Set A: What would happen if the main goal of a course was to get students excited about the topic? This coming school year, would you be willing to ask students at the beginning and end of each course, “How interested are you in this subject?” How would you propose you be held accountable for making changes based on the answers, if necessary?
Set B: In college, what experiences stood out for you? How much did you learn in your lecture courses? In a world where college lecture courses are available online for free, why do you think so many pay so much to attend college? Is higher education leveling America’s playing field, or further tilting it?
My favorite college course was Political Science with Dr. Gloria Cox. She is one of the few college professors I remember. I LOVED that class because we had such rich discussion amidst a sea of about 100 students in a lecture hall. She was so smart! Other than her class, I’m sad to say that I can only recall my social life. Many of my high school classes were much more enriching than my college classes. I think that in the past, a college degree has been the benchmark of successful entry into the lucrative working world. Not so much now. The demands of the workplace have changed and many of them are things that aren’t being modeled/taught/supported by a college education.
I’m answering Set B the courses for my major stood out to be more than the general requirement classes. I do like our current district’s endorsement system because it does allow students to put more focus of their studies where they are already interested. Lecture college courses were not as enjoyable to me as the ones in which I played a more active role. One elective I took was “Shakespeare studies” in college. I was hoping the class would have us read his plays and discuss them and perhaps act out some scenes. However, in reality we read at home and just had the professor lecture to us with no discussion. I didn’t get as much from the course as I feel I could have as I checked out very early into the course. Lastly, I feel so many pay the college fees because they are wanting to go into jobs that require a college diploma (or are wanting jobs that pay a higher salary for a college diploma) Even in teaching, we are encouraged to get our Masters but the ones who do often do so for a larger paycheck than just a “pursuit of more knowledge”
Do you think the emphasis on higher education is leveling the field or creating a larger gap?
Melissa, I think the first set goes perfectly with your idea of the lenses. And all of this feeds into college IF they go, but prepares them for life, regardless. In my son’s college world lit class last year (his favorite), the professor picked a theme to connect all of the literature selections. The theme was Monsters, and they read books from all over the world about all manner of things that also connected with issues in society, but the underlying current was monsters. He asked questions that provided for lots of reflection and interaction among peers. One of the things that Caleb “figured out” through his reflections was that in reality, the designated monster in most of the stories was not the real monster. Often it was society. He was able to translate that learning into all manner of other topics such as religion, current political issues, and history, etc. The teacher did not teach him that but just asked the right questions so that he was able to take away something meaningful. Another kid in his class may have been led to completely different ideas.
I also think using non-fiction pieces that relate to student interest is a phenomenal idea. I think you could leverage their buy-in by teaching them some basic Advanced Google Seach techniques (I can help if you need it) and letting step one be for them to find what they are interested in reading and submit it for your approval. This would also cover some research TEKS in an authentic way.
Learning would happen if our main goal was to get students excited about a topic. I would be willing to ask my students about their interest level in English as a subject, but I cringe to think of the answers. Students have pointed out that they already know how to read and that the stories we read are irrelevant to them. I concede those points. A translation these issues, and one that has been put into words, is, “We don’t care about what we are asked to read and the work we are asked to do.” I hope going forward, to focus on finding pieces that elicit some emotion from my students. Pieces that cause disagreement, shock and awe, connections, and any other emotional response will draw them in. That seems like the first step to building interest – catching their attention. When people are interested in what they read, every TEK and is covered. People who read critically move through the ELAR TEKS without multiple choice tests, vocabulary lists, and projects. Student assignments could offer more individualized responses to what students read as a way to mirror what happens when we read without a set of lesson plans guiding us. If student input prompts the changes, I would hope to be held accountable by ending the course with student feedback about the positive and negative learning experiences of the students. (I like the point in chapter 4 that Dintersmith makes about the need for a public relations campaign for literature. I agree! Students talking about books and classes serve as great PR. Also, I liked the anecdote about the student who was only studying sailing in college. Upon closer inspection, his math, literature, and science courses all revolved around sailing, but he was studying many subjects all connected by sailing. It would be interesting to see how far we could take this concept of finding literature and non-fiction pieces that centered on personal interests of each student. It would also be interesting to consider using science, government, social studies, etc. to cover the TEKS for non-fiction and offering a literature class to cover the other genres.)
I loved college. The only exception to that statement was a summer course I took. I took one. The professor made little to no adjustments to the course. A semester’s worth of work was crammed into 4 weeks. I learned nothing, except how to work as fast as possible and give enough effort to each assignment to earn the grade I wanted. That stood out as a negative. What stood out in classes that I enjoyed was the discussions. I enjoyed listening to different perspectives and new ideas. I enjoyed hearing my own ideas confirmed. I especially enjoyed a lively argument. In an upper level English class covering Chaucer and medieval literature, we discussed Chaucer’s Troilus and Cressida. We spent several class periods arguing about whether Cressida’s actions showed her as a victim or as an empowered female successfully working within the constraints of the society in which she lived. This discussion popped into my mind when I thought about this question. I don’t have a learning objective that I can say I mastered from taking this class or any of the most enjoyable classes I took. I think that I learned to ask questions, to get involved in what I was studying, to think about new and unique situations, to trust my own opinions, and that learning was to be enjoyed, not endured. I took this upper level Chaucer class at the college where I finally earned my degree. Before attending this four year college, I attended three community colleges. (My husband was in the Air Force. With each relocation, I would continue to take classes at local community colleges.) I had great professors at all of the campuses I attended. From Austin Community College to Rose State Community College to the University of Anchorage Alaska, all of the best professors knew their subject and loved to discuss their subject. They relied on the students to carry part of the discussion. They did not spend their time convincing us that they were the experts, and we were receptacles of their profound insights and knowledge. They spent their time engaging us in a community of thinkers. I know that people pay to attend college to get the piece of paper that says they earned a degree and so they should earn a certain amount of money to do a certain job. I also think being part of a community of learners draw some people into college. According to Dintersmith, college sustains the tilt that already exists in America’s economic playing field. Wealthy people continue to focus on training their kids to do well in school so that they can do well in college. Disadvantaged students cannot compete because of lack of experience with college preparation – beginning with high school and AP courses and SAT/ACT test preparation. I think his point about the idea that college is a noble goal, while career readiness and military pursuits are second and third tier choices should change our conversations. When we ask an entire group of students to write an introduction letter to their college of choice or a college entrance essay and students bring it to your attention that they will be attending cosmetology school, joining the military, or joining their family A/C repair business, we should listen. We should hear that and adjust the writing to meet the needs that those students have for writing within their chosen fields. As teachers, we are certainly aware that a degree does not guarantee a glamorous, high-paying career. There are no tiers to the choices students make for their futures.