A student sent a Tweet to me asking about effective study habits. I used that as a Twitter assignment for the week, and asked students to locate and Tweet at least 3 sources they found about effective study habits, as well as construct at least 3 original tweets about what study habits work for them.
The result? They shared resources, had conversations about what worked for them, and connected to a broader community about how to become more effective students.
Here’s examples of what they shared:
• “I set aside time specif. to study. If I leave study time vague, I am apt to push it until the evening when there are too many distractions.”
• “I need a clear head to study. This means I have eaten, am naturally awake/had coffee to keep me alert. Set my phone to silent.”
• “Going to a designated "study area" is a must. The library is great for this. Reduces distractions, stacks of books shame me into reading!”
• “Reading articles or watching documentaries that coincide w/ my studies via netflix, nat geo, or bbc are helpful #CritThinkWrite #studyhabits”
• “this may be old fashioned, but index cards are my best friend when it comes to school. #studyhabits #CritThinkWrite”
• “When studying, I like to write and rewrite what I studied. #critthinkwrite”
• “I start my days early. Love having my morning time & beating the rush. "If you’re on time your late." #CritThinkWrite”
• “I'm such a visual learner. #studyhabits #CritThinkWrite http://yfrog.com/ke36nogj”
As well as resources that I retweeted; I will use these resources in class as guides to discuss study habits:
• Thanks Jared for link that brought me to this on Time Management: http://www.ucc.vt.edu/lynch/TimeManagement.htm
• Link 2 (warning: pdf link) - http://www.stanford.edu/dept/CTL/Student/studyskills/top11.pdf (This link I “Favorited” which will allows me to find it easily again in future semesters.)
The content of this entire “lesson plan” came from the students, from the original question to the content that they produced. It allowed students to think about what effective study habits they have and to share those with others. It also allowed them to research and share their research on what professionals say about that matter. Through all of this, they actually practiced the thing they were asked to research.
I like how you used student needs/interests to create an interactive learning task.
ReplyDeleteI have added a "Student FAQ" to my moodle shells to serve a similar purpose.
"This is a student created FAQ (Frequently asked Questions) for this course. All members of the class are subscribed to this forum.
Students can use this forum to ask questions and discuss course assignments, class policies and procedures, etc.
Use this for any question you might ask in class.
Before you post a question, look to see if someone else has posted it.
If you know the answer to a question, please post a reply.
Try to reply to the correct question as this is a threaded discussion board.