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I'm afraid there are some students for whom it doesn't matter
what you do, they will remain disinterested. For others, they are used
to being able to do little in class and study the night before the exam
and pass; maybe passing is all they are shooting for. Still others
think they can free ride on the efforts of the team. For either of
these latter two types of students, honest peer evaluations and
mid-semester grade updates can shake them out of their misconception
that they can pass with little or no in-class effort. I've had several
students turn it around when it becomes clear to them that they
actually have to participate in team activities to get a decent grade
for that portion of the class. I also try to impress on everyone in
the class how important it is to send that signal to their teammates
that they are poor participants if they are. The mid-semester
evaluations (which I don't count toward the final grade) are the
perfect time to send the signal, allowing students sufficient time to
improve their performance. Most improve, at least somewhat, in my
experience.
Molly Espey
Department of Applied Economics and Statistics
263 Barre Hall
Clemson University
Clemson, SC 29634
-----
Original Message -----
Sent:
Monday, September 14, 2009 6:36 PM
Subject:
How to handle disinterested students
Usually, I can tell when students are not going to make it because they
stop coming to class. I have a couple of students in an Intro to Psych
class taught on a Sunday afternoon, that seem totally disinterested.
They don't seem to give much in the way of discussion to the group and
only help with the mechanics, (writing up or entering the teams
answers). Their iRATs are abysmal. We are ending our first unit so this
will also be our first peer reviews so I hope these things will take
care of themselves. I also plan to directly address the offenders. I
was
just wondering if anyone has dealt with this before?
--
Herb Coleman,Ph.D
Dir. Instructional Computing and Technology
Adjunct Professor of Psychology
Austin Community College
Highland Business Center
5930 Middle Fiskville Rd.
Austin, TX 78752
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512-223-7746
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“I, and every other professor on this campus, are
here to help you to find, take back, and keep your
righteous mind.”
---Professor Melvin Tolson
from the motion picture "The Great Debaters"
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