Our second approach involved facilitating a discussion on good and bad courses. Then, we gave an abridged version of the presentation, highlighting the contrast between rote and meaningful learning, characteristics of good courses, and characteristics that employers desire in potential employees. The third format received the best evaluations. Instructions for this version appear here. First, ask students to draw pictures of learning, either by themselves or in groups of two or three.
Most students understand the answer right away.
They state that the Harvard students and faculty probably have entrenched beliefs, developed at very young ages, about why we have seasons. Subsequent courses did not confront the assumptions they already had, nor did they alter them to create new ideas. Continue by asking students if they have taken courses that confronted their assumptions and changed them to accommodate new ideas. To extract answers to this question, ask students to discuss the courses where they did learn a lot. Students enjoy talking about these courses, and common themes emerge immediately.