https://caspercollege.cvlcollections.org/files/original/59415d03e0e9c735d89dad805886dcb7.pdf a0836414ce8ca5d4233584d85f20ae6f PDF Text Text The National Teaching & Leamin fcMi Number 6 Volume 9 CONTENTS • Silence and Structure in the Classroom, Chad M. Hanson, Northcentral Tech, p. 1. “Post-It” notes don’t sound so hokey when you think of them as votes. • CARNEGIE CHRONICLE: Must Faculty Teach in Ways That Make Them Easily Dispensable? Craig Nelson, Indiana University, p. 4. Marcia Baxter Magolda’s new book synthesizes a lot of important modern thinking on pedagogy. Can the ideal be realized in the classroom? At a distance? • TECHPED: The Intelligent Management of E-mail, Tom Rocklin, University of Iowa, p. 6. There’s too much of it. It’s ruling our lives, but it’s also helping us teach as we never could before. • LEARNING DIARY: A Face, A Voice, James Rhem, Editor, p. 7. “E-mail’s dark side considered” or “An absence is always felt, and feeling affects learning.” • ERIC TRACKS: Enacting Diverse Learning Environments, p. 9. What the latest research shows about how diversity works in the classroom. • AD REM ...: Questions? Line. Fisch. Lexington, Kentucky, p. 12. Maybe asking for questions when they’re halfway out the door isn’t such a good idea. • EDITOR’S NOTE, p. 3. 2000 Silence and Structur^ in the Classroom From Seminar to Town Meeting via ‘Post-it’s Chad M. Hanson, Ph.D. Northcentral Tech Wausau, Wl ike most, I started out teach­ ing the way I was taught. My first inclination as a faculty member was to reproduce the format of the graduate course. I wanted my students to share the same feeling of excitement I had known as a student. I wanted their minds to sharpen and their pulses to quicken just as mine had in those vital forums. Sociology is my subject so it’s probably no surprise that I started teaching by selecting a textbook and several readings from within the field. Mindful of my students’ level of preparation, 1 chose well-respected articles written for a general audience, and I assigned only four of them in my Introduction to Sociology classes. I explained to students early on in the semester that the articles would serve as a basis for in-class discussions. When the first discussion dale rolled around I walked into class with genuine enthusiasm. I welcomed the students, reminded them about the discussion, then I followed in the footsteps of one of my fondest mentors by issuing a familiar challenge. “OK." I said, “who would like to begin?" No L one )egan. There were no hands in the : iir. I did not hear the cacopl Iony of voices I had come to kno\ ■ so well in graduate school— ever one anxious to support or refu 1e the claims of the author now up f )r discussion. Instead there was siler ce. This wasn’t graduate school. Twenty-nine pairs of eyes poinited in my direction. So I begrn. I ontinued, and eventually I finis ted the discussion myself, Mea iwhile, students wrote in their tab!' ts. They took what looked like deta led notes while 1 talked, and that was gratifying, but not part of my ] Ian. Unfortunately. I repeated rouj hly the same series of events foul more times the same week. By Frid iv afternoon, 1 had decided the app oach that worked so well for my ] irofessors was not going to work for me. Th<> Pendulum Swings; Structured Cooperative Learning Activities T le first step in any process of red< Impiion involves admitting you hav< a problem, which, obviously, I did. I needed help and I sought it out. The first place I found guidanci: was the literature on coopera­ tive learning. Years before, I ran acre ss a copy of Ken Bruffee’s CoUiborative learning (1993). I revi ited Bruffee first, because I remembered that he outlines a �theoretical foundation for col­ laboration in the college class­ room. For anyone experimenting with discussion leading or the grouping of students for educa­ tional purposes. 1 recommend Bruffce’s work. For the nuts and bolts of getting students involved in conversation, I relied on the work of David and Roger Johnson, namely Active Learning (Johnson, Johnson, and Smith, 1991). Over the last several years I have had a great deal of success using the proce­ dures described by these authors. Success with the cooperative learning approach described by Johnson and Johnson hinges on having a clear set of guidelines for students. In the Johnsons' model, each student must have a clearly defined role in the class. The instructor’s job is to ensure that the students’ roles and the objectives of the class are both well defined. 1 have found that when 1 take that initiative, the procedures outlined in Active Learning provide a formal struc­ ture for ensuring that students slay engaged with course material, and with one another, during the class periods I set aside for coop­ erative work. Although 1 quickly became comfortable with the Active Learning techniques, 1 found that 1 still had a longing to create the excitement and spontaneity of the unstructured and free-ranging discussions that took place in my graduate courses. At die same time, I also began to feel a respon­ sibility to create an environment where students could interact with one another in an exchange that would mirror that of a discussion held outside of the classroom in places where our democratic traditions are strongest (Beckman, 1990). I had in mind the New England town meeting as an ideal (Bellah, et al., 1985). Conse­ quently, 1 set out to create a forum where I did not personally determine the nature of each student’s contribution to in-class discussions. I did not want to prohibit the discussions from unfolding on their own, as they would in a town meeting or similarly democratic forum. As 1 began to conceive the new format for my in-class discussions, 1 realized that citizens who attend town meetings are a self-selected group. The attendees are there because they have some­ thing to say. My students are also a self-selected group, but the primary reason for selecting one of my courses is that it fulfills a require­ ment for the degrees that they seek. Given the lack of inherent motiva­ tion, 1 needed a strategy that would ensure everyone’s participation. The solution to my problem was as near as the pad of Post-it notes lying next to my office telephone. FHE NATIONAL TEACHING & LEARNING FORUM Exec itive Editor: Jame iRhem, Ph.D. 213 Potter SL Madit on. Wl 53715-2050 EdKo lai Advisory Board Jonat lan Fife, Director Emeritus ERIC Clearinghouse on Higher Education Judy areene. Director Cenu r for Teaching Effectiveness Univc srty of Delaware Pal H jtchings. Senior Scholar The C amegie Foundation for th AdvarKement of Teaching Susa I Kahn Direc or. Urban Universities Portfolio Project Indiai ia University-Purdue University Indiai apolis Wilbe t McKeachie Profe sor of Psychology. Emeritus Unive sity of Michigan Edwa d Neal, Director CenK r for Teaching and Learning Unive sity of North Carolina - Chapel Hill Laura Rendbn Profe :sor of Education Arizo a State University Phylli. Steckler. President The C ryx Press Marill i Svinicki Direc or. Center tor Teaching Effectiveness Unrve -sity of Texas at Austin Edlto iai correspondence: Finding the Middle Ground: Required Participation Jame; Rhem 213 Potter St. Madit on, Wl 53715-2050 Today, I use a particular formal to create an environment in the classroom that approximates a town hall meeting. The first step I take is to allow the students to decide the topics to be discussed. 1 begin by having students brain­ storm a list of potential topics in small groups. After each group generates its own list, we compile all the topics on a chalkboard and hold a vote to determine the top ten to be discussed. Once the topics are determined 1 select groups of two to four students, at random, to lead the discussions. 1 require discussion leaders to find al least two articles on their topic and 1 give them a list of things to consider when they analyze the articles, including a set of guidelines on how to prepare a TheC Iryx Press 4041 'forth Central #700 Phoe' lix, Arizona 85012 Phon i: 1-800-279-6799 or 602-265-2651 Subs Tlption Information: The I lational Teaching & Learning Forum {ISSh 1057-2880) is published six times durini the academic year by The Oryx Press in cor iunction with James Rhem & Associ­ ates. nc. - October, December, February, Marci, May. September. One-: ear individual subscription: $39. Perio licals postage paid at Phoenix, AZ. Postr laster Send change of address to: The I lational Teaching & Learning Forum P.O. I lox 33889 Phoe lix, Arizona 85067-3889 Copyright O 2000 James Rhem & Associates, Inc. DUPIICATION BY PHOTOCOPYING OR OTHI ;R MEANS IS STRICTLY FORBIDDEN. Bulk liacountsubscriptlonrateaavallable. (Pho a:1«a00*2794799) edition of the " Forum is -------$32.00 for AnE mail................. indivi luals. Significant discounts and site iicerv es available to entire institutions. http://www.nttf.com October �Editor's Note: We all begin teaching with high ideals and unrealistic expectations. Or so it’s said. For years, it's been the “unrealistic" part of that truism that has bothered me. for one person’s “reality" is another’s lowest common denominator. The fight to raise the denominator—to nudge reality a little closer to one’s ideals—gets fought in unlikely ways. Chad Hanson’s use of “Post-if notes offers a prime example. “Post-if notes seem an unlikely topic for a cover feature in the Forum, but Hanson’s article isn't really about those little yellow squares. It’s about the fight for a certain kind of classroom, a certain kind of learning community. I like Hanson’s piece because you can see him learning about his own ideas, as he struggles to refine them. He moves from the giddy, romantic memory of graduate school seminars to an image of a New England town meeting: Democracy replaces privilege and ends up in the same heady place where the freedom of ideas breeds new learning. If the “Post-it" notes seem hokey, the end goal certainly isn’t. And who does not put on his shoes one at a time before walking even the most noble path? When I asked Hanson if students ever offered lame comments just to collect their points, he said no, he hadn’t had that problem. “I give a little pep talk in the beginning. I tell them ‘this is not the Jerry Springer show,’ and I give them a list of ‘hints’ for the discussions— 'criticize ideas, not people,’ and things along those lines. It seems to work," he says. If there’s a theme to this issue of the Forum, perhaps it’s the power of the personal touch and personal presence. Craig Nelson’s CARNEGIE CHRONICLE (the second of a six-part series) looks at a synthesis of the best contemporary thinking about teaching and wonders if it can really be accomplished via distance education. Tom Rocklin’s TECHPED column looks at the decorum of e-mail and its usefulness in teaching more effectively. (There’s a Virtual Companion at www.ntlf.com with additional information.) And there’s a LEARNING DIARY, written out of some powerful and painful learning I did this summer, about myself and the limits of e-mail in carrying on serious, scholarly conversation. 1 thought e-mail was magic. I see it’s something just as useful, but less wonderful. ERIC TRACKS reports on the latest research in creating truly diverse learning environments, ones that incorporate diversity and diverse populations in their world view. And finally, Line. Fisch’s AD REM looks at the old and important question of “questions," when to ask for them and how to ask for them. Perhaps as the fall term swings into high gear, it's a good time to remind readers that they, too, have a vital voice in defining the conversation about good teaching. As Chad Hanson’s piece demonstrates in a variety of ways, worthwhile writing about teaching can take many forms and have homely trappings at times. Not every little technique or gimmick will make an article for the Forum, but. again, it’s not Hanson’s technique per se, but the context of thinking in which it arose that makes his experience one others can learn from. Many readers have stores of such experience and thinking. Your experience, your reflections on more effective teaching have a place in the conversation. Faculty of all kinds have begun to feel the importance of thinking more concretely about their teaching and writing about it. And insights from one discipline often have cross-disciplinary implications. So, even though your workload is large and your lime limited, I urge subscribers to consider drafting a manuscript for the Forum. You can find further submission guidelines posted on the Forum’s Web site at http://www.ntlf.com/html/sd/mssub.htm. Be well. — James Rhem Vol. 9. No. 6 2(M)0 set )f talking points to use during the town hall meetings. I lowever, in the town hall for: nat, the most important step is to (nsure that all of the students hav: both the opportunity and the inc :ntive to participate. In order to < reate that incentive 1 make eac 1 discussion worth two points. To ;arn the points, people have to tak ; part. I begin town hall meetings by givi ng two Post-it notes to every Stu lent In class. The Post-its are woi th a point each, so I have them wri ,e their name on each note. Aft ;r the discussion leaders are giv n the floor, all of the students are free lo raise questions or to cor imeni. Each time they add to the discussion, students stick one of I heir Post-it notes on the front of heir desk for everyone to see. On:e a person has participated twi e and placed both Post-its on the front of their desk, they can no Ion jer earn points but they may stil contribute to the discussion, I have found that Post-it notes, visi ole to all, serve two importarrf rol rs in class. First, for students wh ) might otherwise dominate dis :ussions, the notes are visual rer linders that they have already said their piece. I have found this to )e a subtle, but important reninder in those cases. Second, th< notes are a less (han subtle rer tinder to those less likely to pai ticipate. In this case the notes ser kC as a reminder that you do no earn points if you do not contribute to the discussion. I res lize that may seem like undue pr< ssure to place on students who may not wish to participate. He wever, during the last three ser testers I have found that students who participate quickly an 1 place their notes out in front rigti away often go on to create op tortunities for other students to an wer questions or to comment. Or e of the most rewarding ob» ervations I have made during lovm hall meetings has been the ter dency of outspoken members of :lass to encourage others to add ih< ir voices to the conversations. THE NATIONAL TEACHING & LEARNING FORUM 3 �Each semester I watch students take steps to ensure that everyone has a chance to contribute. Conclusion During the time I've spent using Post-it notes and town hall meet­ ings, I have fell very close to the format of the graduate seminar 1 enjoyed so much as a student. The discussions flow freely, they are full of excitement and they serve as a model for democratic participa­ tion. As an unintended conse­ quence, 1 have also been pleased to find that Post-its have had the effect of producing an environ­ ment where students consistently demonstrate that they value each other’s thoughts. When I use the notes in class I am guaranteed not to face the silence that vexed me as a beginning teacher. At the same time, they provide a struc­ ture that is subtle enough to allow the freedom necessary for students to determine the nature of their own contribution to class. Today I can say that the unassuming stack of Post-its that sits next to my phone provides the means to create balance, equity and a model for democracy in the classroom. ||| References • Beckman. M. 1990. "Collaborative Learning: Preparation for the Workplace and Democracy?" College Teaching3^A,. 128-133. • Bellah, R,, et al. 1985. Habits of the Heart: Individualism and Commitment in American Life. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. • Bruffee, K. 1993. Collaborative Learning: Higher Education, Interdependence and the Authority of Knowledge. Baltimore. MD: Johns Hopkins University Press. • Johnson, D.. Johnson, R., and Smith. K. 1991. Active Learning: Cooperation in the College Classroom. Edina. MN; interaction Book Company. Contact: Chad M. Hanson. Ph.D. Faculty. Social Sdence Department Northcentral Tech 1000 W. Campus Drive Wausau. Wi 54401 Telephone: (715) 675-3331 *4802 E-mail: hanaonOnorthcentral.tec.wl.us 4 THF NJATirVMAI fl. I fiovixir CARNEGIE CHRONICLE Nelson’s Notebook Must Faculty Teach i i Ways That Make Them Easily Dispensable? Craig E. Nelson Indiana University Many faculty pay little attention either to the scholarship on effective pedagogy or to the literature that asks how our academic goals might be better articulated. One direct conse­ quence has been teaching that remains much less effective than it could be. Another is our tendency to attribute our lack of success more to student inadequacies than to our pedagogical deficiencies. The internet and ever-cheaper com­ puting have now made global distance education practical. Hence the question: How many professors can, or even should, be replaced with good distance education courses? One line of scholarship has made such change seem educationally appropriate. In “Explaining, Exploring [and] Under­ standing the No Significant Difference Phenomenon." T. R. Russell notes, "scholars have been able to find no significant difference resulting from the use of or lack of use of technological means of delivery” and "no matter how it is produced, how it is delivered, whether or not it is interactive, low tech or high tech, students learn equally well" (Adult Assessment Forum Winter 1997:6-9; see also http:// cuda.ieleeducation.nb.ca/ nosignificantdifference for summa­ ries of 355 studies). If we don’t like Russell's conclu­ sion, we should either document any important things we are already doing that distance education is not, or try to change our pedagogy so that it is belter than the teaching technology can easily provide. iii4 \ Tiai might such a pedagogy look like» 1 0 help you create your own ans «'ers to this question, read Marcia Bax :er Magolda’s new book. Creating Con texti for Learning and Self-Aulhorshif. ■ Constructive-Developmental Ped igogy (Nashville: Vanderbilt University Press, 1999). Even faculty wh< aren’t particularly concerned abo at the issues raised by distance edu ration versus face-to-face encounters with a teacher will profit from Baxter // Magolda's splendid, synthesiz­ ing over­ view. In her opening chapter Baxter Magolda creates a vision of what higher education might be. Specifically, she synthesizes three rich strands: an emphasis on the student’s own experience (John Dev ey and Jean Piaget through Par er Palmer, Nel Noddings, and several other feminists), an emphasis on : elf-authorship or liberaiory edu ration (Paulo Freire and Ira She r through Frances Maher and Mai y Kay Tetreault), and an emphasis ( n intellectual development (je: n Piaget, William Perry, Patricia Kin Karen Kitchener, and Robert Keg an). Her s)’nthesis provides a brie f introduction to much of the bes! thought about the goals of teat hing in higher education. 1 he collective vision is one of a ped agogy that will promote both disc plinary mastery and “selfautl lorship.” The sense of selfaut] lorship is broadened to include intellectual development, the � Text A resource consisting primarily of words for reading. Examples include books, letters, dissertations, poems, newspapers, articles, archives of mailing lists. Note that facsimiles or images of texts are still of the genre Text. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Print Journal Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Silence and Structure in the Classroom: From Seminar to Town Meeting via 'Post-it's Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource <div id="dublin-core-rights" class="element"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text"> <div class="element-text"> <div class="element-text"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text five columns omega"> <div class="element-text"><a href="http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/">http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/</a></div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> Date Created Date of creation of the resource. 2000-10 Type The nature or genre of the resource Text Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Chad Hanson Language A language of the resource ENG Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. 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