Meredith - Reading Notes #8

Lang offered some helpful ideas for activities (posters, field trips, inkshedding, mock trials, case studies) to incorporate into courses in order to break up the monotony and reenergize students (p. 235-244). I think inkshedding is an interesting idea since it provides a way for all students, even those who are shy, to participate. I also agree with Lang’s comment that there is no better way to gain fresh insight than to be a student again (p. 244). I think it is important for teachers to also be students, in some way or another, as this helps them to maintain a student perspective. Lang also mentioned observing colleagues in order to gain insight on teaching. After my experience with being turned down to observe a professor’s class, I don’t imagine I will be overly eager to ask a colleague to sit in on his/her class. Therefore, I am interested in discussing other ways to learn about new teaching strategies. I think this would be beneficial to all of us, especially if we end up teaching at smaller colleges where resources related to improving teaching may not be available.

In chapter 4, Davis discussed classroom conduct and provided suggestions for handling various issues. However, I felt that some suggestions contradicted each other. For example, she mentioned the importance of having positive in-class interactions with students and noted that this involves refraining from putting students down in front of classmates since it contributes to a negative tone for students (p. 49). She then later discussed a suggestion for calling students out in front of the class when they arrive late (p. 50). Wouldn’t doing so embarrass the student and contribute to a negative tone in the classroom? In regard to this topic, Lang suggested dealing with students in private rather than in front of the class. Which method is more appropriate? The issue of maintaining a positive tone for students, while at the same time prohibiting disruptive behavior, is one that I feel warrants further discussion. This is something we will have to address in our careers and yet it does not appear that a consensus has been reached. 

The reading on learner-centered teaching was a bit too idealistic for me. While I agree that instructors should not be afraid of relinquishing some control, I struggle with the practicalities of how to appropriately share the power. The author provided examples about how to involve students in their own learning, such as having them develop the class participation policy (p. 34) and select course topics prior to the instructor developing the syllabus (p. 39). With these suggestions in mind, is it appropriate to spend multiple class periods deciding on a class participation policy? What do instructors who need to provide copies of their syllabi to department chairs prior to the semester do in these situations? We started a discussion last week about letting students make choices and I think we would benefit from continuing this discussion now that we have additional insight into the topic.