All Hands on Deck: Maximizing Student Participation

Beth Kramer, PhDRhetoric Dept., CGS

Challenges to Discussion Seminars

• Course model typically relies on student response to Professor—students may address the instructor without acknowledging classmates’ ideas

• Often a small number of students carry the weight of discussion (sometimes one student can dominate class time)

• Quiet students can fall into silent patterns in small classes, which are difficult to break

Collective Class/Assignment Model

• Goal: To get all students engaged and participating in class

• Use a Problem solving approach in addition to open discussion

• Require input from all students—exercises offer opportunities to respond to others

Example #1—Style/Form ExercisePart I

• Students choose 1 portrait from a collection• Students are asked to silently write about the

visual architecture of the portrait• Students share their findings with the group• Reveal that all portraits are self portraits

(Rembrandt)—ask students what we can then say about artist’s style from collective responses

Rembrandt Self Portraits1

1. https://www.rijksmuseum.nl/en, http://www.metmuseum.org/en, http://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/

1. http://www.mauritshuis.nl/index.aspxchapterid=2342&contentID=18308&ViewPage=29&SchilderijSsOtName=titel&SchilderijSsOv=%25%25

Show a work by the artist—what evidence do we see of his form/style (can break into groups)

Rembrandt van Rijn – The Anatomy Lesson of Dr Nicolaes Tulp(1632)1

Example #1—Goals/Applications

• Students must listen to classmate’s ideas and build upon them to reach important claims

• Writing/Literature Courses—follow up with multiple excerpts by the same writer. What evidence do we see of their style across works?

• Music/Film Courses: Follow up with multiple excerpts by the same artist/composer. What connects the works together? How does style differ from other artists?

Example #2: Metaphor/Tone ExercisePart I:

• Hand out song lyrics to students (choose song whose tempo is at odds with lyrics)

• Ask students what themes (abstract concepts) are represented in the song. Make a chart with these themes

• Then, students individually place tangible images/words from song in each column that relate to that theme

• Students contribute one response publicly to class—Professor creates master chart and moderates

Sample Song: “Crooked Teeth” (2006)by Death Cab For Cutie

(Cont’d)

You're so cute when you're slurring your speechBut they're closing the bar and they want us to leave And you can't find nothing at allIf there was nothing there all alongNo you can't find nothing at allIf there was nothing there all along I'm a war of head versus heartAnd it's always this wayMy head is weak, my heart always speaksBefore I know what it will say And you can't find nothing at allIf there was nothing there all alongNo you can't find nothing at allIf there was nothing there all along And you can't find nothing at allIf there was nothing there all alongThere were churches, theme parks and mallsBut there was nothing there all along.

It was one hundred degreesAs we sat beneath a willow treeWhose tears didn't careThey just hung in the airAnd refused to fall, to fall And I knew I'd made a horrible callAnd now the state line feltLike the Berlin wallAnd there was no doubtAbout which side I was on 'Cause I built you a home in my heartWith rotten wood, it decayed from the start 'Cause you can't find nothing at allIf there was nothing there all alongNo you can't find nothing at allIf there was nothing there all along I braved treacherous streetsAnd kids strung outOn homemade speedAnd we shared a bedIn which I could not sleep at all 'Cause at night the sun in retreatMade the skyline lookLike crooked teethIn the mouth of a manWho was devouring, us both

Example #2—Tone/Metaphor Exercise

Break-ups/Lost Relationship

Regret/Guilt Failure Isolation

Bar closing Horrible call Decay can’t sleep in same bed

Night descending

Head vs. heart Built home from rotten wood

Nothing there

Which side I was on

Tears hung in the air

Sun in retreat Berlin wall

Part II

• Ask students what is the idea behind the song—how these images/words lead to concept

• Play the song—how does the tone conflict with the meaning or add to it?

Goals/Application

• Students learn how language/metaphor leads to concept

• Students see how tone affects meaning• Follow up in writing/literature classes with

writing where tone is at odds with meaning• Have students experiment using metaphors

and descriptive language in their own writing

Example #3—Assessment Exercise

Mid-Semester/End of Semester Exercise

• Place 3 Major Goals on board in chart format (1)Structure/Organization, (2) Writing Style/Process (3) Reading/Interpretation/Idea Generation

• Allow each student 5 minutes to fill out their chart—place 2 skills that have developed over the semester in each column

• Student then contributes one response publicly to class—Professor creates master chart and moderates

Example #3—Assessment ExerciseMid-Semester/End of Semester Exercise

Structure/Organization Writing Style/Process Reading/Interpretation/Idea Generation

Paragraphs Integrating and Using Quotes

Get past obvious/surface

Transitions Clarity of Language—Get Rid of Wordy Sentences

Inductive approach to reach ideas

Beginning—set up conflict Draft Process Diff between summary/analysis

Endings—so what reflection

Close reading techniques

Exercise #3—Goals/Applications

• Students benefit from hearing classmates responses; get a more well-rounded view of the course before evaluations

• Professor can remind students of course objectives and see if progress aligns

• Can modify exercise and do after first written feedback is returned--solidifies expectations without lecturing

Tips/Future Suggestions

• Reserve some time for open discussion within collective class; keep spontaneity

• Does not have to take up whole class—giving students time to write/reflect/collectively respond to a question before opening up to discussion can give confidence to quieter students, and provide a foundation for later discussion

• Questions?