have students write answers to the "discussion question of the day" on the board which we then discuss as a class. These seem to help get things warmed up pretty well. I will be posting more about the latter exercise soon.Jim Spencehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08307914014334788688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-33162525160188987462011-12-06T01:33:16.074-08:002011-12-06T01:33:16.074-08:00I also very much encourage the warm-up, because I ...I also very much encourage the warm-up, because I think it gets students thinking philosophically. Since I teach <i>eloquentia perfecta</i> sections (smaller class size, more emphasis on writing and public speaking) I usually have a student explain some related concept from previous classes, and then ask the class generally whether the philosopher we are studying today would agree with it. For example, when I teach Jackson's knowledge argument I start by having a volunteer (or selected, if none are forthcoming) rehearse Descartes's concept of substance dualism, and then open up the floor to a general discussion of whether a physicalist would accept Descartes's theory, and why or why not.<br /><br />I don't always do a cool-down portion (though I should!). The hold-back is not good intentions, but rather lack of time. When I do this formally, I have usually asked a student to summarize what they thought the most important point of the class was.layton-fordhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06007324049050052669noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8070355695530434450.post-61939134096833984442011-12-05T12:20:52.139-08:002011-12-05T12:20:52.139-08:00Vance, I'm very much in favor of the warm up/c...Vance, I'm very much in favor of the warm up/cool down approach. Warmup-wise, I use in-class writing a fair bit (along the lines of my June 15 post). Another thing I've done is a 'tell me what you know shout out': I ask the students to tell me whatever they know about something they read, and I jot their responses on the board. More generally, I often have an agenda I post on the board and I briefly describe each item before beginning.Michael Cholbihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02012523929044363216noreply@blogger.com