I'm thinking about reading right now. I know that students have various assignments to read and that reading is at times lost on them. However, reading can stimulate our brains to begin thinking about assignments and other projects. It's actually part of my daily diet---reading a little bit of a book, journal or even trade magazine. I get grumpy, when I don't make the time to read. I read for a living--in terms of the need to read scholarly books and articles. And, then I also assess student work through a close reading of their assignments.

This is just a quick reminder: crack open a book!

I am sitting here looking at the calendar and hoping that my students all realize that in just three short weeks their papers are due. OK, one class has a month, but a majority of the courses papers are due in three weeks. Some students have come by to chat, but the vast majority have not. I always get a bit concerned during this time of the term, as I wait for the sense of panic to set in for the students. Granted, I don't want that to happen, but inevitably it does.

Start outlining what you want to do right now. See your TA or professor ASAP. And, the basic stuff: go to class, take notes, keep up with the readings, and drum roll---begin the research for your papers.

I am thinking about study strategies in and outside of the classroom. I was walking around the large lecture class today and was struck by the number of students I saw taking detailed notes. This was then juxtaposed by an almost equal number of students sitting there texting, on FB and other sites in lieu of taking notes or paying attention.

Some studies have noted that the current generation in our classes are good at multi-tasking, but a recent spate of studies acknowledge that this is not the case. Based on what I see in the classroom and in my office, I have to offer that some students need to re-think multi-tasking. Staying in the moment is important. And, this needs to be countered with effective reading of the course materials and note-taking during class and from the reading of the course materials.

I have not been blogging as much--busy with teaching, writing, and now grading like crazy. I'm really trying to remember what it was like to be a first year student and in some respects be clueless about college work.

Yes, grading lots of first year work and managing my expectations with the reality of nice weather in September and lots of new things for students. It has been fun, refreshing, and a little frustrating. I'm sure that the students (all years) are currently really stressed. OK. Back to grading!