Assign the reading at least two sessions before it will be discussed.
Give
students ample time to prepare and try to pique their curiosity about
the reading: "This article is one of my favourites, and I'll be
interested to see what you think about it." (Sources: Lowman, 1984;
"When They Don't Do the Reading," 1989).
Assign study questions.
Hand
out study questions that alert students to the key points of the
reading assignment. To provide extra incentive for students, tell them
you will base exam questions on the study questions. (Source: "When They
Don't Do the Reading," 1989).
If your class is small, have students turn in brief notes on the day's reading that they can use during exams.
At
the start of each class, a professor in the physical sciences asks
students to submit a 3" x 5" card with an outline, definitions, key
ideas, or other material from the day's assigned reading. After class,
he checks the cards and stamps them with his name. He returns the cards
to students at a class session prior to the midterm. Students can then
add any material they would like to the cards but cannot submit
additional cards. The cards are again returned to the faculty member who
distributes them to students during the test. This faculty member
reports that the number of students completing the reading jumped from
10 percent to 90 percent and that students especially valued these
"survival cards." Source: Daniel, 1988).
Ask students to write a one-word journal or one-word sentence.
Angelo
(1991) describes the one-word journal as follows: students are asked to
choose a single word that best summarizes the reading and then write a
page or less explaining or justifying their word choice. This assignment
can then be used as a basis for class discussion. A variation reported
by Erickson and Strommer (199 1) is to ask students to write one complex
sentence in answer to a question you pose about the readings and
provide three sources of supporting evidence: "In one sentence, identify
the type of ethical reasoning Singer uses in his article 'Famine,
Affluence, and Morality.' Quote three passages that reveal this type of
ethical reasoning" (p. 125).
Ask nonthreatening questions about the reading.
Initially
pose general questions that do not create tension or feelings of
resistance: "Can you give me one or two items from the chapter that seem
important?" "What section of the reading do you think we should
review?" "What item in the reading surprised you?" "What topics in the
chapter can you apply to your own experience?" (Source: "When They Don't
Do the Reading," 1989).
Use class time as a reading period.
If
you are trying to lead a discussion and find that few students have
completed the reading assignment, consider asking students to read the
material for the remainder of class time. Have them read silently or
call on students to read aloud and discuss the key points. Make it clear
to students that you are reluctantly taking this unusual step because
they have not completed the assignment.
Prepare an exam question on undiscussed readings.
The
faculty member asks her class whether they have done the reading. If
the answer is no, she says, "You'll have to read the material on your
own. Expect a question on the next exam covering the reading." The next
time she assigns reading, she reminds the class of what happened the last time, and the students come to class prepared. (Source: "When They Don't Do the Reading," 1989).
Give a written assignment to those students who have not done the reading.
Some
faculty ask at the beginning of the class who has completed the
reading. Students who have not read the material are given a written
assignment and dismissed. Those who have read the material stay and
participate in class discussion. The written assignment is not graded
but merely acknowledged. This technique should not be used more than
once a term. (Source: "When They Don't Do the Reading," 1989).
