Active learning (with student comments in quotes)

Perception depends on acting, so I value active learning

As for the format of the class, I do a mix because that’s often what people need to interact with these complex ideas in different lights and from different perspectives. Research is a full-bodied athletic pursuit, and it need flexibility and dexterity and perserverance.

You learn to think on your toes. I maintain a "hot seat" function that involves randomly selecting people on each class who will be responsible for answering questions and contributing to discussion. There's no way penalty for getting it wrong, but you do have to participate.

"The discussions have given me practice getting through situations by the skin of my teeth, with fairly little concrete direction."

"I'm the kind of person that really likes to have control over what is happening, so knowing there are things I don't know about/can't predict/can't control is not fun, but I'm getting better."

There’s no way to teach that in homogeneous or perfectly predictable way. Important parts of this class were unlimited revisions on papers and a habit of giving exams on papers chosen through debates as a class.

“This class is run a lot differently than other classes, which a lot more applied knowledge than just mere memorization of research methods. I would suggest going with the flow: you are learning more than you think you are.”

“I think putting what you know into application is a good strategy because it really lets you understand whether you actually learned something. I would recommend getting the most out of the group presentations on articles by being an active participant. I wish I voiced my opinions more frequently in the group projects.”

As with my other classes, I think it’s really important to teach in a way that requires active participation. The class sizes press students into action because it’s a pretty intimate setting, and it’s hard to shirk responsibility too long in such a small group.

Ultimately, you may not come away remembering everything, but this class will get you equipped with the skills and confidence to go find the information and tools you will need.

"There is SO MUCH I don't know yet and have to learn and I know I will not know everything there is to know about Research Methods by the end of this class or perhaps even be confident in my skills in this area but I will be more knowledgeable about how to approach it at the very least."

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