It happens almost every time: I’ll be running a workshop on assignment design, or on curricular reform, or on day-to-day instruction. Someone will raise their hand and say they teach chemistry or sociology or art history. They’ll look bashful, or angry, or curmudgeonly. “I can’t do this,” they’ll say. “I don’t know about your field, but in my field, we have a lot of content to cover.”
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I began teaching my first year honors’ seminar about 25 years ago. Almost every year since then, I’ve cut out at least one piece of content. In the past few years, during the pandemic, I’ve cut more. Now, I have about a dozen “workshop days” spread throughout the term. Those days there’s no reading assignment. Instead, they must bring their term paper research materials to class & work on them, with peers & within groups. The “materials” are typically digital, on their laptops, and so they can carry a LOT of content into the room. But it is material they have selected. I agree with Paul Hanstedt & my motto is “talk less, teach more.”:
Thanks for sharing this! And I love that motto!