Sunday, February 7, 2010
Reflection
Last week I conducted my first class starter and class discussion starter with the help of Hannah. I guess it went alright for our first time. I found that the hardest part was actually getting the class to engage in a real discussion about the the topics at hand. They stated their thoughts on the topic as small groups, but there was really no interaction amongst the mentors as a whole. I realized that it was up to Hannah and I to raise questions and theories that pushed them into meaningful discussion about the material. I feel this could be a problem next semester when I'm trying to get the incoming freshman to engage in a class discussion. This could very well be an aspect of teaching that I'll need to improve upon.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
I agree Josh. I didn't realize how well planned classes need to be to make sure everyone is actively engaging, and how we should be ready with different ways to get our students involved on days when discussion is lacking.
ReplyDeleteJosh,
ReplyDeleteI thought you and Hannah did a great job leading the class- especially since you were the first ones! (not counting Randi & Chris). I think we just need to make it clear what expect the students to do during each class so they know who to discuss with, etc. and aid them on the way when we see our directions aren't clear enough or if they are unsure.
I would have to agree with making an actual discussion occur in class is definitely one of the hardest things to do. I think a way to help us next year with that, considering that the freshman will just consider this another class, is to show them that this is meant to be something where interaction is encouraged and is needed to get the point across. Explaining to them that what they say actually matters I have found helps a lot in getting students to start talking. However, for us I cannot give you a good reason why we made it so difficult for you, maybe we were all just testing you......or not. who knows haha
ReplyDelete