Significant Learning

Today and yesterday were great teaching days. We are in the argumentation section of the book. I explained to students that this was hard but that I was confident they could get it. After the lecture and a couple of examples of each type of argument, it did seem like they were getting it. I was happily surprised. One student said it was the easiest thing we’ve learned all year. The only other time a student said that was when I was going over the mistakes that the class made collectively on their speeches and exams. So I got to thinking, what do these two teaching days have in common. The answer: In both cases, I deviated from the book. I’m now wondering to what extent I’m focused on “covering the material” vs. learning. I gave up covering the material for active learning ages ago, but for some reason I can’t seem to let go of it this semester. Perhaps because I have three new course preps, and it’s the first time I’m teaching five classes (since the Women’s Studies days at USF), I’m just in the “get through the semester” mode. I bought the book that Clopez recommended, Dee Fink’s Creating Significant Learning Experiences, and I’m working my way through it very slowly. It reminds me a lot of the approach that Teach Baton Rouge takes in that it’s very holistic. I think I am going to spend the summer designing my courses now that I’ve been through them once. I just hope I remember all the little details that I need to remember. If I had been smart, I would have kept a teaching journal. Or I even could have worked on stuff during the long boring ten hours a week I spend in office hours. It just didn’t occur to me. Silly me.