Looking forward to holidays is but natural. I think even Plato would nod in agreement here. But, before that glorious day arrives, there’s the latter half of the semester to be braved. I am not any less brimful of energy while writing this. I am just voicing the general feeling that is doing the rounds on campus.
In tune with the mood, I think this week’s readings reek of Post Mid-Semester Sluggishness Syndrome, which I guess is inevitable. The sluggishness or doldrums as Lang points out are a result of hitting the pedagogical plateau. I am a new instructor, but have been a human for over a quarter of my life. Dipping energies are pretty common everywhere and some of the remedial measures suggested by Lang to re-enthuse the class make sense. I like the poster activity because its underbelly is based on connections between concepts, places, things, people, images, books, ideas, space, time and theories among others. I also feel this is a good way to facilitate cumulative learning in the class. By the time, this activity is carried out; a major portion of the text should have been covered. The students have that much more information to derive connections from and visually represent them. However, I am just concerned with the logistical aspect of this exercise and how I could carry it out in COMM 110.
Case-studies are pretty helpful in the application of concepts. However, for a subject like COMM 110 and in my personal opinion, aural and visual message seems far more effective. When it comes to rude or apathetic students, who can doodle even while sitting right in the first row, my question is whether one should care enough to talk it out with such students. Or should one just let them be, because life throws lemons at everyone, they too shall get their due, and the instructors shouldn’t have to be above being regardless for such shirkers?
From Davis’ reading, I don’t know how I would deal with a tragic situation in class personally, having never really been in the midst of one. I am not too sure about discussing it with the affected people, as that could hurt their sentiments. Maybe, some of them are trying to get rid of those thoughts by coping with reality and wouldn’t like it mentioned at all.
From the learner-centered teaching excerpt, I like the argument that 'power is redistributed in amounts proportional to the students' ability to handle it'. It makes perfect sense because the kind of pedagogical freedom that graduate students enjoy is pretty different from the one that undergraduates or entry level students experience. These rules are set by the instructors and the assumption for this imbalance in power distribution is that graduate students are more motivated and self-directed as opposed to undergraduate students. But, again in trying to determine, who gets how much freedom, we stumble on the issue of power and control. Isn't that ironic?
The author mentions an entry-level public speaking class and the choice for students to pick assignments that they would like to do (except for one compulsory speech). However, in a COMM 110 class, how do we incorporate this flexibility when all these mechanics are already taken care of and we are expected to follow a protocol? I realize that calling on students is mostly counter-productive, but I also feel that in real life, one doesn't know when they will answerable to someone. That uncertain moment will not revolve around points, but something more consequential. Being able to speak up on the spur of the moment is symbolic of thinking on one's feet. Besides, if the instructor has been able to establish a friendly atmosphere in class, students might not feel too overwhelmed at being called on. The only other option to avoid this zone of discomfort is to have a participation policy stated by the instructor and perhaps, having the students decide on what accounts for as participation.
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