Assigned reading in classes is a bit of a contested topic. More often than not, you hear students, current and former, saying that they hated the books they were assigned to read during school.
There was a point in time where I thought that assigned school reading was only a drag, despite how much I love reading. I often didn't enjoy the assigned books. Consequently, it made me not want to read, even for fun.
So what are my thoughts on assigned reading? I think that there's a time and place for it.
Assigned reading is a very touchy topic for some people. Usually, the reason is the sole fact that they were forced to read to get a passing grade or higher in the class. There are some classes where assigned readings are absolutely perfect. However, there are other classes with assigned reading that make me pause and ask why there's assigned reading.
Classes that I think can make good use of assigned reading:
- History
- English
- Religion/Religious Studies
- Language (to an extent)
Classes that should not have assigned reading:
- Math
- Certain sciences
- Certain arts courses
Whether or not the class should have assigned reading is, in my opinion, highly dependant on the class itself. If you're a teacher and professor reading this, it may be best to recommend books to read rather than assign them. At the very least, you can assign only the specific chapters that relate to what you're teaching rather than an entire book.
No comments:
Post a Comment