The Power of the Lecture

Like Russell, I believe in the power of a good lecture. Sure, Russell seems to go above a beyond in terms of preparation than any teacher I think ever does, but a stimulating lecture can allow for a teacher to pass forth ideas in a fast manner. Excited teachers can make great lectures incredibly stimulating and helpful. However, I do believe that a lecture should be only part of the teaching method. Students can listen to a lecture, and then do group work and discuss the lecture with a small assignment. That can ensure that a student grasps the material. Pre-reading could also help with students learning the material. Although a facilitated discussion is also a good idea, I don’t want to discredit a good lecture. Good theories and points can be relayed, and writing them down has always helped me learn.

Does the power of a lecture depend strictly on the teacher, or is lecture a dead art?

Response to Shelby: Does our liberal arts curriculum at MCLA encourage the pursuit of knowledge for knowledge's sake?

I love the question, and I agree with it wholeheartedly. I often never paid attention to things outside of my interests, and the core curriculum has forced me to pay attention to everything. I never thought that environmental studies would ever interest me, but they did, and they now do. I believe that I have received a much better education than my peers at other institutions due to the fact that I stepped out of my major and learned a lot more than I ever would anywhere else. MCLA curriculum teaches students to be lifelong learners. Maybe in the future, I’ll pick up a book that usually had no interest to me, just to see if I like it. I believe that MCLA encouraged me to learn, and continue learning, just because its there, and you might even like it.

The MCLA Core Liberal Arts Education: Paternalistic in nature?

I do not believe that a liberal arts education is paternalistic. A student freely chooses to enroll in this type of school, first of all. Secondly, a liberal education is all about the freedom to choose. Yes, there are categories and requirements, but I believe that the CORE structure at MCLA opened my eyes to a whole new world. Each class that I thought I would absolutely hate (Environmental Research, anyone?) turned out to be something amazing that enriched my learning here. The initial core requirements seem daunting due to the fact that they’re in whole new fields, but they truly instill values and allow a student to be a lifelong learner in all fields. The business class that I took to fulfill the core actually excited me, and I picked up a business minor. This minor has led me to a pretty prestigious marketing job that I’m going to take after graduation, despite the fact that I am a Broadcast Journalism major. Without the CORE, I’d probably be struggling to find a journalism job in this tough market. Although I know I will follow my journalism aspirations one day, it is now my 10 year plan instead of forced right-now plan. Yes, classes fill quick, but I think that MCLA did a great job in opening my eyes to a whole world of possibilities and making me interested in multiple new things.

Did the core requirements cause anyone to change a major, or grab a different minor?

Response to Shelby: How can teachers and students help encourage, and make less intimidating, participation in class?

I think one way is to not instantly shoot down a student if they say the wrong thing. That is one way to ensure a student never participates again. Beyond that, I always feel most comfortable to respond when one person isn’t dominating a conversation. Sometimes, one student has so many ideas and comments that either no one else can get a word in, or you don’t want to sound dumb to this apparently very knowledgeable student, so you allow them to continue dominating the discussion. I’ve always felt most comfortable with laid-back situations, and discussions that include personal responses with personal experience. Also, teachers that don’t randomly call on students also allow for a comfortable atmosphere in which students want to participate in. Cold calling on students can make them embarrassed, and make the rest of the class very nervous.

When is cold calling on students appropriate?

Paternalism

Class structure in college is laid out in the very first day of class. A student sees the criteria of how to secure a good grade, and it is then their responsibility to live up to those standards if they want a good grade. I tend to enjoy classrooms that give me the expectations, and then allow me to try and live up to them.

Russell said that he often calls on a student randomly to speak up. I believe that that seems incredibly paternalistic, and unnecessary in college level courses where the students are all functioning adults capable of guiding their own education. Classes where the teacher randomly calls on students make me incredibly nervous. I am always sweating bullets, so to speak, and making sure that I have something to say if I have to, regardless if I want to or not, or if it is good or not. I believe that Jules has the right idea to let a student do as they choose. Also, like Alison says that she details why she calls on random students, I have never had a teacher do that. IF they explained themselves, and relayed that they’re not doing it just to keep me on my toes, maybe I would have been less nervous.

I have one class currently that is incredibly paternalistic and it is really getting on my last nerve. It is something that I love, but the handholding that is going on is causing me to truly hate it. Also, there is a strict 2-absence policy, so I now sit there and do nothing, but at least I’m there, right? Attendance policies in college really annoy me. I am paying for the class, and it’s my grade in the end. Therefore, if I want to succeed I’ll go, but if I don’t feel like going, it should NOT reduce my grade by a full letter. That’s just too harsh and paternalistic.

Are attendance requirements ridiculous in college?

Testing

I believe that testing has its place in the classroom. It is a necessary evil to determine how a student is grasping information. However, it should not be the only tool used to evaluate a student. If testing is the only grading method, students will be apt to “learn for the test”, or cram all of the material, spout it out at the test, and then instantly forget it all. This results in the students not really learning much at all. If testing is just a small part of a student’s grade, they are more likely to grasp the information. If paired with discussion, group work, papers, and other activities, the student is then apt to have to learn the material in order to complete the other work.

Some students just may not be good test takers. They may get nervous or just struggle and not be able to secure good grades. This instills fear and anxiety in them and makes it even more difficult to learn.

I used to have a teacher that said your test grade was the amount of material you learned. I highly disagree with that, and it would always make me angry. I could’ve learned the material, but the test was unclear. I even could have grasped much more, but just am terrible at taking tests.

Allowing a student other ways to improve their grade beyond testing is the best way to insure the material is learned. It also makes life a bit easier for the student so that they may grasp all of the material in a positive atmosphere.

Teaching Improv & Creativity

This article I found [http://www.eastsideinstitute.org/ImprovReading.html] is about an inner-city (Brooklyn) teacher who played improv games with her students, like the “Yes, and” game where students have to go around in a circle and build upon each other’s stories. These games engaged the student’s creative side, and as a result, the teacher has the best-performing class in New York City. Her students, after playing the game for some time, became more attentive and more excited about learning. Not only teaching improvisational skills, these games also taught the students to work together for one common goal, making the class have a better group dynamic.

Improvisational skills keep a person on their feet, and able to adapt to any situation. Teaching improv can be difficult, but like the example, it can be done, and it is undoubtedly beneficial for students to learn such skills, which will help them for the rest of their lives.

1) What are other games you’ve played that in retrospect, helped your improvisation skills?