LEARNING OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM: ASSIGNMENTS THAT ENCOURAGE STUDENTS TO THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT SUBJECT MATTER

We designed a simple assignment to motivate introductory geoscience students to read assigned pages in the text and to instigate critical thinking by means of asking relevant questions. Students were assigned a chapter or part of a chapter as the reading assignment. They were asked to formulate 3-5 questions that could not be answered from the assigned reading. Along with the questions, students needed to submit the relevant page numbers from the text. The students received points for each question set they completed. Late submissions, submitting questions without page numbers and/or questions which could be answered from the assigned reading resulted in a grade reduction.

In most cases the questions were answered in writing and returned to the student. Prevalent questions were integrated into class lecture and discussion. We noticed several benefits to such an approach. Students were more prepared for class activities and discussions. The questions encouraged students to put their thoughts down in writing, thereby clarifying what they read or applying what they read to their own experiences. Students who are reluctant to speak up during lectures as well as non-native English speakers responded especially well to the assignments. The drawback to such an approach was that the instructor had the burden of answering an incredible number of questions. Many students worked hard to come up with relevant, well thought-out questions that they could not find an obvious answer for. On the plus side, the questions forced us as instructors to become more knowledgeable about the materials covered in the text.

An informal student survey was conducted in Southwestern Illinois College to ascertain the effectiveness of this assignment as a learning tool. 43% of the 37 students participating in the survey stated that the reading assignments helped them to learn the course material better while 27% claimed that the assignments were not helpful. In final evaluations, most students stated that the assignments did encourage them to read the textbook. Overall students enjoyed this novel approach and stated that it was beneficial to their learning experience.