How Do I Get Students to Read Their Assignments Before Class?

By Dr. Maryellen Weimer GETTING STUDENTS TO PREPARE FOR CLASS Many students come to class without having done the assigned reading. Even though you routinely spell out course requirements in syllabuses and give individual announcements and reminders, students continue to come to class unprepared. In this Magna 20-Minute Mentor, the presenter presents you with several important strategies that you can use to help students learn the value of reading. She demonstrates what to say and do in your classroom to increase the level of student preparation before class. LEARNING GOALS At the conclusion of this professional development program, you’ll know how to: Motivate students to read by having them discover how much more they learn and how much easier course material is to master once they’ve done the reading Set consequences for students who come to class unprepared Implement in-class exercises that call for reading of texts to emphasize the importance of doing required reading as well as bringing one’s book to class Make students responsible for reading material that you don’t have time to cover in class TOPICS COVERED In How Do I Get Students to Read Their Assignments Before Class?, you will learn how to: Motivate students constructively to come to class prepared Create and adopt consequences for students who come to class unprepared Convey to your students the value of having read the assigned text Communicate to students that they are responsible for reading the assigned material TAKEAWAYS The program also includes supplemental materials that feature sample assignments that encourage students to read before class.