Two brains are better than one: Paired text study in the college classroom

Dr. Rebecca Shargel

November 13, 2017
12:00 – 1:00 p.m.
Towson Room, Cook Library, Room 507

Dean Laurie Mullen and the College of Education faculty and staff welcome you to the Fall 2017 College of Education Dean’s Sabbatical Lecture Series. Dr. Rebecca Shargel, Associate Professor in the Department of Educational Technology & Literacy, will present a lecture entitled Two brains are better than one: A study of paired text study in the college classroom. Light refreshments will be served.

About the Presentation

This research addresses the problem of first year college students refusing to participate in full group discussions. An antidote to students’ silence is a paired learning method, havruta text study, a strategy derived from Jewish academies of higher learning. This qualitative study applied and adapted this method to several sections of Towson Seminar to investigate advantages and disadvantages of reading and discussing text with the same partner for the duration of a semester. This presentation will discuss the results of this investigation, particularly how students advanced in discussing controversial texts, took on new perspectives, supported peer learning, and found their voices while arriving at a richer understanding of controversial topics.