Consider the two possible letters of recommendation I might write:
I deliberately design my classes so that there is abundant flexibility for the students to engage in learning activities that are helpful to them. At the same time I strive to help them develop skills needed in academia/industry. Among those skills, I place a heavy emphasis on self-directed learning, critical thinking, critiquing arguments, interpreting data, numeracy, as well as written and spoken communication.
I have many little assignments throughout the semester that are designed to be low stakes and allow students flexibility in learning on their own. I also have a major project that we do in class that is designed for students to showcase the skills and knowledge they are learning. It is often a group project because I want them to develop skills in collaborating with others and apply their emerging skills to real-world situations via experiential learning.
The only thing I request of students is that for every course credit, 2 (undergrad) to 3 (grad) hours of their BEST work OUTSIDE of class. So a graduate student would be expected to dedicate 9 hours per week in addition to the 3 hours we meet together for a 3-credit course for a total of 12 hours a week. An undergraduate student is expected to dedicate 6 hours per week in addition to the 3 hours we meet together for a 3-credit course for a total of 9 hours a week.
I believe the only way to improve is through dedicated time on task and deliberate practice.
My experience with [insert name] was that they actively wanted to learn and were eager to apply the principles not only in this class, but in other areas as well. They looked for ways to incorporate the principles they read and studied about, worked well with the others in the group and showed evidence of both mastering the material and the requisite skills. While not perfect, there was constant improvement. In fact, they went above my expectations and surprised me with [fill-in-the-blank] because I had never considered it from that perspective before.
Please ask them to share their class project with you so you can see evidence of the work they can produce to see if it meets your standards.
My experience with [insert name] was that they searched for the minimum that could be done to get the job done. I am not certain if they cared whether they truly learned about what the class covered, but were more worried about grades than substantive learning.
Rather than engaging with the material, they complained of it as busy work. They rarely if ever mentioned what they had read in class or incorporated it in other ways. Every time I gave an assignment, they wanted me to hold their hand so they could get an “A” by expending the least amount of effort needed. They were not interested in learning for the joy of self-improvement, but rather wanted a sticker that would stoke their ego that they “are fine just as they are, thank you very much,” and “what do I need to do to get that A?”
They didn’t tolerate ambiguity very well and wanted checklists of what needed to completed.
Please ask them to share their project with you so you can see evidence of the work they can produce to see if it meets your standards.