On Wednesday, before we talk about the topic for that day, I'd like to have a little discussion on how we can get deeper into the subject we are talking about. I am for any process we might come up with that supports that goal.
Have a great Labor Day Weekend!
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Hi Prof. Arvan
ReplyDeleteI was reviewing the results on Compass, and someone asked for more information on grades.
I wanted to second that comment. I still find myself a little bit unsure of the expectations.
Things I've wondered about:
- Is it okay to read other people's blogs or are we expected to comment too? Do we comment only if we have a comment, or should we comment so the writer knows we are looking at their blog?
- What is expected of class participation? I bring questions to class, but I usually find myself responding to the comments of others instead of bringing up my own questions.
- Do you have a prescribed order of how we should read all of the books? Is it just the order on the reading list (I believe you amy have mentioned this but I want to double check)?
Thanks!
Sofia
Sofia - if you've read my post about the class as a microcosm then it seems pretty clear that I'm unsure what to expect from the class as a whole and therefore from students individually. So let me swap out "hope for" to replace "expect" and with that let me go beyond your bullets before returning to them.
ReplyDeleteI do understand you are also asking about how does all this map into course grades. My philosophy about that is pretty simple. I can measure effort reasonably well. And you guys are all obviously quite talented or you wouldn't be in CHP. So an A for effort. And somewhere between an A and a gentlemen's C for less. You'll want more precision than that and I'll want more commitment from you, commitment that doesn't depend on a grade calculation. That sort of calculation leads to the slippery slope, even for very talented students.
Now for what I hope from the class. I hope that somewhere between the midway and 2/3 points in the course the students take over. I get relegated to a consultant role and I then have to ask, what do you expect from me? But the students can't take over unless they earn it and that means showing that the in class discussion and the online writing gets to the meaning of what we're reading and talking about.
I also hope that each of you will have the others back and that you will feel part of your job in the class is to empower the other students (and occassionally to empower me too).
And I hope you find the course a value for you, because it opens your eyes. My expectations for the course were very high coming in. I wanted it to be a transformative experience for you.
On your bullets, the responses to the first two I believe can be derived from what I've just said. If you didn't read any of the books this summer, some of the students who recently added are in this category, then the first three should be Gawande, Bruner, and Drucker, in that order. Gladwell will be the last thing, if we get to it. The other two books perhaps you'll read bits and pieces of each and go back and forth. Do note we have other readings as well. The calendar links I gave have the ordering of those at least for the next month. Let's see where we get to in a few weeks and whether the pace is appropriate for the class. If we can get to deeper meaning in our class discussions by slowing down what what talk about, we'll do that. I'm not wedded to that reading list and though I really want the class to get into the final project, it is a practicum, which really should only be done once we've encountered the core stuff.