No, sorry, those are some of the reasons why I don't like it. I think students get a lot of diversity of views and opposing talking heads, but they need to learn ways to think more clearly about the views they encounter, not just hear more. I want to first see if they can learn some basic critical thinking skills and present them with models of how to critique and evaluate information. I find also that they need help actually comprehending the views they read or hear. I have seen folks using those "taking sides" books, but haven't been impressed with their use in the classroom. Some good students do mimic the prof's ideas well though ;-) and learn how to cater to expectations, but can they really articulate and defend their own thoughts well? How can we expect them to unless we provide skills and criteria for careful thinking before they encounter those "diverse" views? Gary
Gerald L. (Gary) Peterson, Ph.D. Professor, Department of Psychology Saginaw Valley State University University Center, MI 48710 989-964-4491 peter...@svsu.edu ----- Original Message ----- From: "Beth Benoit" <beth.ben...@gmail.com> To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <tips@acsun.frostburg.edu> Sent: Sunday, January 3, 2010 10:46:52 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: [tips] Using "Taking Sides" Over the years, I've used the Taking Sides readers for various courses. I love the concept, like many of the articles, find some a little vague for their purported purpose, but overall, do appreciate the diversity of opinion offered for whatever course I'm teaching. My problem though, is that I don't feel I'm incorporating it within my course as well as I might be. Here are some things I've tried: 1. Having students do a discussion in a debate forum. That was generally a waste. They tended to take the topic and run with it with their own opinions on the topic. And of course, most read only the article they had to present. 2. Having students write brief summaries of specific topic forums. That turned out to be a lot of work for me, and I didn't feel they got full use of the book, as they probably read only what they were required to read for the paper they had to write. 3. Hoping the students will read the assigned articles so they can be discussed in class. Well, emphasis is on the word "hoping," for a guess about how well that worked. I'm going to try again this coming term in my Human Sexuality class, with Wm. Taverner's Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in Human Sexuality. My goal is to open students' minds a bit more on the topics I cover in Human Sexuality, and of course make it worth their while that they had to buy a second book for the course. Has anything worked for any of you? Or do any of you have any suggestions? Many thanks, Beth Benoit Granite State College Plymouth State University New Hampshire --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly (bsouthe...@frostburg.edu)
