Thanks Claudia, you asked some great questions. I started thinking about this assignment for several reasons. First, I wanted to mix things up a bit and do something I haven't done previously. I've been teaching this class for a long time, and am always looking for new ways of doing things. My preliminary goals also include getting the students to think critically about what they are reading. For example, although *The Notebook* is a tearjerker and a great read, is it accurate? Does Sacks take artistic license with his stories, what about Howard Dully's bitterness? Is it apparent? Does it color his writing? Are there ethical dilemmas in the books they read? I love books and I do want my students to read, so that's also a motive. And for selfish reasons, sometimes people bring up books I haven't read and I can add them to my reading list. I'll look at the value rubric for critical thinking, too--thanks for that suggestion. Carol
On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 1:24 PM, Claudia Stanny <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > > > Do you have an overarching learning goal associated with reading these > books? > That might give you some ideas about how you want to structure the > assignment. > I think it helps to stand back and ask why the students should do this > assignment (besides the "good" of reading beyond the textbook). > > For a book written for the general public, you might have a critical > thinking outcome for this assignment, such as evaluating the accuracy of > the information provided (compared to what students learned from the > textbook and class discussions about the particular neurological issue > discussed). The AAC&U Value rubric for Critical Thinking has some great > criteria for evaluating this type of response. > > Content outcomes might be more difficult because the content of the books > will be so varied and students will read and write about only one book. > > I am interested in learning about the types of prompts and evaluations > others use for "general reading" assignments . . . and why instructors > choose to make these assignments. > > Claudia > > _____________________________________________ > > Claudia J. Stanny, Ph.D. > Director > Center for University Teaching, Learning, and Assessment > Associate Professor > NSF UWF Faculty ADVANCE Scholar > School of Psychological and Behavioral Sciences > University of West Florida > 11000 University Parkway > Pensacola, FL 32514 – 5751 > > Phone: (850) 857-6355 or 473-7435 > > [email protected] > > CUTLA Web Site: http://uwf.edu/cutla/ > Personal Web Pages: http://uwf.edu/cstanny/website/index.htm > > > > On Tue, Jul 10, 2012 at 1:06 PM, Carol DeVolder > <[email protected]>wrote: > >> >> >> >> >> >> Hi colleagues, >> For those of you who require students to write book reviews (if any of >> you do), what questions do you ask students to answer? I'm trying to create >> an assignment where students choose a book (fiction or nonfiction) and >> review it for my Brain and Behavior class. I'm thinking of books like *My >> Lobotomy*, *The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat*, *Saving Milly*, *Still >> Alice*, and *The Diving Bell and the Butterfly.* Other title >> suggestions are welcome. I've never created this type of assignment before >> and don't want to reinvent the wheel, so your input is greatly appreciated. >> Thanks, >> Carol >> >> -- >> Carol DeVolder, Ph.D. >> Professor of Psychology >> St. Ambrose University >> 518 West Locust Street >> Davenport, Iowa 52803 >> 563-333-6482 >> >> >> >> >> >> --- >> >> You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. >> >> To unsubscribe click here: >> http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13144.1572ed60024e708cf21c4c6f19e7d550&n=T&l=tips&o=18946 >> >> (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) >> >> or send a blank email to >> leave-18946-13144.1572ed60024e708cf21c4c6f19e7d...@fsulist.frostburg.edu >> >> >> >> >> > > --- > > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. > > To unsubscribe click here: > http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443341&n=T&l=tips&o=18949 > > (It may be necessary to cut and paste the above URL if the line is broken) > > or send a blank email to > leave-18949-177920.a45340211ac7929163a0216244443...@fsulist.frostburg.edu > > > > > -- Carol DeVolder, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology St. Ambrose University 518 West Locust Street Davenport, Iowa 52803 563-333-6482 --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=18950 or send a blank email to leave-18950-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
