- Have students draft their own letters of recommendation in the beginning of the year using pre-written templates, e.g. "X created outstanding tests for his code, which I sometimes used to catch problems in other students’ code." versus "X made clear that he considered testing a waste of time." at the beginning of the year.
- Using this framework, students can reflect on what makes a positive letter of recommendation and, by extension, a good student.
- Remind students that they’re in charge of their own performance in class— letters of recommendation don’t just emerge from nowhere!
- Here's an example of the kind of activity you can have students complete at the beginning of your course.