WRITING IN THE MAJORS: - University of Nebraska Omaha

Writing in the Majors University of Nebraska-Omaha, February 2, 2009 John C. Bean 2
AN INTRODUCTION TO WAC PEDAGOGY:
SCENARIOS FOR DISCUSSION
Imagining Students’ Studying and Thinking Processes
Scenario 1 [First-Year Gen Ed Course]
Imagine that you are teaching an “Introduction to Psychology” course, primarily to first year students
early in their college careers. It is Monday. For Wednesday’s class you want them to read the textbook
chapter explaining some of the important modern schools of psychology. How might students’ studying
and thinking processes differ depending on the way you give the homework task?
1. For Wednesday, read Chapter 2.
2. For Wednesday, read Chapter 2 and be prepared for a quiz.
3. For Wednesday, read Chapter 2 and then write a half-page, single spaced “thinking piece”
that addresses the following question: Suppose you are a parent who goes to a child
psychologist for advice on how to get your 10 year old child to practice the piano. It seems
the child rushes out of the room screaming every time you insist he practices. What different
advice would you get if the child psychologist were a behaviorist, a psychoanalyst, or a
humanistic psychologist? Explain your reasoning. Come to class with your completed
thinking piece and be prepared to share your ideas with classmates.
Scenario 2 [Gateway course for novice English majors]
Imagine that you are teaching a 19 th Century British novel course, primarily to students who are just
starting their literature studies. For next Monday’s class you want them to finish Mary Shelley’s
Frankenstein. How might students’ studying and thinking processes differ depending on the way you give
the homework task?
1. For next week, finish Frankenstein. There will be a quiz.
2. For next week, finish Frankenstein and then write a one-page, single spaced “thinking piece”
that addresses the following question: Critic Harold Bloom has said, “The greatest paradox
and most astonishing achievement of Mary Shelley’s novel is that the monster is more human
than his creator.” To what extent do you agree with Bloom’s assertion? Play the believing
and doubting game with Bloom’s thesis. Spend half a page making the case that the monster
is more human than Victor Frankenstein. Then spend a half page arguing against Bloom’s
view. Which view is closest to yours? Come to class with your completed thinking piece and
be prepared to share your ideas with classmates.
Discussion question: If you decided to try out Strategy 3 for either scenario, don’t worry for now what you
would do with all those thinking pieces. We’ll deal with that question later. For now, just focus on how
each of these strategies might alter the way students studied. Please explore with colleagues at your table
how students would read and study differently depending on how the homework task was assigned.