Today’s Plan:
- TPS and Discussion [20 minutes]
- Team formation [5 minutes]
- Searching in Summon (and maybe Google Scholar) [15 minutes]
- Homework [5 minutes]
Reviewing Summaries
Today we are going to start off with Cathy Davidson’s Think-Pair-Share method for generating discussion. Davidson describes:
In Think-Pair-Share, you hand out index cards and pencils (this is not necessary but it somehow sets the mood fast and fast is important in TPS). You set a timer for 90 seconds (really, 90). And you pose a question. For example, if this were a class on “Why Start With Pedagogy?” I would ask everyone to take 90 seconds to jot down three things (there are no right or wrong answers) they do in their classrooms to engage students. When the timer sounds, I then have students work in pairs for another 90 seconds in a very specific, ritualized way. Their objective in this 90 seconds is to, together, come up with one thing to share with the whole group, it can be a synthesis of various comments on both cards, but one agreed upon thing to share. BUT before that each person has to hear the other. One member of the pair reads their three things while the other is silent; then the second person reads to a silent listener. Hearing your own voice in a classroom—and witnessing being heard– is the beginning of taking responsibility for your own learning. It’s not only about meeting someone else’s criteria but setting the bar for yourself. There is also something about the ritual of writing down, then reading to someone else, that allows the introvert to speak up in a way that avoids the panic of being called on and having to speak extemp before a group. It is extremely egalitarian—it structures equality. The final 90 seconds involves going rapidly around the room and having one person in each pair read their contribution.
Here is your question: what is one thing that stood out in your article? Can you frame that thing in terms of a “Beef. It’s What’s for Dinner” meme (as in Noun. It’s what’s XYZ.)?
Team Formation
Ok, let’s see how this works out. To Google Docs!
Searching in Summon, Google Scholar
I will ask everyone to identify an academic, peer-reviewed source mentioned in a Scientific American article. [What is peer review?]. Revisit the article you summarized and look for links to studies, names of researchers, etc.
Now let’s see if we can find that resource in our University’s library.
For instance, let’s say that I was working on Gillam’s Bees article. Scanning through it, I see a quote from Michele Simon, who Gillam describes as “a public health lawyer who specializes in food issues.” So what happens if I try Jeff Pettis?
Once we have found our article in Summons, then we want to add a link to it in our Workspace.
Homework
First, please print a copy of Derek Mueller’s article on Worknets.
Read another article from Scientific American listed in the Workspace. Ideally, every team member should read a *different* article. In Canvas, write a short summary of the article that compares/contrasts/connects/questions the first article you read (put them in conversation somehow–what is different? what does this one add? How can we describe the relationship between them?). There’s a turn-in for this assignment in Canvas.
