MAILING LISTS

Karla had a follow up question that I don't think made it to the list:

>Do you curve both up and down... or just up when necessary?  I like the
>idea because often I think I've made an easy question, but it doesn't turn
>out to be so.

I usually only curve up.  If, as could be the case, I have in fact made an
easy test, the students shouldn't be penalized.

>Also, I like the suggestion to ask them why I asked the question.  I also
>thought that I'd like to ask them what they would need to know to answer
>the question and where they would find it in the reading.  What do you
>think of that?

I think that these are good suggestions.  Certainly at the beginning of the
semester, such discussion will be extremely useful in helping the students
learn how to read well.  We often think that the students coming into our
courses are either lazy or not well prepared.  Although I can't excuse all
students, I do think that much of the initial problem--as several folks
have already mentioned on this list--is that students just don't know how
to deal with this sort of course.

I've begun to think of the first part of my course as a pedagogical tool to
help prepare the students to learn how to do what I want them to do, and
the students get better as the semester goes on.



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Stephen P. Weldon, Ph.D.
History of Science Society Bibliographer
Assistant Professor
Department of History of Science
601 Elm St., Room 622
The University of Oklahoma
Norman, OK  73019
Personal email:  [log in to unmask]
Isis Bibliography:  [log in to unmask]
Phone: 405-255-5187
Fax:  405-325-2363
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