Bam! Bang! Pow!

The information presented at our February session was both meaningful and timely. I’m always looking for better research techniques to pass along to my students, and Tracy Murphy’s presentation on subscription services was very helpful. I especially liked the idea of requiring students to annotate the sources they use to find information. By the time my AP students write a “synthesis” essay for their exam this coming May, they will need to assess the validity of the sources they use, and practice annotating sources should give them the experience they need to do well on this part of the test.

I also liked “The Big Ideas” group activity that followed our time in the computer lab. Sharing with other members of my department helped me reexamine my goals for specific classes I teach, and seeing connections with other departments reminded me to broaden the scope of my lessons. In fact, Christine Zisch, who teaches Psychology, has already given me two handouts to use with my classes when we discuss learning styles. Psychological issues often surface in literature, and it was fun sharing with Christine the several connections we might make between our classes. Talking about literature with a left-brained math teacher such as Jared Rottschafer was also helpful in reminding me that not all students relish analyzing characters, themes, and rhetorical strategies. Looking at my subject matter from a different perspective was illuminating, and I hope to have further discussions with Jared about reaching students who may not be planning to major in English.

Finally, Terry Sale ended our afternoon session with a bang. Literally. First he gave us background about the science fiction class he teaches, and then he showed us the antiquated slide show (yes, he used a projector and record player) he uses to introduce science fiction to his class each semester. Pow! Bang! Bam! I felt as if I were watching classic cartoons in motion. Then he modeled both constructivist and non-constructivist teaching methods for using this slide show. While watching the show, some of us took notes using a worksheet with blanks, and others simply wrote down impressions of what they saw. It soon became obvious that the worksheet was too confining, and he explained that his classes usually discover important ideas about science fiction without it. He has also challenged his students to update the slide show, and with advanced technology at their fingertips, the results should be impressive. After watching his presentation, I went home and created an assignment for my Shakespeare class: design a movie trailer for a scene from King Lear. The assignment was fun to create, and I can’t wait to see how the students react to it.

So—the day went well. Thank you to everyone who helped make it a success.