### Title: Understanding Learning Characteristics and Preparing for Expert Interviews
**Synopsis:**
This lesson aimed to deepen students’ understanding of learning characteristics as points of comparison in academic essays and to prepare them for conducting expert interviews. The class involved interactive discussions and activities to help students articulate their academic opinions based on evidence and strong comparisons.
### Attendance:
– Albina was mentioned as absent.
– Number of students mentioned absent: 1
### Topics Covered:
1. **Introduction to Learning Characteristics:**
– Reinforcement of the concept of learning characteristics.
– Explanation of learning characteristics as universal qualities of a positive learning experience.
2. **Defining Points of Comparison:**
– Discussion on the importance of comparison in persuasive essays.
– Clarification of what constitutes a point of comparison.
3. **Forming Academic Opinions:**
– Distinction between regular opinions and academic opinions.
– Emphasis on evidence-based opinions and strong comparisons.
4. **Transforming Characteristics into Questions:**
– Strategy to convert learning characteristics into canned questions for research purposes.
5. **Comparing Characteristics Activity:**
– Students selected four characteristics from their list to compare how they apply to both online and traditional learning.
– Emphasis on quantifiable characteristics for effective comparison.
6. **Class Discussion and Analysis:**
– Students shared their chosen characteristics and discussed the comparative questions related to traditional and online learning environments.
7. **Preparation for Expert Interviews:**
– Brief mention of the upcoming expert interviews and their relevance to the essay.
### Actionable Items:
– **Follow-up on Absent Students:**
– Check in with Albina regarding her absence.
– **Enhance Lesson Engagement:**
– Consider ways to encourage more volunteer participation in discussions.
– **Clarify Homework Instructions:**
– Ensure that students clearly understand the expectations for their upcoming homework assignments.
### Homework:
– Students will write practice interview questions for the assignment due next Monday.
– Further details regarding the interview and homework will be provided in the next class on Wednesday.