Teaching: Plan B

Over the past two weeks I have been putting my “flipped course” plan into action. The week before classes (which started on the 20th) was focused on filling in the details on the “syllabus” and sending annoying emails to students via the Blackboard site asking them to view three videos I posted that went over some of the logistics of the course. I was convinced these annoying emails would result in some drops when the class began, but instead I have gone from initial enrollment of 56 to 64 -- which is the capacity for the way I structured things. First week of classes turned out to be mostly lecturing-as-usual, but the focus was on the course and getting groups organized. Heading into second week, however, I’ve come up against the major snow storm hitting New England tonight and tomorrow. Classes have already been cancelled, but interestingly the flipped course moves forward under what I am dubbing Plan B.
Read More…
Comments

Comment: Blindness, Shuttles and Expectations

When you listen to This American Life’s current episode (or podcast) titled “Batman,” you might come away with the impression it is first and foremost about blindness -- or what it means to be blind in our society. Considered as such, the episode is about the social construction of blindness -- and in that sense it is well worth the listen. But as I listened, what seems more significant was the more encompassing theme of the podcast, for it was primarily about the role expectations play in our lives. Which leads to the reason for this post, for I have a long-standing obsession with expectations.
Read More…
Comments

Comment: Another Brooks Sermon

In his last NYT column, David Brooks once again used his pulpit to deliver a sermon -- this time on the problematic nature of the vacuous “meaningfulness” movement. Unlike other members of my household, I am no fan of Brooks, and I think much of my dislike comes from his continuous effort to break out of the “columnist” mode and establish himself as an intellectual essayist. His Op-Ed hero is William F. Buckley Jr., but his lifetime objective is probably to become the next Walter Lippmann. Unfortunately for him, he lacks the capacity to be either. As a columnist, he is more George Will than Buckley; as an essayist he is closer to Malcolm Gladwell than Lippmann.
Read More…
Comments

Reading: Certeau and a guilty pleasure transformed

Like millions of Americans, I am hooked on Downton Abbey. It is a guilty pleasure, a time wasting diversion from work, one among many vehicles for procrastinating that I have found difficult to explain -- until now. I have found a rationalization that has transformed this costume-based soap opera into “must see TV” for anyone who seeks to understand human behavior.
Read More…
Comments

Teaching: Ending distractions

As I work through the idea of flipping my American government course, I need to confront the role of ICT in the classroom setting.
Read More…
Comments

Reading: Koslowski on Selective Migration

An old friend, Rey Koslowski, is stopping by today for a late lunch and generally hanging around while he is in the Boston area. Rey and I were on the faculty of Rutgers-Newark a few years back, and I have always been fascinated by his work in transnational crime and border issues -- all the more so given the emergence of homeland security and immigration policy as key areas for policy and public administration studies. I found one of his recent publications on “selective migration” policies to be particularly interesting given its relevance to my upcoming course on business-government relations. Read More…
Comments

Teaching: Rationalizing the textbook

The role of the primary textbook is the American government course varies. The question for the course flipping instructor is what kind of textbook (if any) is best suited for the role. I am the co-author of the book I will use in the course (of course), but in this post I am going to attempt to articulate some points to consider when looking at the many alternatives.
Read More…
Comments

Teaching: Flipping the Baby?

Flipping a course is a radical step for anyone who has relied on the traditional lecture approach for years -- actually, for decades. Because I have taught a few online and hybrid course, moving lectures online is not a concern. What is troubling me is the prospect of giving up a somewhat successful (albeit idiosyncratic) instructional tool I’ve relied on over the past few years -- the “Discussion Forum,” or “DFs”. Read More…
Comments

Teaching: Practicing my Kingsfield Retort

It is clear that flipping my American government course will work only if I alter my assumptions and expectations about student preparation for class sessions. The “unflipped” me is pretty cynical when it comes to student preparation -- and perhaps this has been a self-fulfilling prophesy since I’ve always organized my syllabus on the assumption that unless there is some incentive in place (e.g., the threat of a quiz) most students do not bother reading the text until the night before an exam -- and even then you wonder if they actually went beyond skimming through the chapters or assigned readings. Obviously, for in-class discussions and other activities to work, I will have to assume otherwise. Read More…
Comments