1
00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:02,375
[MUSIC PLAYING]

2
00:00:02,375 --> 00:00:04,427


3
00:00:04,427 --> 00:00:06,010
JOSIAH OSGOOD: So
when you're thinking

4
00:00:06,010 --> 00:00:09,790
about what will make an
effective assignment,

5
00:00:09,790 --> 00:00:12,640
of course, you want
to think carefully

6
00:00:12,640 --> 00:00:16,129
about what it is you're hoping
the students will get out

7
00:00:16,129 --> 00:00:19,040
of the assignment and what
skills will the students get

8
00:00:19,040 --> 00:00:22,610
out of it and to
share that as briefly

9
00:00:22,610 --> 00:00:24,830
and elegantly as
possible as you can

10
00:00:24,830 --> 00:00:27,440
with the students in
the information you

11
00:00:27,440 --> 00:00:30,590
give them about the assignment.

12
00:00:30,590 --> 00:00:34,610
I think it's important to think
about things that went wrong

13
00:00:34,610 --> 00:00:37,790
in previous versions of
the assignment and to try--

14
00:00:37,790 --> 00:00:40,790
again, as much as possible--
in the introduction

15
00:00:40,790 --> 00:00:45,890
that you give to the assignment
to signal likely problems

16
00:00:45,890 --> 00:00:49,160
or fairly easily
avoidable mistakes.

17
00:00:49,160 --> 00:00:51,950
Let's suppose you're going
to give a assignment where

18
00:00:51,950 --> 00:00:53,060
students write a paper.

19
00:00:53,060 --> 00:00:55,010
I think it's very important
to think carefully

20
00:00:55,010 --> 00:00:58,640
about the questions
that you give students.

21
00:00:58,640 --> 00:01:01,670
I teach mostly in
the field of history.

22
00:01:01,670 --> 00:01:05,450
And it's very important to try
to create questions, especially

23
00:01:05,450 --> 00:01:10,520
for students in more
introductory classes

24
00:01:10,520 --> 00:01:15,780
of history, that will allow
them to offer analysis rather

25
00:01:15,780 --> 00:01:17,880
than simply just to
give a narrative.

26
00:01:17,880 --> 00:01:21,300
So I find, for example,
comparative questions

27
00:01:21,300 --> 00:01:23,490
can be very fruitful,
to ask students

28
00:01:23,490 --> 00:01:27,900
to compare and contrast two
different wars, for example,

29
00:01:27,900 --> 00:01:32,370
and then to explain why
events transpire differently

30
00:01:32,370 --> 00:01:33,390
in these wars.

31
00:01:33,390 --> 00:01:36,510
That active comparison forces
them, by its very nature,

32
00:01:36,510 --> 00:01:38,810
to be more analytic.

33
00:01:38,810 --> 00:01:47,000