On Monday, January 17, 2005, at 07:10 AM, Jeremy Butler wrote:

>

> This is all part of an on-going issue I'm struggling with:  How does 

> one encourage students to do course readings?

>

Jeremy raises an interesting question here and as someone who is rather 

new to the classroom I'd be interested in hearing how some of the more 

seasoned professors on this list handle this issue when dealing with 

undergrads.



Since I first stepped foot in a classroom, I've worked under the 

assumption that most students do not spend much time preparing for 

classes. Instead they seem to assume that professors will impart all, 

or at least most, of the necessary information during the class 

meetings. Due to this, I have made a habit of outlining assigned 

readings (or a similar reading if you want to keep lectures fresh for 

those who do read). Then, I lecture from those outlines, supply 

pertinent examples of the concepts discussed and provide students 

access to the lecture notes I have created. In other words, I spoon 

feed them.



I think this process often leads students to believe they can avoid the 

readings in favor of the lecture notes. In my short experience, it does 

seem that students read my lecture notes. Even when they do not, they 

usually get a sufficient dose of the lesson in class lectures and often 

seem more open to participate in class discussions once they have 

become familiarized with the concepts being discussed. In essence, they 

end up reading abbreviated versions of the assigned essays which is 

probably more than they do in many classes.



However, I can also see where some of my colleagues might view the 

process I undertake as part of the problem instead of a potential 

solution. Is my process an answer to this problem or is really just 

avoiding and accepting that problem?



-chad



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