Assign completion-graded daily journal entries for next-day small group discussion. Under this teaching method, students are not only asked to reflect on and consider topics, but they are required to create a product that they can share with their neighbors, which can teach dependability and encourage confidence. Journaling for small group discussion can promote community within the classroom while empowering students to think freely without the influence of being scored.
Require students to write an inclusive journal entry per lecture, to be turned in every grading period. Students can use this requisite assignment as an encompassing study guide for section exams. Journal entries can promote daily material review, which often leads to improved comprehension rates and higher grades. Assigned journaling in lecture courses can also offer students a sense of personal involvement in a classroom structure that typically is without student-to-student or student-to-teacher interaction.
Present an idea or question at the end of each class and ask students to journal their thoughts on the subject for discussion the following day. Opening the floor in class discussions to students who want to share what they wrote can be a constructive way to convey the importance of the marketplace of ideas and free thinking. Assigning daily journal entries can also give students a consistent, on-their-own reflection period, which over time can ingrain the habit of involved thought.