I
try, now and then, to provide teaching tips for the faculty members in my
school. However, since the pandemic
started, we have all faced such unbelievable teaching challenges that
traditional advice has come to seem irrelevant.
When some people are teaching in huge rooms with everyone wearing masks
and others are teaching part live and part online and many are moving toward
distance learning exclusively, advice that applies to more than a few seems
hard to find.
Having
said that, I sent my faculty friends the following teaching tip this morning. It seems to me that no matter how you are
going to be teaching this fall this idea is one that can be
helpful. Not for every student. No idea works for every student, but maybe this
one will work for half the students. In
my classes, any idea that works for half the class is worth a bit of my
time.
Here’s
what I wrote our faculty.
**
For several years now, semester in and semester out, I have
given my students an extra credit assignment a month or two before the
semester begins. Some semesters it is about accounting.
Other semesters it is about learning.
Below is the extra credit assignment that I sent out earlier
this summer to my fall classes.
Why do I do this?
--I think it sets a strong tone for the semester. I am
serious about the learning and I expect the students to be serious about the
learning as well.
--It opens up a line of communication between the students and
me. I have things I need for them to hear. They need to be able to
ask me questions and get help occasionally. I want to establish a strong
method of communication well before the semester starts.
--I want the students to understand that learning is
important. I am always amazed at how uninterested some students seem in
their own learning as if it has no value at all. I find that
heart-breaking.
--The students are often bored over the break and the summer of
2020 is probably the ultimate example. If I choose the assignment well,
they really can benefit from the work. I am not offering them points for
busy work. I am bribing them to become better, more engaged students.
--For better or worse, students love extra credit
assignments. I don't personally like that but you have to meet the
students where they are and not where you want them to be.
--I wanted the upcoming class to have somewhat of a normal feel
about it. “I always do this so we will
do it this summer as well.” Everyone
seems to rattled that things have changed.
With my students, I am looking to stress things that are absolutely and
totally normal.
Here's the message that I sent out (several students wrote back
immediately, thanking me for giving them something to do that had a value).
Is there an extra credit assignment that you could send out now that
would get your students better ready for the fall semester regardless of how
that experience is going to be structured.
To: Accounting 201 Students
From: JH
I know some of you have ordered the Accounting 201
textbook. If so, read Chapter One and come up with a couple of
things you did not know before reading.
I do realize that it is easy to waste an entire
summer. Don’t do that. Life is too short to
waste. Set a goal, “I will spend X hours each day doing something
productive.” X can be 3 or 6 or 9 or whatever you want but it needs
to be more than zero.
So, I have a suggestion for making your summer useful and I’ll
even give you extra credit if you do it.
About four years ago, I read a book titled Make It Stick –
The Science of Successful Learning, by Brown, Roediger, and McDaniel.
As you might imagine, I am deeply interested in how to help my students learn
more effectively. I found this book to be very insightful. One of
the things the authors say frequently is that reading material repeatedly is
not helpful in getting knowledge into your memory. According to them, it
is the mental retrieval of information that really solidifies
learning and that is something we work on every day in 201. If you want
to learn something, pull it out of your memory over and over and your knowledge
will get stronger and stronger. As they say in the book, “One of the best
habits a learner can instill in herself is regular self-quizzing to recalibrate
her understanding of what she does and does not know.”
We do that a lot in my classes. One of my mottoes
is, “We do it until you can do it.” I like that
thought. My online materials are even built on that
idea. (You might want to circle that previous sentence.)
They even have a chapter titled “To Learn, Retrieve.”
**
The semester after I read Make It Stick, I offered my
students bonus points on the first test of the semester if they would read this
book over the break. I have been doing this since then for my
upper-level students and I recently began the idea with my introductory
students.
The book is available on Amazon and used copies are fairly
cheap. I honestly believe my previous students have gained much more
than bonus points just from the ideas and tips provided in this
book. I have always been surprised by how little some very smart
students understand about the learning process. In high school, it
is easy to be successful just using memorization without ever learning how to
learn. In college, or at least in my class, you need to be more
efficient.
In my initial experiment, it turned out that roughly half of my
students read at least half of the book by the first test.
Here are some of the things that students told me about Make
It Stick.
“During high school, often times the material that you study is
easy enough to cram in the night before an exam. When I started off at
Richmond, I was overwhelmed with the amount of cramming I would have to do in
order to make high grades. During my freshman and sophomore year at Richmond I
decided to study a couple days in advance. After reading this book and seeing
the results of students who study in advance and continue to look over what you
learn, by the time of the test I often feel ready to go. This book has
definitely had an impact on my semester, as I may be increasing my study times
per day but by the day before the test, I don’t feel as stressed out and
overwhelmed.”
“I think reading Make is Stick has reminded me of
how to best study and learn material. After being abroad last semester, I was
craving work but it gave me a sense of mind when it came to the best ways to
study. I liked it because it didn't just plainly state how to memorize things
efficiently. It provides evident and demonstrates why it works better. For
example, sometimes when I don't feel like doing my homework or a practice
problem, I think about how the more you actually do a problem the better you
will know it. It is reinforcement such as that which gives sometimes seemingly
repetitive and exhausting work purpose.”
**
Okay, I could include dozens of quotes like these but I am sure
you get the point.
I will make a similar deal with you. In my online
course, we will have a pretty good number of “Comprehension Quizzes” just to
make sure you understand what we are covering. These will be 10-30
minutes in length now and then. Based on the percentage you get
correct on each one, you’ll get a letter grade (A, B, C, etc.) If
you read the book Make It Stick prior to September 15, I will
raise your grade on not one but TWO comprehension quizzes by one letter
grade. If you make two B’s, they will become two A’s. (It
does not have to be your first two Comprehension Quizzes – I will add the
letter grade to the first two quizzes where you make less than an A).
This is not a class requirement. There
is no penalty if you choose not to read the book. I think it is good
offer. I expect you to tell me the truth. You are my
students and I expect you to be truthful with me. Read the
book Make It Stick and get an added letter grade on two
Comprehension Quizzes. If that is not clear enough, let me know and
I’ll try again.
Let me know if you have already read Make It Stick and
I will provide you with an alternative book to read. There are
a number of good possibilities.
Have a great, great, great summer. Stay smart and stay
well. Get some rest and relaxation. However, don’t allow
yourself to be unproductive.
I am looking forward to having the opportunity of working with
you. If we both do our part of the
work with enthusiasm and ambition, you will be amazed by how much you will have
learned by the end of next semester. You will understand more about
accounting than you could ever have anticipated.
