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Instructor Tips

Attendance
Discretionary Points
Group Activities
Planner Checks
Point Tracking
Student Responsibility
Teaching Academic Skills
Tip Credits


Academics

If you allow students to pass the attendance sheet around, you need to make sure it migrates to the front of the room by the tardy mark (ten minutes into class). You can do this by starting the sheet circulating at the back of the classroom. This technique minimizes the problem of tardy students signing in as on-time. You can also tackle the tardiness problem by closing the door ten minutes into the class. Making tardy students open the door also accomplishes two other things: you make the student aware that he or she is officially tardy, and you quietly emphasize the fact that tardiness is inappropriate.
If you have a small class, you can place the attendance sheet at the front of the room and have students come up to sign in.
To address irresponsible tardiness, you might require all students who come in tardy (even one minute after class begins) to offer you an explanation of their tardiness at the end of class.
When a student dodges his or her responsibility by insisting that an absence is "excused," you might use one of these responses:

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Discretionary Points

You have 30 points that you can divvy up as you choose, as long as you include two instructor visitations. Some instructors assign points to many of the worksheets used for application and assessment. Extra credit points could also be added to the quizzes or comprehensive exam.

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Group Activities

Seasoned instructors have different ways of arranging cooperative learning groups. Many instructors opt to create heterogeneous groups: they put students of different levels together to raise the participation and learning level of struggling students. Below are two methods of creating groups. Choose a method that works for you and that is appropriate for your activity.
  1. One option is to allow students to choose their own groups for the first two or three weeks, assess how well the group dynamics work for your class, and reassign groups if necessary. This method gives the students the sense that they are in control and may make the class more palatable.
  2. A second option is to have students "count off." This method usually separates students who sit together and can break up clusters of struggling students, creating heterogeneous groups easily.

To make sure all group members participate, you can require that each group elect a "recorder" (note taker), "presenter," and "facilitator" (who keeps the group on track).

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Planner Checks

Planner checks can be difficult if you have many students in your class. These tips usually lead to reliable results:

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Point Tracking

Some students have a difficult time tracking their cumulative point earnings--some don't even realize they're failing. You might require students to put their total points earned on each major assignment they turn in; you can correct the value if you discover the student is wrong. This technique provides a "reality check" for struggling students.
Also, have them record their points earned on the Assignment Sheet we provide (the tracking sheet that fits in the planner). Make the continual update of the Assignment Sheet a requirement for planner checks (perhaps worth five points of the grade).

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Student Responsibilities

Many students dodge their responsibilities, blaming others for their own problems. Here are some responses you might use:

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Teaching Academic Skills

Some skills lend themselves to being taught as a unit. The example below, provided by Joan, reinforces group study as well. Joan notes that, by the end of the semester, many students acknowledge that they have created study groups in their other classes.
Sample teaching unit:

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Tip Credits

Many thanks to Joan, David, Sabrina R., Brenda, and everyone else who contributed ideas to this page.

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