Sorry for mis-spelling your name. My wife is named Laura. Habit. -M -----Original Message----- From: Sweet, Michael S Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 11:37 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: RE: distributing readings & RAT Hi Laura! I would chime in to support Jim's suggestions, especially: (1) The use of reading guides. For the RAP, you don't need students to know every detail of every concept on every page of the chapters you assign. The RAP should test a basic understanding of the most foundational concepts in the unit. The "fine tuning" and filling in of details comes in follow-up discussion and application activities. Some teachers BEGIN eacb unit by specify a handful of page-ranges within the chapters that the RAP will cover, and then END each unit with an individual test over the whole chapters. (2) Giving students a few minutes before the RAP to confer as a team and ask you questions. Keep this time very short and be firm about ending it when you say, or else students will drag it out in an attempt to delay the RAP. (3) Clearly explain from the outside WHY you are using TBL and what its advantages are over chalk-n-talk. There are many. (4) Giving students an ungraded "practice RAT" over the syllabus on the second or third day can give students the experience they need to become believers in the process. For what it's worth! :-) -M -----Original Message----- From: Team Learning Discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Lara Triona Sent: Tuesday, July 08, 2008 10:57 AM To: [log in to unmask] Subject: distributing readings & RAT Hello, My question is related to the distribution of course reading materials and the RAT. Too-frequent use of the RAT causes students to memorize rather than apply concepts. Therefore, each RAT covers a unit, which in my case would be a few chapters worth of material. However, I am concerned that it is inappropriate to assign more than one chapter for prereading for a single class session, especially for the second class session. How do those of you currently using TBL techniques organize reading assignments? * Do you cover only six chapters? * Assign multiple chapters for prereading for RAT days? * Do other in-class activities before first RAT? I appreciate information about your experience and any suggestions you can give. A bit about myself: I am an assistant professor in psychology. I was recently was introduced to "Team-Based Learning" (TBL) techniques through the Academe newsletter, Sweet & Michaelson 07 Ed Psy Rev article, and the teambasedlearning.org website. For the past year, prior to learning about the TBL techniques, the primary use of class time has been in discussion groups (same group for 8 weeks, assigning roles which change each session based on Millis & Cottell 1998). But I have encountered some of the problems that are addressed by TBL (social loafing, lack of engagement/excitement). I am interested in using TBL techniques (RAT & application activities) to help students actively engage with the course material (upper division developmental psych & lower division research methods). In the past, to enforce class preparation I required completion of an individual assignment for every chapter (answering several questions that guide student's reading). In class students would discuss "thought-provoking" questions that applied or extended the material from that chapter and then the next class session we would move onto the next chapter. I now realize that the repetitive nature of this class organization taxes students motivation and leads to burnout for both the students and myself. In addition to this content coverage in class, students apply content by conducting a separate group/individual research project: in groups students design study, collect data, and analyze findings and then individually write a research report. best regards, -Lara ___________________ Lara M. Triona, Ph.D. Assistant Professor CSU Fresno, Psychology Department 2576 E. San Ramon ST11 Fresno, CA 93740 [log in to unmask] office: 559.278-3043 fax: 559.278-7910 http://psych.csufresno.edu/