Suggestions from past SAGES students to professors leading a seminar
This page is dedicated to the professors who guide us through the learning process. Since the SAGES program is a learning experience for everyone, past students and professors would like to pass on suggestions to you. By no means are we trying to tell you what is right or wrong for your class, but merely offering suggestions of things that have worked well in other classes. In addition, we hope to recognize a professor every week or two for the hard work they've put into making our education that much better.
Professor Spotlight
Check out what other professors are up to in their courses. Each week we'll try to have an interview with a popular seminar professor. These professors are those that have something special about their classes. Maybe you'll be on here in the coming weeks.
Tips for the First Seminar
This is quite possibly a student's first seminar experience. It may be yours as well. Don't worry. The key point is to not take over the class with lecturing. The focus is on the learning process and not on the content.
Be sure to bring the fourth credit hour experiences into classroom discussion. They are one of the favorite experiences among students.
Use your writing instructor. Different professors have different policies in grading, but these instructors have something valuable to add. They should be part of the class and join into the discussion as well.
Have a planned topic for each day and possibly a student leader. Let the students suggest ideas first. We want guidance, but we also want to discover.
Tips for the University Seminars
While these seminars may be a little more content based, they are still seminars. Background lectures are okay, but they should be short and leave time for discussion afterwards. Reading assignments can do the job just as well sometimes. While you may be an expert in the field, you may also be discovering something new with the students. The latter tend to be incredibly rewarding for all. If you are an expert, back out of the discussion when possible so that students can have the same thrill of discovery that you did.
Guest speakers are also great because they bring a new voice to the room. But like background lectures, they should still leave time for plenty of discussion.
Some students prefer books, others prefer short articles. It might be good to create a mix of the two, keeping in mind that students are on a budget. In either case, readings are a great focus for discussion. Student leaders on different sections of a book or article are especially effective in a larger class.
Blackboard. The bane of some students; the delight of others. Some students prefer to talk and others prefer to write. "Forced" (graded) blackboard discussions tend to meet a lot of resistance, but if you can start a voluntary discussion, it provides students a place to discuss ideas outside of class. If they aren't constrained to a topic, they might get even better, but I don't know if anyone has tried this yet...
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