MAILING LISTS

Hi Charles

I helped someone creating a TBL comparative lit course at the University of
Wisconsin last summer


Let me get back in touch with them and see if they have something to share


jim



From: Charles Dameron <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To: Charles Dameron <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Mon, 07 Mar 2011 13:47:43 -0600
To: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: TBL group activities in literature classes

I¹ve been wanting to strengthen my active-learning activities in my
sophomore literature classes, and the TBL approach provides a number of fine
suggestions. I give frequent quizzes and have daily one-page assignments
(called reaction papers) that I require students to complete, and I put them
in groups during most class meetings to use their reaction papers to launch
them into discussions of our reading in the literature courses I teach.
HoweverŠŠ. The purpose of these groups discussions isn¹t focused enough, I
have found, and I don¹t have a really effective reporting out activity at
the end. 
 
I have read through the Michaelsen/Knight/Fink book on TBL, which is
certainly stimulating, but I¹m still wrestling with the issue of
constructing group assignments that lead to productive reporting out
discussions. Most of the courses that use TBL successfully appear to use
case studies from a medical, legal, or business context.  Have any of you
developed case studies, or something along those lines, for literature
courses? Are there literature faculty out there who are having good  success
with group discussions and then simultaneous reporting out?
 
Much thanks,
Charles Dameron