Suggestion 77. Call on students who might provide an interesting viewpoint

IF YOU WANT TO:

• Invite students to share their knowledge and experience

• Encourage class discussion

Calling on students who might provide an interesting viewpoint.

"I call on students whom I think might have a different perspective or set of experiences relevant to a given topic or issue," says a professor in political science. "I try to take advantage of the probability that outdoor types will have different experiences and attitudes about environmental issues, or that women and men students will view prostitution and childcare differently."

A law professor follows much the same procedure. "Some of the students have been divorced, which means they will have had personal experiences related to a particular law," she says.

Several teachers stress the fact that by getting students to share experiences you can quadruple the amount of knowledge the students take away from the course.

Limitations on Use of Suggestion

  Discipline:  None
Course Level:  None
 Course Size:  None
        Mode:  None

Copyright 1983 by the Regents of the University of California

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