For my Equine Production class, I will design a low stakes writing activity. I will start the class by giving students the topic I will cover that day, and then ask them to free write their thoughts for a few minutes. For example, on a day that I want to discuss exercise physiology I can ask them to write down their feelings about young horses used for racing. I think this will be a beneficial activity to do on days where the content can lead to a discussion of opinion or debate.

The few minutes of free writing may help generate questions and give them a chance to think about what they want to contribute to a related conversation. This activity will hopefully get them interested in the lecture that will follow. I will have the students hand these in but remind them that it is not a graded activity. With their writing, I can see if there are avenues in the topic I didn't cover in the lecture and possibly add them in the future. I like this idea because it asks the students to become interactive in the lecture and it may help them connect with the subject. According to McKeachie, it also helps prepare students for high stakes assignments and makes them able to put ideas into their own language.

A form of active learning I can incorporate in my class is the use of a learning cell. This activity can help students effectively work in pairs to give each other feedback, generate discussion, or summarize an assignment (Teaching Tips, pg. 217). For my class, I will allow time for this right before an exam. I would ask students to use their notes to generate a list of questions they think they might see on the test. I will pair them up and have them go back and forth with their questions. I think this will effectively help them study for an exam and make them better able to communicate the material. I also think this activity will enable a deeper synthesis of the material by asking them to analyze it and form their own questions.

For problem based learning, I can incorporate the use of case studies in my class. I will come up with case studies of problem situations that are related to equine production and have the students assess how they can fix it. For instance, I can give the students a scenario about a management program that is causing the horses to be too thin or too fat. The students can use the clues within the context to figure out why this is happening and find ways to solve the problem. I can effectively use this model by giving the students specific questions related to the case such as, "Why is there a problem with this situation?", "What are the obvious and underlying implications of this management practice?", "How can this be effectively resolved?" I think the questions I generate will help keep the students on task and give them things to look for within the case. This activity is great to enhance student problem solving and involvement (Teaching Tips, pg. 223). I also like this learning method because in some courses it can be applicable to real life situations.

Our teaching demonstrations have shown us great ways to conduct learning activities like these in a class setting. In terms of procedural issues, I've liked the activities best when the directions have been clear and remained displayed for the class to see. I believe our class has done a good job keeping the activity appropriate and related to the material. I think a major part of any activity should be that it enhances learning and is easy to relate to the content. The students should never have to ask themselves, "Why am I doing this?" I think the ideas from the most recent chapters provide a great way to enhance learning, get the students interested and connect the content t o activities.

I believe it is also important for the teacher to be interactive in the activity and have a positive demeanor. Walking around and making sure the students understand and are on task is very important. I've realized that this teacher feedback can help clarify questions and confusion a group may be having. The teacher's presence can also introduce the group to new ideas and give them feedback on a direction they can take with the activity. Teacher attitude and enthusiasm goes a long way. In our demonstrations, I have seen our students' ("teachers") energy rub off on the activity and it has helped keep the class interested in the task.


Additional links...

In chapter 15 of Teaching Tips, the idea of peer review is brought up. I like the suggestions this link makes to the reviewer and student having their work reviewed. I also like the procedural approach the author suggests for peer review.


I found additional ideas for low stakes writing assignments.


I really liked the idea of using case studies. Here is a little more information on using them and their importance in a classroom.