I'm going to ask a question that could probably be the subject of a lengthy, academic article dialog.
As most of our dear readers know, I feel a strong commitment to feminist and critical teaching methodologies. For me, they really embody the kind of classroom that I want to run, and the kind of educational experience that I want my students to have. To that end, I've been trying to apply all of the things that I learned about feminist and critical pedagogy to my classroom. So far, it has worked well. I've been trying to put the class in their hands by having them control the discussions, etc, etc, etc. You get the idea.
However, I ran into a spot of trouble last week. On Wednesday, my normally attentive, on task class was out of control. They were unfocused, talking when others were, using their cell phones, and making inappropriate comments (not to mention that I was being observed when this went on--don't even get me started on that). I was completely shocked and caught off guard by their behavior. It made for a completely unproductive class.
So, the next time I saw them (today) I felt like I had to reinscribe myself as the center of authority in the classroom. There didn't seem to be any other way of handling their behavior (humor didn't work, that just fed into it). I had to tell them that I was disappointed by their actions (not to mention caught off guard by it), and I had to remind them that I was the teacher who held the almighty power of the grade, and could dock their participation points if I so chose (not in those words, exactly, but that's what I felt like I was doing. The point is: I held "The Grade" over their heads, however subtle it was). I hated doing it, because I felt like I was setting myself up as the sole authority, completely going against my philosophy of teaching. This is not to say that I had no authority before, or that I went in as this totally easy going, "do whatever you guys want" kind of teacher. However, my feminist pedagogy is contingent upon the class being reasonable and respectful of each other, which they clearly weren't. So there's where it broke down.
So here comes the question: How do I continue to use feminist and critical pedagogy in the classroom when things like this happen? I can't allow the class to get out of control, but it becomes difficult to stick to the shared power model if they are being disrespectful and not focusing.
[Note to any "idealism squishers": I'm still stickin' to these principles. They just need some ironing out. So leave my little marshmallow of idealism alone! I won't give up the fight!]
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2 days ago
4 comments:
Oh RT, I had the same experience happen to me last week with my one "problem class." Let's just say I had to step up to the plate and lay the smack down.
As soon as I get a chance to breathe from grading 7 classes worth of papers, I'll post...
...stay tuned.
Well, since I'd be an old, jaded "idealism squisher" I'll keep my trap shut. When your shared power model wears out and your marshmallow melts give me a call...Love you!
Hmm. What students are investing their time in resources in, in a college setting, is a well-structured learning experience. "Shared power models" are problematic in that they imply a responsibility of students to join in designing the curriculum, something they have no expertise in and no interest in. It's not their job; it's yours.
When students are squirelly, it can mean that they aren't being challenged enough, so that they aren't seeing class content as important to their success. Or just that they don't have a clear sense of what is expected from them, so they are essentially milling. Well structured tasks! Students need well structured tasks! If you want them to work on something unstructured, you still need to build a concrete structure around it for 'em.
Actually, my class isn't totally based on a shared power model, because in the ideal, the students would indeed come up with the curriculum. So yeah, probably a misnomer. My model is based on the fact that I don't want to be the only source of knowledge in the classroom. This may not work as well for other disciplines, but in this kind of course it usually does. It's based on a lot of class discussion, so I really want their input, not just what I think about the readings. I could lecture at them everyday, but they would eventually rebel, because they like to talk.
Also, I do have a rather structured class in many ways, which is why I was so confused about their squirelly day. I am always clear about the goals of the activities, and I connect everything to the overall theme so that they know why we are doing things.
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