Mike's Reading Notes #8

Getting to the end of the semester always seems like a tough time. Everybody starts thinking about holiday breaks, seeing family, etc. Then it all comes crashing down when they remember there are a ton of assignments that are coming due. I have a sneaking suspicion it’s no coincidence that we are reading about this material at this point in the course. I agree with Lang that this is basically unavoidable, but I also wonder how exactly you can implement his suggestions for energizing the classroom. I always enjoyed field trips that took me anywhere off campus, even if it was for just a short time. However, I also wonder how you can fit something like that into an already prepared course plan. I sometimes had professors that would offer a field trip out of class, but it only be offered if the class decided to do an extra paper or small project on the topics that would not be fully covered.

I think Lang offers some good advice for obnoxious students. While sometimes mildly entertaining for the rest of the class, I don’t feel that publically shaming a student is a good strategy. I fear that it might be giving them the type of attention they are seeking, and it may actually escalate things further and create a very negative situation. I’m the type of person that is the polar opposite of passive-aggressive and will be quite blunt with people. However, this is one situation I feel where passive-aggressiveness is warranted.

“No student has a constitutional right to bring a laptop to class” (Lang 254). This course is the first course I have ever used my laptop in to take notes. But for those that teach currently, are you met with resistance or even hostility when you ban them? I currently use my laptop in a few different courses because I don’t like constantly printing things out that I’m going to read once. But I see the utility of a laptop, in certain scenarios.

With the article on we received, how do we get away from the standard where the professor makes all the decisions about learning and that’s it? I know in some cases, especially my own field, there are simply things we are required to teach and are non-negotiable. But I still feel there is some movement allowed with how we teach. I grew up in the environment where I had little to no say about what I was going to learn. I think a lot of that has to do with maturity though. I wouldn’t expect a Freshman to know how college works. I really like the point that students make the hardest decision of all, and that is to learn. I would also like to know if others have experienced giving the power to the students with regards to course and lesson planning. I thought the readings this week brought up a lot of good points. I just hope my future department chair isn’t an insane potential serial killer. In my opinion, that would be a huge bummer and a real negative for department morale.