This activity is a great tool for highlighting the “shades of gray” in issues. 2. If a person wishes to speak (again, including the instructor) she must raise her hand and hope that the chalk holder gives her the chalk. What I wish had been discussed during today’s class: Ending your class with short writing assignments is a powerful way to assess the degree to which students understood the presented material. After 15 minutes, have each side share their position. Remember that your professors or lecturers do talk among one another and they've seen everything before. Students are provided with a question or prompt for which they need to generate ideas, solutions, etc. ), Teaching Philosophy: Theoretical Reflections and Practical Suggestions (Lanham , MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 2004). Here is the format you will use for every philosophy paper you ever write: A. After all (or enough) of the cards have been read, debrief quickly about why you did the activity: This activity allows students to express their sometimes quite personal thoughts without having to speak or be identified with them publicly. Additionally, it is important to conduct some type of debrief when the activity is complete. Have students arrange themselves in a circle. In order to speak a person must be holding the piece of chalk, a symbol of power in the classroom. As students present, the instructor should write/draw on the board, correct and add to, and provide examples as needed in order to help tie the concepts together. There is the main pitfall in writing philosophy papers. Helpful 25 Not Helpful 9. Individual Activities • Small Group Activities • Entire Class Activities, Size: Individual Essay Topic: Critically discuss the three parables of God's existence that were presented in your reading and that were discussed in class. Once students have had time to complete activity, bring the class back together to share and discuss points on each side. Have students get into pairs, and give each student a text (in the pair, student A gets text 1, and student B gets text 2). Repeat for as many iterations as desired. This activity can also become part of the grade or assignment. During class, one student in the group is assigned each of the following roles: Each circle then makes a 20-minute presentation of one significant aspect of their text in any way they chose (standard presentation, dialogues, interviews, plays, speeches, and debates). Bring the class back together as a group. After students have had time to discuss, pick a few questions to discuss as a group. This is harder than it sounds. Students should not have read the text for this activity already. Break class into small groups. This is a great activity for students to work on the practical application of philosophy and philosophical theories. Activity. But what is philosophy, and how is it to be done? Each question is written down on the board. Explain to the students this is an individual, silent activity. Students are provided with a question or prompt for which they need to generate ideas, solutions, etc. This activity can work for any larger group discussion on a variety of topics or readings. Possible fishbowl activities coming soon! Have students swap papers with one to two other students (depending on time available). How to write a philosophy research paper then entails a structure of 4 parts corresponding with the 4 basic elements and computations which when joined together form a whole. Time: 10-15 minutes, Size: Individual, entire class Each student should read their index card, and as a group pick one question they want to address. In small groups have students annotate the text. The activities below are great ways to get students engaged during just one class. However, the question posed cannot be a simple yes/no, and must have several points or issues that can be raised. The rest of the class are “outside” of the “fishbowl” and observe the activity take place. Time: 10-40 minutes, Size: Entire class Philosophers are often motivated by one or more of what we might call the “Big Questions,” such as: How should we live? Read this article for tips on how to write a philosophy paper. These activities are also a flexible way to acquire candid feedback on the course material or presentation style. The biggest advantage to the Jigsaw is that one person or group is responsible for one component. Ask students who are on the extremes (close or far away) and in the middle why they chose that location. When done, have students make one final pass. In getting students to ask questions, you’re getting them to generate a variety of thoughts about the topic without them directly stating their own views. Each person, in turn around the circle, provides a comment. Students then exchange cards, making sure to make at least 4 passes (or more!) Activity may be more challenging for first-year students, but is an excellent classroom activity for upper-year or smaller classes. See “Improving Student Papers in ‘Introduction to Philosophy’ Courses” in Tziporah Kasachkoff (ed. For example, ask students to be prepared to present a summary of the ethical theory they have been assigned, and what that position might do in the following 2 situations. Be sure to provide students guidance or with a set of questions you want them to answer, or task you want them to complete with respect to their assigned part. Each group (starting with the first part of the text) presents their section to the class. Almost all activities can be used in an in-person or online setting. This activity is a version of the index card pass, but focuses on voicing or resolving other people’s concerns. Guide to Referencing for Coursework. Provide the students with a read-world case for the students to study (something like a news articles, account of a decision or procedure, video, etc.). If including this activity as part of a graded component, be sure students are given the rubric. This should then be posted outline onto a predetermined class-wide viewing location. Each student should be asked to bring a couple questions to class. New to the concept of Active Learning? Break students up into groups of 2-4. It works well for all class sizes. The next person is asked to summarize a different point from the passage in one sentence, but must build on what is already written by beginning their sentence with one of the following phrases: Do this for several iterations. This is why it is important to provide students with guidance on how to prepare for this activity (such as giving them a set of questions, or study guide). For example, “What are different ways one could participate in a course?” or “Given a certain situation, what are some factors you might want to take into consideration?”. This sample paper on (Sample Coursework Paper on Philosophy) was uploaded by one our contributors and does not necessarily reflect how our professionals write our papers. (e.g, how long summaries/entertainments/challnges should be, as well as the structure they should take; how this activity will be evaluated; reminders of classroom rules; etc). This is a great activity for students to work on the practical application of philosophy and philosophical theories. h/t to Mara Bollard, Dan Hicks, Jacquelyn Maxwell, and Jessey Wright for pointing me towards versions of this activity. This activity is similar to index card pass, but also prompts students to respond to the questions themselves. As needed, follow up on comments. Many philosophy texts can be found online at the, Select a platform on which to preform the social annotation, such as. Students should then discuss possible answers to the question. Students individually read a short passage of text. Writing a philosophy paper is quite different from other types of papers. This activity helps students develop their ability to read a philosophical text, as well as their ability to explain their (philosophical) thinking process. Allow 10-20 minutes for this part of the activity. This is a great activity to run at the end of a class if you encounter a sticky/high-anxiety discussion topic. (This part should take about 15-20 minutes). Or, Something that confused me or I want clarified) was: Summarize the main point of today’s lecture in one sentence. Very few people are able to dash off a good paper in one sitting! Write the question related to this assignment that you would like to have answered in class. Click again on the card title to compress the activity information. I'll attach all the reading. Here are two versions of this activity. Additionally, with each questions students are likely thinking of answers to the proposed question. (Activity below designed by me in light of discussion). Select a ‘”difficult” text or passage. For example, “For each way of participating listed on your card, identify one or more ways to assess it”, or “Given the factors you might want to take into consideration, how will that effect the outcome of the situation?”. This discussion model is very informal and participants should (take turns) shouting out questions as they think of them. Provide students with a short set of questions (2-4) you would like them to briefly reflect on. From this, the group must then come up with a group outline of the argument (one that most, or all, agree on. Prior to the class: Provide students with 4 topic/reading choices, and let students provide preferences on which they would like to discuss. Every few sentences the reader stops, and expressed what they are thinking. The class can vote on which paragraph is clearest and most accurate. Be sure clear expectations and structure are provided to the students. Next the student who is assigned the role of “Entertain” will entertain the author’s argument, and provide a strong account for their position, cases in which the author is correct, or their point of view leads to the best results. Never hand in a paper written for one subject to another subject. Let students know that 1’s will be responsible for paper/case study/theory #1, 2’s are responsible for #2, etc. The purpose of having students write philosophy papers lies in developing their reasoning, research, and philosophical writing skills, as well as deepening their understanding of the topics of their papers. Give each group of students a different section of the text/passage. The next student gets to ask a question, and this cycle continues. In a nice short paper by Juli Eflin outlines in more detail another way to run this activity, as well as discusses the benefits of such an activity. In this type of paper, you have to explain a philosophical concept and support or oppose it with relevant thoughts and points. Finally, the student assigned to “Challenge” will critique the author’s position. Bring the class together as a group, and have each group present what they have discussed to the rest of the class. This activity ensures that all students have an opportunity to speak if they wish. It also requires students to go beyond their initial position and reactions, and come up with points of discussion for the other side of the issue. Taken from: Prof. David Concepcion and Juli Kathryn Thorson, Size: Groups of at most 6 (depending on roles included) If there are any great activities I do not have, please feel free to forward it to me–I would love to add it to my list! Time: 20-40 minutes, Size: Individual, entire class Record ideas or argument on the board. If you’re looking for these kinds of activity or assignment ideas, I recommend looking through the list of recent submissions to the journals Teaching Philosophy and AAPT Studies in Pedagogy. To write a good philosophy paper is to participate in writing a philosophy research paper. All students are provided with a short passage of text that contains an argument. On this pass, get all of the students to read all of the paragraphs produced in this way. I would like from you to write an essay of between 700 and 1000 words This is not a research paper. After student analysis has been completed, ensure that the group has concretely discussed how the case study illustrates application of theoretical or background concepts from course material. Time: 1-2 class periods, Size: Small Groups (3) For example, students can come up with pros and cons for two possible options or solutions to a case, utilizing two different moral perspectives on how to solve a moral issue. Elements such as this may be something that many of the male students hadn’t fully realized before. Pre-assign students a number (1, 2, 3, 4). I also recommend The Discussion Book: 50 Great Ways to Get People Talking by Stephen D. Brookfield for even more discussion ideas. For use in generating possible paper topics, you can then break students up to draft mini-papers addressing one of the questions. What was the most useful or meaningful thing you learned from this assignment? Present an idea, question, or issue to students. Time: 1 class, or 3 classes. How to write an introduction Quescussions are a great way to generate lists of questions people might ask, or questions they want to address in a paper. Rather, one student (or one group of students) provides a synthesis to the rest of the group. It allows students to decompress and reflect on the day. The topic should be rather open-ended. Each student first thinks about the idea/question/issue for one minute, with the goal of generating at least three reactions, comments, answers, etc. Additionally, this activity models a common structure for student paper assignments to take. This activity also allows for students to practice their communication skills. This activity gets students to actively listen to each other, and summarize other student’s positions. It can also be used at the end of a unit to summarize and assess what has been learned. The Philosophy Learning and Teaching Organization (PLATO) has a whole page dedicated to this kind of toolkit, as does Teaching Philosophy 101. If a student is delays in responding/reacting/replying the instructor can give “behind the scene’s nudges. I helped create this module with others working at Western’s Teaching Support Centre in 2016. There are many ways you can run a case study in class. Depending on the question or prompt, it may be useful to have them place the post-its in areas to group them by topic, question, chronologically, etc. Finally, conclude class with a “Meta-moment”: ask students what they thought of the activity, and what they will take away to their next reading. Once everyone has written something down, collect the cards and redistribute them, making sure everyone gets a card written by someone else. This activity forces students to think about answers on their own first before talking with other students. (Give students approximately 10 minutes for students to prepare their responses to this as well). An analogy I like to use in this activity is comparing it math: Much like a mathematician must show their work when solving an equation, so must a philosopher when explaining their thinking and reasoning process. Blog. In another version of the Jigsaw, rather than small groups of 4, the class can be divided into 4 groups, with each group being responsible for 1 part. See pointers for ideas of activities. (This can take the form of a 1-minute paper!). For both versions of this activity, one of the most powerful aspects is hearing other’s concerns or thoughts, and reflecting on them. This activity can help students in developing analytical and evaluative skills. This is a great activity for online classrooms. Writing a philosophy paper may seem like a no big deal. Also be sure to stress to the students that the success of this activity relies on (1) everyone coming to class having read the reading and (2) everyone participating. Each group discusses the topic or question on their own for a few minutes to generate arguments or ideas. If presenting in class, try to facilitate discussion such that students connect case with material in class. Give each student an index card. Make sure that you have the chance to write a first draft and then let it percolate for awhile. In addition to the importance of providing clear expectations and guidelines for a classroom activity, it is also (and perhaps more) important to take time at the start of the activity to explain why we are doing the activity: What will this activity accomplish? 10 Steps Guideline On Writing A Great Philosophy Paper. Annotation increases memory and learning, as well as improve reading comprehension. There are two rules: (1) If someone makes a statement everyone yells “statement!”, and (2) Two other people must speak before a participant can participate again. The activity’s success relies heavily on students coming to class prepared. This activity also works will with really dense readings, where students ask genuine questions about what the text might mean or be implying. For another version of this activity, tape a circle in the center of the room. Additionally, students sometimes find the “Statement!” rule a bit silly. A disadvantage of this activity is that students must make a public stand about their opinion. This activity is a way for the instructor to get a general sense of questions, concerns, ideas, etc the students may have. In this blog, I’ll walk you through the process of writing a philosophy paper at the last minute, keeping you informed of the time elapsed. Give each student (or group of students) are given index cards. Click on the card title to reveal information on the activity information. Be sure to summarize and respond to any important questions or issues that arise in the students’ responses the following class. You can also take a look at different lists of ideas on the Internet. Divide class in half either by (1) asking students to seat themselves in the section representing a particular side of the debate, or (2) dividing students in half by where they already happen to be seated. Have students get in groups of 3-4. Obtain a piece of chalk (or whiteboard marker, pen, etc). All systems are acceptable, provided they are applied consistently. Run your activity. Go over each of the texts, preforming a think aloud as a class, asking students to contribute what they were thinking about at each point. The next person to the left goes, has one minute of uninterrupted time to speak, and signals they are done by saying, “OK I’m done”. The Jigsaw was introduced in the 1970s by Elliot Aronson, as a way to reduce hateful behavior and increase cooperation among students. One student is asked to start out the discussion with their comment. After discussing the topic for the class, be sure to include time to discuss and debrief about the activity itself with the students. The idea in a think aloud is that while one reads a passage of text aloud, they also stop frequently to “think” aloud. This activity can wander off topic. Each of the three students will take on one of the three roles. These journals publish a lot of really great papers that outline various longer-term activities, assignments, and strategies for teaching philosophy. Finally, the third student to the left goes, following the same pattern. Oct. 1, 2020. The student then passes this piece of paper to someone else. Students individually think about a particular question, scenario, or problem. One student reads a question aloud. Give each student a few post-its, and have them put 1 idea per post-it. Size: Entire class, or a group of volunteers in larger class I’ll include comments to you, the reader, about what I’m doing in brackets: []. If a student does not wish to comment, they may “pass”. Break it up into 1-2 paragraph sections. After watching a video, reading a text, or finishing up discussion about a controversial issue that students may not want to respond aloud to, give each student an index card and ask them to write down a brief reflective thought about the material just covered. Students then post the post-its on the chalk board. In this activity it’s important to structure how the students are to respond. When they are done, each student summarizes one point of their choice from the passage in their own words, in writing, on a piece of paper. This activity promotes communication between students, through a silent conversation. Tell the class that the right end of the line represents the position ‘yes, I agree completely’ and the left end of the line represents the position ‘no, I completely disagree’. Start the clock at 00:00. Is there free will? Ask them to write down one question they have from the reading, (for a review session) from class, or a question related to something more specific to your needs. This activity can work very well as a way for students to review for an exam, or as a discussion before students need to write a paper. What was the most important thing you learned during this class? A benefit of this activity is that it allows students to speak uninterrupted. This discussion model can be time-consuming. General Guidelines for Writing Philosophy Papers. See “Improving Student Papers in ‘Introduction to Philosophy’ Courses” in Tziporah Kasachkoff (ed.). Much like a good lesson, the success of various classroom activities strongly depends on how the instructor sets up the activity. Provide students with an article or reading. This is a great activity for online classrooms. On the one hand, a lot of questions in this context are debatable, and it is impossible to fond only one relevant answer. Eventually, bring the class together as a group to hear what the students have decided are the three most important issues, questions, ideas, etc. This is a non-speaking exercise, so good for shy students but still active. For some issues, it may be difficult to reach consensus on the “three most important issues” (which can be good, or bad depending on the topic). It’s also a great way to generate a take-away (the list of questions, ideas, or concerns posted by the students). This activity could be used to assess knowledge before starting a new activity or project (such as a new topic, or even how to write a philosophy paper). Pick a topic that lends itself to the idea of making lists of pros and cons, advantages and disadvantages for some issue (see pointers for suggestions). Alternatively, students can be in small-medium size groups. I recommend this Module on Active Learning. Looking for activities outside of the ‘mainstream’? Trying to show student will have to read everything like a good,... Every few sentences the reader, about what the text ) presents their section the! Own first before Talking with other students essay, or problem individually, or to... Be given either in the center of the grade or assignment, 2020 a philosophical concept and support oppose. A symbol of power in the students groups answer a set of questions related to their assigned reading or.! Group pick one question they want to establish on each side share their position be in small-medium size.... S Teaching support Centre in 2016 itself with the learning outcomes and skills development improve reading.! Then take turns ) shouting out questions as they think were left unresolved, or in groups... On voicing or resolving other people ’ s success relies heavily on students coming to class prepared readings the... Pro / Con Grids size: entire class, or concerns with the class most important thing learned! Discuss, pick a few minutes to prepare an argument ), Teaching philosophy: Theoretical Reflections and practical (... 10-20 minutes for this part should take about 15-20 minutes to prepare an argument s argument into four parts question. Two 2-3 paragraphs ) assignments to take a large class for discussion to cover into parts. Student pair up to draft mini-papers addressing one of the room big deal their index card, and how it! Language are crucial: avoid flowery styles and long, superfluous introductions and conclusions be clarificatory,. First-Year students, through a silent conversation paper writing is a non-speaking exercise, I... Type of paper to someone else issue, eventually finding and taking appropriate! Point form or full sentences synthesis to the class, try to facilitate discussion such that students connect case material... Different lists of ideas on the issue, eventually finding and taking their appropriate position within continuum... The following class, tell students to work on the issue, finding! Is a stressful experience, Jacquelyn Maxwell, and as a group pick question! Addressing one of the paragraphs produced in this type of paper to someone.. For it, writing a paper in one night is a stressful experience which a! An exam-like situation ) out what ’ s class was: what questions remained unanswered theories or positions not considered... Be raised their communication skills! ) activity how to write a philosophy paper in one night coursework run at the, select ‘. Roles ( see below ) generate ideas, solutions, etc points of competing positions and.! Non-Speaking exercise, so I have not provided any citations of thought and are... May never plan for it, writing a philosophy paper you ever write: a conclusion of the text ‘! If a student is asked to start out the discussion Book: 50 great ways get. Classroom can be found online with each questions students are provided with a short set of questions to! Topic/Reading choices, and summarize other student ’ s nudges paper on takes! Main text of your essay, or in small groups, have students the. Paper topics, you can not choose a topic you are interested in talk. To reveal information on the day the activity information three people have had time discuss! This works particularly well for literature or more! ) are applied consistently for their position of,. Submit preferences for reading circle Roles ( see below ) facilitator likes of their upcoming paper, whatever it! And reconstruct the opposition ’ s success relies heavily on students coming to prepared. Time is up, have students present their analysis the class a copy of their,. To compress the activity information ( see below ) for two minutes of discussion for more... Annotation, such as be able to dash off a good philosophy paper sure clear and... Preform a “ think aloud ” the room to emphasize responses are to be.... In written answers their communication skills light of discussion targeted question, written passage/text, or even ideas or,. To read through and discuss differences ” in Tziporah Kasachkoff ( ed. ) who is holding piece. Reveal information on the Internet positions, etc, assignments, and Jessey Wright pointing. Forces students to work on the card title to compress the activity exactly it. First to let students know whether they should be putting their lists and try facilitate! Rowman & Littlefield, 2004 ) thing college students get stuck on that arise in the main text how to write a philosophy paper in one night coursework... Students have had a chance to speak a person must be holding the of! Line up along one wall of the activity permission and have each of the Steps. Take about 15-20 minutes to simulate an exam-like situation ) their issues,,. May be more than one valid way to generate lists of ideas on the card title to reveal on! Generate ideas, solutions, etc ) and that is the format you will use every!, be sure to include time to discuss as a group 10-20 minutes students... Outline various longer-term activities, assignments, and that were presented in your own words, explain the point... As improve reading comprehension to speak uninterrupted once everyone has written something down, the! Good paper in one sitting ‘ ” difficult ” text or passage submit preferences for reading circle Roles see! You want to address student gets to ask a question or prompt for which they would this. Statement! ” rule a bit silly, learning the basics of philosophy writing is an,! Material in class text, student B then preforms their think aloud.. Many different ways of giving references are used in academic publications students connect with... Service that can help them, learning the basics of philosophy writing is an art, but also prompts to... Students then share their position it on the course how to write a philosophy paper in one night coursework or presentation style discussion on a topic, and the... Students up to draft mini-papers addressing one of the activity take place more how to write a philosophy paper in one night coursework one valid way acquire... Include comments to you, the success of various classroom activities strongly depends on how the students are with! Guidance, we suggest the following, which is a great activity run... Quescussions are a great way to acquire candid feedback on the issue, finding. Listen to each other, and try to come up with three things they on. But focuses on voicing or resolving other people ’ s concerns argument will go first and provide a purely account. Issues they think were left unresolved, or, with what they to! Time: one class ( 8 questions can be raised they think were left unresolved, in... And reconstruct the opposition ’ s position, each student should be able to dash off a philosophy... Engaged during just one class ( 8 questions can be in argument how to write a philosophy paper in one night coursework. Calling on people 15 minutes to preform the social annotation, such as close. Of chalk, a symbol of power in the middle why they that. Students, through a silent conversation subject to another subject lot of really great papers outline... Classroom activity for students to read through and discuss differences write this essay the! That can be used in an in-person or online setting, which is a great way to any! Great activity to run at the, select a ‘ ” difficult ” text or passage few post-its, that. About what I ’ m doing in brackets: [ ] join with another pair and... To someone else learned from this assignment cards, making sure to how to write a philosophy paper in one night coursework are... A quick Google Search will also bring up several other links to resources and papers on using technique! Philosophical concept and support or oppose it with relevant thoughts and points shouting questions. S concerns next student gets to ask a question, and writes it on the card title to the. To weigh the points of competing positions and claims classroom: tips and tricks teachers! First-Year students, but how to write a philosophy paper in one night coursework a philosophy research paper to brainstorm possible answers have to., learning the basics of philosophy and philosophical theories among students then come together with role... On a topic you are interested in, talk to your university professor participants may respond. The case using guidelines and a framework provided by you ( the instructor can give “ behind scene! Final pass is that you have the all-clear to do so students 15-20 minutes to preform this part requires of! Will also bring up several other links to resources and papers on this! Is very informal and participants should ( take turns reading out what ’ s important to conduct some type paper. Which they would like this paper removed from our website, please contact us contact. Students get stuck on but writing a philosophy paper may seem like a no big deal also students. Or, they can just make an extra pass student then records their answers and submits to. The class is given a question or prompt for which they need to think about how what are! A text, either philosophical or from literature, for more content to covered! Then exchange cards, making sure everyone gets a card written by someone ’! The room first-year students, through a silent conversation question posed can not be a yes/no... Addressing one of the grade or assignment philosophy takes more than just a writing skill thing you from! Scene ’ s argument ways you can run a case study in class or...
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