What are the three most important concepts in a composition course? Hmmm....ensuring that the students feel fear, despair, and an overwhelming sense of inadequacy? Okay, all joviality aside, the concepts are enthusiasm/knowledge for/of the subject, the ability to inspire/challenge the students, and maintaining an open mind. These concepts were used by my favorite teachers and professors to great success. I thought, “Why reinvent the cylindrical traction, support, and cushioning apparatus?” All of the aforementioned concepts are interconnected and necessary for a successful classroom. Let us examine them individually.
An instructor that is able to at least portray excitement about the subject by demonstrating knowledge of that subject enables the students to appreciate that the course is more than just something that they have to do; the course can be fun and exciting. Students take their cues from the instructor. If the instructor is interested, most students will be as well. For an instructor to be interested, they must also possess a familiarity with the subject. As an undergraduate student, I had several professors who were unfamiliar with their subjects (all non-English classes of course) and as a consequence of that, I was unmotivated to try my best in their classes. Knowledge breeds confidence and confidence denotes enthusiasm, essential elements in a classroom.
The best professors, that I have had the pleasure of learning from, challenged and inspired me to go beyond my comfort zone. While I may have done that begrudgingly, even kicking and screaming, they helped me to produce my best work. Those professors’ best lesson was to never settle for adequate. As a result of their tutelage, I rediscovered a love of learning and the desire to share my knowledge and ideas with others. An instructor has the power to inspire their students by challenging them. Most students, when challenged, will rise to meet it just to see if they can. Reaching students on that level provides for more intriguing class discussion and a sense of pride for both the instructor and the student. These feelings tie into the first concept because they help to reinforce enthusiasm and demonstrate knowledge through its application in the classroom.
Finally, with the ever increasing diversity of college campuses, maintaining an open mind is crucial to a successful classroom. Allowing students to voice their opinions, even if those opinions differ from the instructors’ own, enables the students to feel comfortable. Knowing that they will not be judged for their beliefs, students are willing to voice their thoughts more freely. Some of the best classroom discussions that I have been privy to, involved the whole class debating a topic. These discussions were made possible due to the professor giving us the freedom to speak our minds and gently correcting us when we were wrong, or pushing us to go further than a cursory look at the topic. By allowing us to apply the knowledge we had learned, pushing us beyond mediocrity, and sharing an enthusiasm for the topic, the professors provided a far more interesting and stimulating classroom.
These concepts, enthusiasm/knowledge for/of the subject, the ability to inspire/challenge the students, and maintaining an open mind, are prerequisites for a successful classroom. Now let us see what you think? Come on, don’t be shy. Let me have it! I can take it! Be gentle!
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3 comments:
I completely agree with your broader ideas of education. Each one of your points places an emphasis on essential aspects of teaching. Open minds, challanging assignments, and passion for one's subject are all basic componets of any lessen plan. Your analysis of each of your concepts were well thought out, and I hope you are able to follow through with each of these concepts. The only thing I would have liked to see more of would be a more pragmatic approach to your teaching philosophies. What are the more basic things you are trying to get across? What is grounding these ideals? I think what you wrote is wonderful, but I would look for something on the ground as well as in the air.
Eric,
I like your ideas of how you would conduct the perfect class very much! I think these are really great concepts that should be essential in every classroom. You explained the importance of enthusiasm and how it plays into the challenging of the students very well. I have to agree that one can challenge students only when one is genuinely interested in the topic one teaches. And challenging students automatically means allowing for open minds, since one cannot truly challenge anybody if one is not open-minded oneself and thus willing to accept other points of view; that would be called indoctrination... Therefore, all these concepts are closely intertwined and reinforce each other. Not only will these concepts as lived through you become examples for the students, they will also enforce each other, thereby creating a very fertile learning environment that any student can be thankful to be in!
I forgot to mention that you humor is a very important asset in the classroom. Not only will it keep students awake, it will increase your popularity with them and thus inspire them even more... (I so wish my jokes were not so frequently misunderstood! It gets so old, all these students fleeing the scene every day I teach... ;))
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