| Contacts | | Maps | | Calendar | | Jobs at LBCC | | Make a Gift | |
Jennifer Duncan (History)
Majors and Programs | Instructors
Profile: Jennifer DuncanJennifer Duncan, who has taught History at LBCC since 2003, uses writing extensively as a learning tool in her classes. "Most of history isn't just about the facts - it's about how we think about the facts," she says. "Why do things happen? What are the effects of various historical events? That's what I try to get my students to think about in my classes."
Like most teachers, Duncan asks her students to demonstrate a mastery of facts as part of their learning, and for this she relies on multiple-choice or true-false tests. Then she implements various kinds of writing assignments to help the students learn the process of historical analysis.
Duncan finds that just assigning a reading will rarely get students prepared for a class. "They usually won't read something unless I assign them to do some writing associated with it," she says. In addition to having them summarize the reading, she usually asks for some kind of critical-thinking response. What did the reading help them understand about the causes, effects, or significance of a historical phenomenon? Do they agree with the author's analysis of something? Why? These kinds of questions, she says, really prepare students to engage in a much deeper level of discussion and thought than if they had arrived at school without having written about the day's subject.
In addition to using writing-to-learn assignments, Duncan also relies on writing for her formal assignments, her take-home essay tests. "Historical inquiry is based on creating and thesis and then supporting it," she says. "Although students call it 'writing,' I think of it more as a form of thinking - writing is simply something that forces them to do their best at articulating their analysis and then providing evidence for it."
Duncan admits that requiring writing from her students does create a greater workload for her in terms of grading. "I'll cut back a bit next term when I'm defending my doctoral thesis, but normally I feel it's an essential part of teaching - it really helps my students learn." One of the methods she uses to cut down on the time it takes her to respond is to use a rubric or grading matrix. This allows her to quickly give students some feedback on specific aspects of their essay without her having to write it out herself - she simply fills out the form, and the perhaps adds a short comment at the end.
"History isn't a multiple-choice academic field," Duncan says. "You can test for factual knowledge that way, but not critical thinking skills. My students need to write."
Consulting Service Available: if you'd like help implementing any of these tips or techniques, Paul Hagood is available by phone (917-4570) and email (hagoodp@ml.linnbenton.edu) for consultation. You might even get email assistance at night or on weekends!
©Copyright 2006, Linn-Benton Community College. All Rights Reserved.