Democratic teaching model

This is great; a place to share teaching ideas. I hope you all share what works and what doesn't.

I've moved to a "democratic model" of teaching in which students and I plan a course together; they choose and assign readings in addition to my assignments; we negotiate a grading proportion. It is a combination of sstudent-led discussions (mostly) and lectures by me. I do add a couple of requirements that might not be their choice: community service and a research paper.

In the three classes so far, this approach has greatly improved the quality of papers and discussions and generated considerable student interest. There are some bumps - a developing schedule (students shape it for the most part) and possible negative evals by those who may prefer just lectures. But the pedagocial gains are, I think, worth the risks. Students feel a good deal of ownership of the class.

Would welcome critiques, suggestions, similar (or contrasting) experiences.
Bob Press

Has the internet made me redundant?

I’ve been listening to the BBC Channel Four's marvelous series on a 100 objects that changed the world and it has raised an existential dilemma for me. I teach World Civilizations, but I am not an expert on world history, and I don’t do as good a job as this free, easy-to-download podcast does. So why shouldn't I just play the podcast for my students and shut up? Is the new media making our jobs redundant or are there ways I can use the new media to make myself more relevant?

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