reading strategies

Current-Literature Problem Solving as a Connection to the Real World: How Solving a Problem in the Classroom Expanded Professor-Graduate Student Mentorship from the Laboratory into the Classroom

by Suzanne Blum, Chemistry I realized that the students were not yet able to make the connection between what they were learning in the course and the bigger picture of professional chemical research...[so] I incorporated current literature into two lectures that I designed and presented to the class, as well as into problem sets and exam questions, thereby initiating student discussion about real research advances.

Putting the Text Back in Text Book

by Chantelle Warner, German I hope to make it clear to students that it is not enough to dismiss the textbook as biased, but they must realize that authorship is always somehow biased in that it involves making choices...When they are faced with the task of trying to do a better job than the textbook does, students realize firsthand how difficult the task of cultural representation is.

Journals: The Key to Small Group Participation

by Heather McCarty, History The journals allowed me monitor each student's progress with the readings. I was able to track which students completed the readings, but more importantly, whether or not students understood the material. I enjoyed commenting on the journals and found that they provided me with yet one more avenue in which to individually engage with students.

Non-Standard Approaches to Post-modernist Literature

by Kate Elkins, Comparative Literature In presenting a very "postmodern" novel, I wondered what approach to take to ensure that students did not become frustrated. One of the challenges in teaching composition classes is that students bring to the classroom a wide variety of interests and backgrounds. Few will go on to study literature, and many embark on the study of literature with a fair amount of skepticism. I therefore hesitated to approach the work using a standard "literary approach."