I used the IF method last year in one class and found it both productive & rewarding. This semester my response is more mixed. This year, in the freshman class the benefits were less evident.  Was it due to a different group composition/dynamics? I am not...

Now that the term is over I think I am ready to reflect on the criteria and process used to set up "good" student groups... I organized groups in three classes, including one freshman seminar.  I formed the groups in my upper level courses about 3 weeks into the...

The problem you want us to address in this blog -- students have a hard time with abstract conversation -- is VERY evident in my first-year seminar class. During the months of October & November I kept asking my students to brainstorm the problem "What does it...

Last week’s experience in my two 200-level classes led me to re-evaluate the approach to group discussions. Initially, I had asked facilitators to identify a news report somehow related to the weekly readings and use it as point of departure to fuel discussion. The...

Last week I had great plans for our discussion session in my freshman seminar class. I assigned two recent news reports focusing on cyber-bulling – one resulting in a student death, another involving gay phobia. Since the class is addressing the question, “What...

This week my two ANTH202 classes started using the discussion process formally (with flip charts & markers); last week they had a trial run. Like in my FYS, most groups were animated and “done” before the class ended. These are the issues that surfaced: Some...

My Educational Foundation classes have about 25 students each; all plan to be future teachers. Both classes consist mostly of females (one has five males, the other four). The ethnicities are mixed, though the majority seems “white” (have to check exact numbers)....

The discussion began today formally (though last week we had a trial run). Flip charts & markers were used for the first time.  Students were asked to identify the values addressed in the three essays assigned from the common reader (This I believe), select the...

My First Year Seminar class has 24 students this term. Nine are women; ten have immigrant or minority background. I organized the groups after two weeks on the basis of gender, minority status, academic performance, and personal traits (inferred from an...

This week I invited my freshman students from last fall to meet for pizza. I wasn't sure how many would show up: we are a commuting campus, and I had not seen many since we parted in December. Much to my surprise, about half of the class showed up (12 of 24; 8...