We have tried many different ways to increase engagement this semester, from review sessions to group work, PODS to study tables…many of these ways were attempts to not just engage them during class, but outside of class, too.
REVIEW SESSIONS. The way I handled review sessions got better and better for me. I went into the first study session with the knowledge in my head, but quickly learned that coming to the study session just “knowing the material” does not suffice in teaching students material off of the exact same notes I have…I started coming up with different examples and ways to phrase things to help them understand more completely. Afterall, for many of them have gone to lecture almost everyday I have and have the same book I do…many of them are at the review sessions because they feel they need more, an extra boost…not the same material they already have, regurgitated to them.
GROUP WORK. I could tell that this really increased engagement in class and was one way that Gurung could engage students on an even more personal level. I noticed group work went the best (and fastest) when we gave them the worksheet with explicit directions and the questions already on it. Students had a good idea of what was expected of them. It was hard to keep 260 minds on the same page on a little group assignment, some groups just didn’t catch on..and I guess you’ll have that. A possible future suggestion would be to have an example question or scenario with the example answers or phrases that would be correct for that question/scenario on the top of the page. Many of the students were overthinking it and were like, “wait- do you mean like this?” So I think an example at the top of the page or a walk through right before the exercise would be helpful. It would make it go smoother, instead of explaining midway or at the end. Students get more anxious when they know they are getting graded, the “getting into groups” things seems to cause them enough stress! ha Also, I think when Gurung started giving them the questions/answers to the in-class assignment, it let students come full circle and learn from their mistakes…otherwise, they don’t even know what they got wrong and don’t have a chance to correct it before it counts.
STUDY TABLES. It was a good way to show that the TAs were available and eager to help students. I was a bit disappointed by the numbers that attended. I did 3 hours of study tables over the course of the semester, and I had a total of 3 people attend. Maybe one-on-one time is too intense and just not needed for most. I think its safe to say that people are comfortable learning in big groups. I do not think though, that the numbers we had this semester should discourage future professors from using the technique. If the TAs have a few collective hours each month to sit down in a non-lecture setting, go for it. I think it is one of those ways that we can “be the word to one person” even if to us they are just “1 out of 260.” If we can catch them before they fall between the cracks, I say do it.
PODS. This idea was very new to me and I was pretty excited about it. I HAD MY VERY OWN POD! The students didn’t seem as excited, though. And even though I had no personal e-mails regarding my “podcasts,” other TA’s testimonies made me feel that maybe I was bothersome to my pod, too. Consequently, I was more reluctant to send out a podcast. I did use it though as a reminder when I started getting questions on the same topics. I don’t think that students were acquainted with us enough to feel like they “belonged” although that was my intention. I know a few didn’t even know who their Pod leader was…they knew the name but not the face, or vice versa, or just had no clue. We even had a picture with a name and all of our info…but to some, going on d2l and clicking on a link was too much effort outside the realm of class. This is a puzzling one. Maybe in the future, having students get acquainted with their pods in a way that works with class material…maybe saying “T-POD” raise your hands, or “stand up” for whatever example is brought up in lecture. I hope Pods change and continue to evolve, as I think its another way for students to feel connected.
As a TA, as the semester went on, I saw myself become more and more of an extension of Gurung’s work rather than a witness to it. I did not realize how much time and effort he put into meeting with students, e-mailing students, preparing for lecture, etc.. One man can only go so far, and I think we TAs helped him get closer to reaching and engaging every student, which I think, to a degree, is a real goal of his. It is apparent that many professors have different philosophies than him, but his ways work really well with the incoming Freshman classes. If every professor had the energy to keep them awake, the passion to keep them interested, and the real world connections to keep lecture relevant, college lecture would be a more happy place, and woudn’t have such a stigma to the word “lecture”. I am confident to say that I now have a sense of what its like when a professor puts his all in teaching…many people look at it as a stable job that they can relax and enjoy the ride. But I’ve learned in the “teaching enterprise” that teaching is a science. I have found so much literature on so many topics, it is truly unfortunate that many teachers do not see it as a science and do not tap in to what the literature is saying. If there is one thing that I vow to do, if I ever become a professor, it will be to not only just keep up with the area I’m teaching, but teaching itself, because without the right bridge, the message will never get across to its audience.