Diversity and so much more.

Diversity seemed to be a prevalent theme in this week's reading. Not only did we have a chapter on teaching culturally diverse students, we also had a diverse sampling of readings. Each reading had good points, some with which I agree, others I found challenged some of my basic assumptions about teaching. In this post I will discuss the pros and cons of each of the three readings, and how I think I can incorporate them into my classroom.

Much of what I found in the readings was useful information. I was surprised at the useful information I found in the Learner Centered Teaching excerpt. I liked that idea that giving students this feeling of power and control over the course gives them a sense of ownership. I believe that is largely absent in the classroom today. I believe this also provides a good explanation as to why students sometimes are withdrawn from the classroom. Giving students agency forces them to engage the material. Also, I think the notion of having students choose what we will talk about from a section forces them to read the material. It is very difficult to choose what will be discussed with no prior knowledge of the material.

I also liked the idea of having students choose actual items that will go on the course schedule. This makes students feel as though they are getting relevant material. Additionally, the text recommends making items that don't make the cut for the schedule an assignment for the student to complete individually. I thought this was a fantastic idea as the student will want the information, and thus be more able to see the value in the assignment. As good as this sounds I did find some issues with this reading.

First, continuing with this notion of students choosing the schedule. During the first week of class, do students really know what the course entails, and what is most important? I highly doubt this. For my students in hard sciences, I believe it would be very challenging for them to decide what is most important. Further, my course is structured around readings relevant to and assignment, then that assignment. At times I don't think students would comprehend putting information surrounding for example, structuring a speech, before the informative speech. I think this could potentially lead to a back-heavy course work. Students would most likely want to cover all of the material, then do all of the assignments.

Additionally, I think bringing in a syllabus with "Draft" on the top compromises the credibility of the instructor. Further, the section that dealt with formulating the syllabus consumed about three class periods. Too much time goes into discussion about the course, and challenges the amount of material that can be covered.

Finally, I think that many of the recommendations provided would cause a great deal of stress for myself as an instructor. Sorting through what students want, and making sure my core objectives of the class are met seems extremely difficult. The rewards of this style of teaching seem great, but I believe the costs associated with this style of teaching cause difficulty to the point that total commitment to this approach becomes an issue. That said, there are aspects of this style of teaching I plan on incorporating into my classroom.

I really like the idea of having students address what is most important in the material. I would like to find a way to have my students do this. I believe that if I am honest with them, and tell them I'd like to try a new approach that involves them more, they would be receptive to the idea. My fear is that students will come in with blank stares and still expect me to tell them what is important. I just figured out that these blogs are how you get us to address what is most important in the lecture.

I had this experience when I had my exam review I told them that I had a "Jeopardy" game prepared and encouraged them to bring in their questions on the course material. I informed my students I wanted their input on what they wanted reviewed, and after we addressed their questions we could move on to my game if time remained. Nobody brought in questions. I'm trying this approach again this week. Friday they are to bring in issues they found on their speeches, and we will take time to address them, and I will give them tips to overcome these issues. I told them that I want them to be successful, and want to address concerns they have. Friday will tell if this approach is something I should continue to pursue or not.

Finally, the article talked about teachers wanting control in their classroom. I will admit this is a concern I face every time I ask students to direct me, and let me know what they want to know. I get concerned my authority, and the perception of me as an expert will be challenged when I get questions that I am not prepared for. I like the control I have in the classroom, and am not willing to give that up easily. Further I don't believe my students are motivated enough to take on part of my role as the instructor.

Motivation as presented in McKeachie's book was a fascinating chapter to read. First, I could see aspects of myself as a student in the presentation of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. I could also see former classmates, and current students in these types of motivation.

Sadly, my classroom is largely composed of extrinsically motivated students. Questions such as "how many points is this worth" and "is this graded" tell the tale. Early on in students' academic careers, the stress of doing well causes this motivation. This also goes back to our discussion of assessment. Are we evaluating what students learn (intrinsic) or giving points based on what we as teachers want to see (extrinsic). I believe that much of what the text says about our approach and grading style lends the classroom to one of these fundamental motivating forces. I often frame course material around the "real world" and explain why it is important to grasp the concept. During my test review I told students that the exam would focus on material that is useful beyond the classroom, thus hoping to boost a sense of intrinsic rewards.

I also enjoyed reading about attribution theory. I am familiar with the theory and have seen examples from the classroom (i.e. the example of why a student did poor on a test) but never really thought about applying attributions when giving feedback or discussing grades. I like the idea of framing the conversation in terms of controllable, internal, attributions could be helpful. I think that applying these attributions can be seen in the next section of the McKeachie reading on dealing with culturally diverse students.

Some of what McKeachie recommends in the chapter served as happy reminders of my intercultural communication course. Others, seemed very far-fetched, and involved having discussions with students that I just wouldn't have.

Discussions I would not have would be talking about students' families when discussing their performance. Although I understand the reasons behind the recommendation, I don't find it appropriate. Further, bringing parents and siblings into the equation would imply I know something about these people. From my interactions with students thus far, I have no clue who is in their family, and certainly wouldn't want to go making assumptions about individuals my students may value as a motivation for achievement.

On a final negative note in this section, the story of the instructor going over to James' home and discussing his academic achievement with his family just seemed to cross a line with me. Yes, it is nice to get a warm fuzzy feeling thinking about how wonderful it turned out, but is this appropriate? As I was reading this story, I didn't think it was appropriate at all. Making the recommendation of "Help James Time" to James, and allowing him to present it to his family, fine. But, crossing the invisible line in the student-teacher relationship seems a bad idea. Further, I couldn't help but wonder if the action taken was in some way a violation of FERPA. Generally, I got an uneasy feeling as I read this section of the chapter. As I like to say, "This isn't 'Boy Meets World' and I am not Mr. Feeny."

Complaints aside, the chapter contained some good general guides for dealing with culturally diverse students. In particular framing of questions in discussion. I thought this was not only applicable to culturally diverse students, but the whole classroom. I think phrasing, "Any questions" as "I've taught this so many times sometimes I may forget to mention key points..." really goes a long way to encourage student participation. At the same time this gives the teacher more credibility, a concern that many of us as new teachers face.

Last, I wanted to touch on the notion of imposter syndrome. I think that this is something that students face, but new teachers also face. Frankly, when I think of myself as "teacher" it makes me giggle. I'm not a teacher, I'm just a graduate student, and this is something I do as a member of the graduate program. I often feel somewhat like a really big crazy undergraduate who is conning all of my students into believing I'm the teacher. Along with that, I'll say something in class and think "wow, that sounded very teacher" thus illustrating my disconnect, and feelings as an imposter. This feeling has subsided as the semester has worn on, but I believe it to be something of importance, and worth a note. Although this feeling is subsiding, I still have the "alright, yeah, you are in charge" or "how teacher of you" moments.

Clearly this week's reading encompassed many different readings. Looking back on them, I can now see a clear connection between them. Each reading had good and bad points, and things I would like to incorporate into my classroom. With every week I ask myself "what else could there be?" and every week I read something new and enlightening.

Helpful Links:

All about imposter syndrome: This link will take you to a website that addresses imposter syndrome, and contains several other valuable links to resources regarding imposter syndrome. The site examines what imposter syndrome is, how to tell if you have it, and tips for coping with imposter syndrome.

Learner Centered Teaching: This website provides more information specific to learner centered teaching. Links take you to different sources and recommendations for incorporating a learner-centered approach.

Tips to Encourage Intrinsic Learning: This website is from Illinois State and talks about specific ways we can encourage students to be more intrinsic learners.