The Faculty Engagement and Development team regularly provides and facilitates many services to support our faculty including various training options, resources, and enrichment seminars. While hosting one of our core seminars, I learned a clever strategy and a valuable lesson that I wanted to share.
It was nearing the end of our 'Engaging Students: Optimizing the First & Last 5 Minutes of Class' core seminar. The topic had turned to reflection papers as a strategy for improving student retention, and I opened the floor for people to comment on their own experiences with reflection papers.
One of the faculty in attendance shared this gem - She has her students write a brief reflection essay at the end of each live session and submit them to her. Then at the end of the term, she has her students write a reflection paper for the whole course, using their weekly essays as a guide. She found that it helps students retain information from week to week, and adds a sense of perspective and accomplishment at the end of the term when they reflect on everything they learned over the entire course.
I think this is a fantastic strategy. I plan on incorporating that tip into the seminar as an example from now on, and I think it can be a powerful tool to try in your own classes. It also struck me that without opening up the discussion for questions and comments I probably wouldn't have had the chance to learn this strategy. So as a final piece of advice, take every opportunity you can to let your students speak up and contribute - you never know when they'll teach you something new.
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