I have been working this summer on taking
the 300+ essays that I have written for this blog and turning them into a “teaching
book” that I could give away to any and all interested educators for free.
I considered this idea once before about
five years ago but never found a structure for the book that I liked. This past May, a friend suggested that I try
again. Maybe I am just older and wiser,
but the process is going much better.
The question I considered this morning.
Assume that a college teacher comes to you
for advice. Her classes are going well
but are not yet great. She wants to
improve. What might you tell her?
One of the tactics that I use in such
cases is to ask the person to sit with closed eyes and describe to me in as
much detail as possible what the perfect last day of class would look like for
her. I firmly believe that the better
you can visualize what you are trying to achieve, the more likely it is that
you and your students will succeed. It
is like having a lighthouse that helps you navigate through the semester to
your destination.
Here is what I wrote in this section of my “in-process” book.
“The learning process you are developing will simply not work unless you have a clear vision of what you intend to accomplish. Start the semester and every class session with a mental image of what you want to see happen during the last class of the semester. As I explain to my students, “If you don’t know where you are going, you don’t need a map.” I wrote earlier in this book that a college course should be transformational. Design your learning process to bring about the specific change you want for each of your students.
“I always picture the students on the last day of class arriving early
so that they can chat with each other about their assignment. They are fully prepared and eager to discuss
the issues of the day. They are confident. They are ready to justify the solutions they
have developed for the puzzles I have assigned.
The work has required serious thought and effort, but it is not
impossible. Class begins and the conversation
is animated. Everyone is willing to
speak and express their opinions. The
students are interested and engaged even though the material is complex. They do not fear being belittled or
reprimanded. They take what they have
learned during the semester and use it to arrive at reasonable answers. I say as little as possible although I
willingly step in when I have a thought I want to convey. Most importantly, a sense of joy permeates
the room. Learning should always be fun. At its best, I believe that college
education is a serious mental challenge laced with
enjoyment.
“That vision is the transformation I hope to create. It guides every step I take during the
semester to build up to that finale. Whenever I make any class decision,
I consider what is most likely to help my students arrive at this outcome.
“How do you see the last day of class?
If you could rub a magic lamp and have a genie appear who granted
educational wishes, how different would you want your students to be on the
final day of the semester? As the saying
goes, ‘If you can dream it, you can do it.’”
Okay, that is enough about my classes. What is
your vision? Is it clear enough? Is it aspirational enough? Will it transform the students in the way
that you want?
