Nov 16

11/16/21

Looking over the semester, things that have worked/not worked...

I know I would have approached the first major assignment differently had I been fully aware of what the other major assignments would be. Major assignments 2, 3, and 4 seem to work together or build off of each other, but, while the first major assignment, rhetorical analysis, was a key skill to learn for the major assignments that followed, it seemed very disconnected from the rest of the course because of how it was introduced.

When introducing the syllabus, I would want to talk about the major assignments in reverse order so that they can see the build-up or connection from one to the next. One of the biggest complaints is that students don’t see the value or importance of one lesson to the next or how they are related. But if they can see a connection, if they can see the value down the road, they might be more engaged early on in the semester.

It helped throughout the semester to keep checking in with my students, and to observe their learning styles to make changes as the semester progressed. When I could incorporate something more directed to their attention, they engaged more. Having the workday at the library was a big success. They enjoyed being able to see each other and work together. Having students all (including in-class students) sign in to zoom for group work was helpful as well.