-----Original Message----- From: Pollak, Edward [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Saturday, April 28, 2007 8:23 AM To: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Subject: [tips] Tension between enabling understanding and good grades with requirement for class averages
If you want to lower the class average, ask more questions on information from the various "boxes," "applications," and other sophomoric gimmicks that the pedagogy experts seem to tell us are important. Students usually skip over anything that isn't in the main body of the text, especially when cramming. ------ Ed, I tend to agree with the general tone of your post. However, my colleague, Jeff Nevid, has published evidence that at least one of those learning aids, concept signaling, (when short definitions/explanatory notes appear in the margins of the page) can enhance student performance. Also modular presentation of text, particularly if the students prefer such formats, appears to enhance their exam performance. On the other hand, other research cited by Nevid and Lampmann (see below) indicates that students rarely use some of the gimmicks you mention. Nevid, J. S., & Carmony, T. M. (2002). Traditional versus modular format in presenting textual material in introductory psychology. Teaching of Psychology, 29, 237-238. Nevid, J. S., & Lampmann, J. L. (2003). Effects on content acquisition of signaling key concepts in text material Teaching of Psychology, 30, 227-229. Miguel --- To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english
