Chapter 7 Learning Activities
Stevy Scarbrough
The purpose of these activities is to help students engage more deeply with both reading and listening tasks, two essential academic skills that support college success across all disciplines. These activities will help students meet the following learning objectives:
LO1. Demonstrate the SQ3R method with an assigned reading from one of your classes.
LO2. Identify the purpose of an assigned reading using active reading techniques.
LO3. Practice active listening techniques in one of your classes and reflect on your experience.
LO4. Practice active listening techniques while watching a presentation or talk related to your chosen career field.
LO5. Discuss ways to build rapport with your instructors in face-to-face and online classes.
Activity 7.1 SQ3R Reading Method
Survey – Scan the reading and look for the section headers. These are usually bolded, enlarged, or otherwise distinctive
Read – Read the section and take notes below.
Recall/Recite – After reading and taking notes on the section, answer the question you wrote about the section
header.
Review – After taking notes and answering all the questions you created review your notes before attending your
class.
Activity 7.2 Active Reading
- What type of reading is this? (textbook, journal article, non-fiction book, fiction book, etc.)
- What is the purpose of this reading? (to instruct, to inform, to persuade, to entertain, etc.) How do you know?
- Are there any learning objectives that your instructor wants you to meet with this reading? (They might be given to you by the instructor, they might be given at the beginning of the reading.) List them below.
- What is the CONTEXT in which this reading was written? (What topic, discussion, context does this reading contribute to?)
- Who is the intended AUDIENCE of this reading? (There may be more than one intended audience.)
- What is the PURPOSE of this reading? To entertain? To explain? To persuade? (There may be more than one purpose, and essays almost always have an element of persuasion.) How do you know?
- How is this writing ORGANIZED? Compare and contrast? Classification? Chronological? Cause and effect? (There may be more than one organizational form.) How do you know?
- What is the author’s TONE? (What are the emotions behind the words? Are there places where the tone changes or shifts?)
- What TOOLS does the author use to accomplish her/his purpose? Facts and figures? Direct quotations? Fallacies in logic? Personal experience? Repetition? Sarcasm? Humor? Brevity?
- What is the author’s THESIS—the main argument or idea, condensed into one or two sentences?
Activity 7.3 Active Listening in Your Classes
- Write two questions down that you have about the lecture material:
- What did you do to prepare yourself for the lecture you attended/watched? (Did you do the readings? Complete the homework/assignments/activities? Take notes? Review your notes before class?)
- Where did you sit? Was your space free of distractions?
- What did the instructor do to indicate something important was being discussed? Did they have certain body language, buzzwords, symbols/words on their slides, present questions to answer?
- Were there topics that the instructor didn’t cover in their lecture that were in the reading? What are some reasons your instructor might not cover all material in from the readings?
- Did you use Repeating, Paraphrasing, Reflecting, or a combination of these while taking notes in class? How did you decide which degree of active listening to use? How did this differ from your previous experiences with attending/watching lectures?
- How can you use active listening in your future classes?
Activity 7.4 Active Listening to a Career-Based Talk
Take notes below during the talk then answer the questions that follow.
- Write two questions down that you have about the presentation material:
- What did you do to prepare yourself for the talk you watched?
- Where did you sit? Was your space free of distractions?
- What did the presenter do to indicate something important was being discussed? Did they have certain body language, buzzwords, symbols/words on their slides, present questions to answer?
- Did you use Repeating, Paraphrasing, Reflecting, or a combination of these while taking notes in class? How did you decide which degree of active listening to use?
- How did this differ from your previous experiences with watching videos related to career topics you’ve watched in the past?
- How can you use active listening to help prepare you for your future career?
Activity 7.5 Building Rapport with Your Instructors Discussion
Share an interaction you have had with an instructor/professor/teacher that helped you build a positive relationship with them.
Do a Google search and share another tip you found online for building rapport with your instructors. Make sure you include the link. Discuss why you think this will help build a positive relationship with your instructors.
Read the initial post of three of your peers, then add your reply by clicking the reply button. Please make sure you follow the Netiquette guidelines post that you read in the Course Info page. Your replies should be thoughtful, encouraging, and between 50-150 words in length.
