Action:

• Assign students to lead class discussions to provide leadership opportunity for students and to more fully engage all students in the discussion.
  • Ask students to share their plan for the discussion either in-person or in writing.
  • Provide resources to students for leading effective discussions.
  • Pomona faculty member Jon Moore has shared syllabus excerpts describing requirements for student-led discussions. Syllabus Excerpts.docx
• Assign students to summarize the key points from the previous class
  • At the beginning of each class assign a student to summarize the key points from this class at the beginning of the next class.
  • Require that students make reference in the summary to at least one student comment or question from that previous class
  • Ask students to present one question that arose for them while thinking about the key points
• Ask students to present a contemporary comparison
  • Ask students to prepare a comparison between the class material and something from contemporary life (e.g., from a newspaper, blog, video, song, book, etc.) that strikes them as in line with or contrary to one of the key points discussed in previous class.
• Assign students to critique any point they wish from the previous class
  • Student pick a claim that came up in the previous class or in the reading (stating and explaining the claim).
  • Students present an original objection to the claim, explaining and defending their reasons.
  • Ask student to consider how one might reply to their critique.
• Create a debate
  • Team A has 5 minutes to present their position and the reasons for it
  • Team B has 1 minute to consider how they wish to object and then 3 minutes to present their objection.
  • Team A has 1 minute to consider how they wish to reply and then 3 minutes to present their reply.
  • Then Team B has 5 minutes to present its position and so on.
  • The rest of the class can then ask questions of each team.
  • Pomona faculty member Julie Tannenbaum has shared homework excerpts describing requirements for class debates. DebateJT.docx

Reason:

• Varying the structure of discussion can increase students’ engagement.