There is little more depressing than taking a roll in class. It is a symbol of a certain kind of top down education, the classroom of Pink Floyd's 'We don't need no education'. However, if we take no notice of student attendance they can often feel anonymous, disconnected.
Drawing instead on the conference metaphor, I like to use name badges and then collect attendance data on the basis of which badges are left in the box, or if using team based learning, by moving from group to group and taking note of who is working with whom. It is also a good way to put names to faces, which I can never achieve when taking a roll.
I generally find this is a much more positive way to start a learning activity and it supports the role of the professional rather than the student as a subject of academic disciplining. I'm keen to hear what others do.
No comments:
Post a Comment