In this activity, you instruct your students to ask questions about the course texts when preparing for class. The students prepare their questions in the study groups, and during class, their questions form the basis for reflection, discussion and clarification of any matters of dispute.
The activity is intended to help the students become more focused in their preparation for class by working actively with the course texts. The activity can also cause the students to take greater ownership of the texts as it is up to them to consider which questions are relevant. Moreover, the activity may help create better coherence between teaching sessions and the work in study groups. The activity gives the groups concrete tasks to work with, which may help ensure that the study groups are actually being used and are not petering out.
You should ask your students to formulate questions for the texts set for them to read in preparation for class. The activity is designed as a group-based writing activity which the students should engage in as part of their preparation between individual teaching sessions.
It is essential for the activity that you as a teacher focus on the reasons why the selected questions are being asked. Explain to your students that different texts prompt different types of answers.
The students should spend time in their study groups on formulating questions for the texts you are about to review and work with in class. It is important that you inform your students about the activity well in advance of the session so that they have time to perform the activity.
When the students have formulated questions for the texts, they should spend time in their study groups reflecting on which questions are important to be able to answer and discuss as regards the selected texts, and why.
Set aside time in class to review and discuss the text questions of the study groups and their reflections regarding the questions they have selected and those they have left out.
You may either ask the students to send the questions to you before the session, or to bring them to the session to be used as a basis for discussion in class.
