I will write a longer post later about this onground intensive week. I'm still trying to figure out the best approach to commuting, so today I'm leaving a bit earlier. I hope to avoid some traffic, get to campus early, and take a walk.
But I did want to remember a few techniques that we used in class yesterday that might work for other classes, especially classes that I teach.
In both classes, we did introductions. In one class, though, our teacher had spread cards across a table, index cards with images on them. We were to choose one that we felt most represented who we are. The images ranged from images of items from the natural world, historic pictures, illustrations from books, pictures of people doing things like working at a pottery wheel, singing, exercising. We divided into pairs to talk about what the picture meant and why we chose it. Then we introduced our partners.
It was interesting to see what people remembered about what we said about ourselves. And we got some interesting nuggets that we probably wouldn't have gotten with the standard go around the room and introduce yourself.
In the other class, we discussed Isabel Wilkerson's book Caste. Our teacher had put signs around the room, signs like "Ecstatic," "Mildly Enthusiastic," "Bored," "Negative," and some responses in between. She had us get up and move to the sign that most captured the way we felt about the reading and the book. Then we talked for five minutes in our groups, and then we talked for the rest of the class as a whole class.
It was great to see how everyone felt. It was great to be put into a small group, but only for a short period of time. I think this could work in any literature class, and I plan to use it. I'm always looking for a way to get people away from staring at their phones.
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