Sunday, January 31, 2010
Renewed interest in talking about teaching
We have just kicked off the spring 2010 QEP Faculty Seminar. Last week, the first week of class, someone asked about a place to have online discussions about teaching. I set up this blog to do just that, so let's see if we can have some good discussions. Let me know if you encounter any problems posting. I see this as a public space--not my blog. So write away!
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By the way--check back in the archived posts to see a bit more about discussions that might be useful.
Hi. One of the things I am looking forward to in our seminar is sharing ideas on teaching - philosophy but also practical steps. Here's my teaching philosophy at the moment (always subject to changes); hope you will share yours. Bob Press
Teaching Philosophy: Bob Press February 2010
“Tell me and I forget. Teach me and I remember. Involve me and I learn.” Benjamin Franklin.
Paulo Freire urged teachers not try to pour information into ‘empty’ vessels (students’ minds) but to stimulate their abilities to the point where students become the teachers and teachers also become students. It’s a fairly well-established fact that students (including teachers) forget most memorized facts quickly but retain processes of analysis and other learning skills if taught creatively.
As a teacher, I am learning from students every day, and don’t mind being a little off balance or not the master of every fact. What I can do, however, is to seek to inspire a love of learning, skills to learn, and initial facts and theories about particular topics. But how to present them is the challenge.
When you ask them, students will tell you candidly, they appreciate relevancy, and pursuing something they are interested in. The challenge, then, is to provide relevant, interesting teaching that also leads them to new areas of discovery and learning as well as advances their knowledge and skills in their preferred areas.
Democratic Classroom. Gradually, I have been moving toward a democratic classroom, at first allowing student choices, and now, allowing students to determine much of the content, grading, and format of the classes. Students, in other words, run the classes, with my professional guidance, lectures from time to time, question posing, and encouragement. It seems to be working.
Relevancy: using classroom knowledge. For the past several years I have been developing a teaching model to link theory and practice. I began (in American Government 101) with the traditional community service-learning model, including sending students to City Hall, local nursing homes, and social service programs.
Next I introduced service-learning to my upper class seminars. In Political Development classes, students teach global income disparity and development in public schools using a technique known as the ‘hunger banquet’ (‘rich’ student participants get a good meal; the poor get very little). My Latin American Politics students have tutored Hispanic children or adults in English, returning with enthusiastic stories and using their experiences as a springboard for their research papers.
Now I require seminar students in some classes to interview personnel in outside, non-profit agencies then send their research papers to them for comment. They have a fresh sense of purpose in their work seeing how classroom knowledge in social sciences can actually help society. All of this means a lot of extra work on my part, but it is worth it.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
Hi...I am a new member to this group. I could not attend the first session and am not sure how much I missed.
I am excited about learning with the rest of you!!!
:-)
Babu
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