Both Lang and Davis discuss ways to deal with student issues in the classroom. I think the most important point and student issue is regarding the idea of being respectful and civil in the classroom. I hope to teach classes regarding intergroup, intercultural, gender and interpersonal communication. All of these subjects could become heated and students could be offended by topics discussed in class. It is vitally important to keep things objective and emphasis the importance of respect in the classroom. If something does get out of hand, Davis recommends dealing with it promptly and consistently (p. 49). If I talk to one student in private, but call out another in front of the class, students will get mixed signals about what is appropriate in classroom discussions. I think having discussions in the beginning of the semester to set the tone of what to expect and explain that disrespectful comments will not be tolerated could help alleviate some problems this could face. What are other ways others feel these issues could be prevented? I enjoyed Lang’s discussion of dealing with student issues, but a common theme came out of that reading was that the best way to deal with these issues is to gain the experience with them. Are these situations easier to deal with once you have more teaching experience? Or are they hard regardless of the experience you have?
I think another issue worth discussing is student evaluations. Lang discussed the pros and cons of student evaluations. What do others think of them? I know most undergrads do not put a lot of time and thought into their evaluations. Most see it as a way to get out of class early. They will answer the quantitative questions, but leave the open ended questions blank. What are ways to get out students to fill these out? I think putting the evals online will prompt students to fill out the questions better (and maybe think about them more), but there is no guarantee students will actually fill them out either. Do others have ideas or suggestions about how to encourage students to provide constructive feedback for evaluations?
When does NDSU typically provide the results to student evaluations? I’m sure during the the spring semester, but it will have already started. How then can we take the feedback we receive and implement it into our current classes? By that point, we will not be able to make major changes to our class, but we can change daily activities. What are ways you have found to be effective to incorporate student feedback? I know you can’t make everyone happy, but how do you address feedback that you cannot incorporate into the class?
Lang’s chapter on time-management I found to be helpful (I checked my email after I read it…). I really liked the suggestion of doing lesson planning in small 20 minute chunks of time when you have it rather than find large chunks of time to work on it. He says that we will never have large chunks of time to work on it. That is probably true. Time management is one thing I am worried about come fall. Ann Burnet mentioned the importance of not letting teaching consume our lives. The readings, Carrie Anne, and Ann all mention that it will probably happy our first year. I am hoping I can ingrain this enough in my head to not let it happen, but it probably will. What have others who have taught classes found helps with time management? How have you learned to handle everything that comes with being a graduate student? Do you have any tips or advice to pass on?
Multiple Choice Question:
A married couple is talking about spending their first holidays together; one partner is Christian and the other is Jewish. In what quadrant of intergroup communication is this interaction?
A. Quadrant 1
B. Quadrant 2
C. Quadrant 3
D. Quadrant 4
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