“Class discussions can be unpredictable and unwieldy” (TAH 119).
This section, discussing the teacher's role in class discussions, can be helpful for both students and teachers. I liked the different takes on the teacher's involvement at different points in the discussion, and the way they can be laid out step-by-step to give new teachers a process to work with (teacher as organizer-prompter-recorder-synthesizer-instructor). I don't think a teacher needs to use all of these steps/roles in every discussion, since I think an impromptu discussion can be one of the best things for a class, but it is a helpful template to come back to in case things get out of hand. The quote from p. 119 is something that all teachers, but especially new teachers, need to understand. New TAs tend to think that they'll be able to control the direction that a conversation/discussion is taking, but student discussions (especially in a large class, and especially when the topic at hand is a controversial or political one) can deteriorate into chaos too quickly. This is when the process can give an inexperienced teacher something to hold on to and may keep her/him/me from being overwhelmed and losing control of or authority over the class.
This is also a good subject for a class session if oral reports/group presentations are coming up. Students may need a formula for presenting to their peers, and this may help them to gain confidence when presenting in front of a professor for a grade. It could also give them a better way to organize their reports so that they are more prepared for leading a class in discussion.
“Anything can be made fun and interesting by simply mixing the old inner child into an otherwise dull lesson plan” (IOV 191).
I liked a lot of this section, but I don't completely agree with the quote. A professor has to be careful when choosing activities to pick ones that are fun but don't treat the students as children or insult their intelligence. I think this is a very hard line to see.
Also, a teacher has to be careful not to seem like too much of a pushover or too much of a "fun" teacher. Using a lot of this kind of activity might undermine authority in the classroom, or might stop students from taking the class seriously. I think this depends a lot on what kind of class it is- beginning comp, creative writing, or chemistry.
This section, discussing the teacher's role in class discussions, can be helpful for both students and teachers. I liked the different takes on the teacher's involvement at different points in the discussion, and the way they can be laid out step-by-step to give new teachers a process to work with (teacher as organizer-prompter-recorder-synthesizer-instructor). I don't think a teacher needs to use all of these steps/roles in every discussion, since I think an impromptu discussion can be one of the best things for a class, but it is a helpful template to come back to in case things get out of hand. The quote from p. 119 is something that all teachers, but especially new teachers, need to understand. New TAs tend to think that they'll be able to control the direction that a conversation/discussion is taking, but student discussions (especially in a large class, and especially when the topic at hand is a controversial or political one) can deteriorate into chaos too quickly. This is when the process can give an inexperienced teacher something to hold on to and may keep her/him/me from being overwhelmed and losing control of or authority over the class.
This is also a good subject for a class session if oral reports/group presentations are coming up. Students may need a formula for presenting to their peers, and this may help them to gain confidence when presenting in front of a professor for a grade. It could also give them a better way to organize their reports so that they are more prepared for leading a class in discussion.
“Anything can be made fun and interesting by simply mixing the old inner child into an otherwise dull lesson plan” (IOV 191).
I liked a lot of this section, but I don't completely agree with the quote. A professor has to be careful when choosing activities to pick ones that are fun but don't treat the students as children or insult their intelligence. I think this is a very hard line to see.
Also, a teacher has to be careful not to seem like too much of a pushover or too much of a "fun" teacher. Using a lot of this kind of activity might undermine authority in the classroom, or might stop students from taking the class seriously. I think this depends a lot on what kind of class it is- beginning comp, creative writing, or chemistry.
posted by Liz at
9:23 AM
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