Pedagogy
I’ve been musing a bit lately on my preferences for learning. Having taught for so many years I always considered this question from the other side of the desk–what is the best way to teach (communicate) the topic at hand (usually some area of science). But now I’m beginning to think that I am becoming a radical in the world of pedagogy. What I mean is that I am starting to seriously consider the benefits of some less-than-typical formats.
Another reason this is hot on the burner is that I am currently an instructor for an online course on Physics Pedagogy. Most of what I am grading are papers regarding the Nature of Science, ideas for combatting misconceptions, and various attempts at improving lesson plans and labs. But at the heart is a great deal of discussion about what succeeds in the classroom and what doesn’t (and why).
This past fall my courses at WTS were spread over just about 4 months. I always felt like each course was in competition with the others for my time. Not only for assignments and reading, but also for contemplation. I never felt I could fully commit myself to a particular topic. Something else was always tugging on my sleeve for attention. But this past month I experienced Winter Hebrew. One short month (actually 3 weeks of instruction, and then several days to prepare for the final exam) to cover the second semester material for Hebrew…and nothing else! This is an annual event at Westminster, but this year it had an added twist–all the grammar was front-loaded into the first 3 days (with review and reinforcement over the next week) to better equip the class for translation work. It was a stab at trying something daring and hopefully beneficial to the students… so, was it?
Overall, yes. In the details, well, it could use a little tweaking. After the first week I felt truly overwhelmed. Mind you, this is a subject area that has my devoted interest. I don’t want to “endure” learning this, I want to savor all the details. However, during the third hour of the third day I had truly reached complete saturation and was completely overwhelmed. I am sure I have had students who have felt this way, and I will better know how to read the warning signs. At that point we were just recording on paper what was being said, but not absorbing any of it. We had to wait until later that afternoon or evening to try to digest it. But, after the first week things really did settle down into a routine. We were able to use all the grammar in the next 2 weeks in our translation work, which was much more productive. I think I would have preferred a few extra days to do the grammar at the beginning, and maybe hold off until the second week to do any translation work. Just that small shift would have made a huge difference.
But overall, I think I really preferred this type of schedule. Rather than having 4 classes over 4 months, I would enjoy having the time to focus on one class a month and be able to fully immerse myself in one subject, take a final exam, and then move on to the next subject. It would not take any more time than a typical semester. And the exams would not all be at the same time. Of course, one drawback would be the scheduling problem for part-time students. This would only work for full-time students. Nevertheless, I think it would be something I would prefer.
I know of some private high schools that have tried this format and found it to be quite successful. Unfortunately, I doubt that I will be able to experience many of my seminary courses in this manner. Too bad.
February 1st, 2005 at 8:54 am
There really is more than one way to skin a cat, Karyn. I can understand where there are benefits and drawbacks in coursework such as this.
This reminds me of the perennial quarter-vs.-semester debates I had back in college with friends in liberal arts classes. I wanted quarters so I’d have three, maybe four courses, but have them for only 10 weeks; my colleagues from the other end of campus wanted five courses over 14 weeks. In my case, I wanted intense absorption with fewer distractions in the courses that I liked, plus the benefit of getting classes I hated over with a month faster [with the theory that I can do anything for 10 weeks!]. I found that, in nearly any semester class, I hit a big lull at the 10-week point.
I don’t know why more schools don’t vary things around to find out what’s best for their students. For example, the College of Nursing at the alma mater has a schedule radically off of the traditional semester approach for its upperclassmen—and it works for them. Why are the other colleges so … stodgy? :sigh:
February 3rd, 2005 at 7:14 am
WTS is notoriously conservative, and not just in its theology. The likelihood of a major change like this is about as much as Robert Tilton being hired as a professor.