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January 31, 2005
Pedagogical apprehensiveness
Spent the entire day yesterday planning for a possible online meeting of my grad class on Thursday. It's a big class (16!) with diverse experiences and interests--which should make for some pretty wonderful collaborative intellectual work. Right now, though, it's scaring the bejezus out of me. After the Unnamed Event last week, I tried to convene the class online, and utterly failed. I'm not experienced with online teaching, and I had zero planning time (or brain) available. In two days I meet with my doctor, and I'm kind of assuming that he's going to say I'm not ready to drive 50 miles yet: I am deeply impressed with how disabling head trauma is, even with no permanent injuries. (Though yesterday my keeper allowed me out on a leash, for the Colgate women's game—a worthwhile adventure.)
Anyhow. Since the 1/27 debacle, I've consulted with assorted gurus and oracles, and hope that something constructive will occur on 2/3. Last Thursday was underplanned, and a fiasco. I'm just hoping that this Thursday isn't overplanned and hence a whole new genre of pedagogical fiasco.
Do I sound as if my confidence is a little low? You perceive correctly.
Posted by senioritis at January 31, 2005 08:55 AM
Comments
Uncertainty is a good thing. And after this session, turn over more responsibility to those 16 folks--be one of those profs (who shall remain nameless, though if you contact me separately, I'll tell you some stories, girl!) who makes students do the work. You've got karma in the bank.
Posted by: susansinclair at January 31, 2005 12:40 PM
wait, isn't "they're the students, make THEM do the work" my line? oh, no, wait again, i'm one of the students you're talking about! crap! forget i said that!
seriously. we can & will do plenty. there was chaos last time b/c many of us weren't sure (or were sure, but of different things) that we knew what to do. nonetheless, the chaos was productive and intriguing and very generative in 711 anyway--we might not have learned a lot about hayden white (although we did some of that too), but we definitely learned a lot.
& no matter exactly what goes on on thursday (although i too hope it's tipped more in the direction of the technology taking backstage to us working w/this content we need to have underpinning what else goes on this term), we'll learn a lot again. TG&MP says (often) "embrace uncertainty." he means it. not just "try not to cower in too much fear, b/c, really, it's coming anyway & what good will it be for you to be on the floor when it does" but EMBRACE it. we learned stuff. we'll do it again. that's what we're all here for, you included!
Posted by: tyratae at January 31, 2005 05:30 PM
p.s. make that TG&MP. (he's not sure he wants to join the blogosphere. to quote him again, i think he's "wrongety-wrong-wrong.")
Posted by: tyratae at January 31, 2005 05:38 PM