Library News for Faculty and Staff
October 2018
Helping Our Students Take Notes
A recent Cult of Pedagogy Podcast discussed best practices in note-taking. Here are some take-aways:
How important is note-taking to our students' academic success? The experts say very important. Research about note-taking tells us:
Note-taking matters & more notes are better
Handwritten notes might be better than typed (it might be too early to tell)
Adding visuals helps students retain information
Teaching explicit note-taking makes a difference. Here are some ideas:
Try guided note-taking, scaffold the process for them
Provide your notes to students after they take their own
Pause during the learning experience to allow students time to revise their notes, perhaps compare their notes with a friend and fill in missing details
If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of note-taking read the Cult of Pedagogy blog or listen to the podcast.
Find more note-taking resources on the BBA Libguide.
Share What You Are Reading
Time to Breakout!
Have you ever experienced an escape room? A "Breakout Box" is a similar concept. Students are given a box with multiple locks on it and some clues. They need to work as a team using their creative problem-solving skills to figure out the codes that will open the locks. A recent breakout box for “Macbeth” involved students analyzing characters by comparing them to famous historical or modern day figures, as well as analyzing specific quotations from the play to determine Macbeth’s state of mind.
The library has all the necessary materials to create breakout boxes and is able to work with you to customize the perfect hands-on learning experience. There are pre-existing teacher-created breakouts specific to various themes and subjects that can be used as is or adapted. Having a group of students create a breakout box for another group would be an excellent brain-based activity. Please contact me to discuss!
Book Discussion Sets
New Books:
Before We Were Yours: A Novel by Lisa Wingate
Picking Cotton: Our Memoir of Injustice and Redemption
"Jennifer Thompson was raped at knifepoint by a man who broke into her apartment while she slept. She was able to escape, and eventually positively identified Ronald Cotton as her attacker. Ronald insisted that she was mistaken-- but Jennifer's positive identification was the compelling evidence that put him behind bars. After eleven years, Ronald was allowed to take a DNA test that proved his innocence. He was released, after serving more than a decade in prison for a crime he never committed. Two years later, Jennifer and Ronald met face to face-- and forged an unlikely friendship that changed both of their lives." --from the publisher
Available in all formats: hardcover, ebook and audio.
Red Card by Ken Bensinger
"The definitive account of the FIFA scandal, the biggest international corruption case of recent years, touching dozens of countries and spearheaded by U.S. investigators, published on the eve of the biggest sporting event on the planet, soccer's World Cup"--from the publisher
Available at BBA and Manchester Libraries.
Margi Putney
Email: mputney@burrburton.org
Website: http://www.burrburton.org/Page/Academics/Library
Phone: (802) 549-8122
Twitter: @MargiPutney