badgerbag: messy, surly, full of books: Outlines on the board

stats

outlines on the board
Originally uploaded by Liz.

Class was exciting today. I was very tired & unsure of the thing I'd planned for the day - the "make a playlist and explain it" assignment.

As I handed back their short descriptions of an object with each sense and their paragraphs describing the same place 2 ways I got very excited all over again and read a bunch of them out loud. I've been doing this and I put sticky note flags on the papers that were notable for some quality so I can praise that person in public and read a bit of it when I'm handing that back. Maybe that is a "bad" thing to do while teaching but I like it so far. They get embarrassed, but I think they like it. The point is not just for the praise to have a positive effect but for the rest of the class to see very directly what I like. The writing is also in some ways better and easier for them to hear than the examples in the rather lame "Patterns of College Writing" textbook.

So then I read an article aloud - one that i got off the net - And stopped after every paragraph to explain what I thought the paragraph was about. And then how it related to the preceding paragraphs. Then I made them get into 4-5 person groups and outline the article or mindmap it! They were thrown... but as I walked around and helped, started off well & got into it. 20 minutes later they were still arguing with each other and scratching things out and scribbling. WOW it worked! 4 of the groups wrote their outlines on the board. I went over each one and talked about how they were similar & different. It felt like most people really got something out of that. I'll do that exercise again.

So, as I had read the 2 page essay, I'd more or less explained the main point. But for them to do it themselves meant they could think through it and practice it. Crucial!

Then I explained how, if you did that (quickly) on the final exam you would know that you had understood what you were reading. & could then argue with it. Lightbulb then went off for people - I think.

A good feeling.

Then I went to work for like 3 hours and thought about IP agreements and messed with the wiki and talked with people.

Then to pick up Moomin - home - more work - To the park to meet up with bad ass mamas and kids - Ep had looked at my work- and was excited about using its thing for the sp.ed. pta - I said a funny thing about housework to which she and Jo set me straight. Then an enormous shopping trip where I spent more on groceries than I ever have in my life in one go - so that I would not have to shop for quite a while - and to make sure I eat - and to buy myself fancy cheese and bath stuff which I haven't in a while as a measure of very minor thriftiness. We had a nice dinner (thank you whole foods premade junk, yummy, but it's basically butter and salt molded into different shapes.) We bustled with dishes, which I consider romantic. I am now blogging to relax and listening to music and thinking of insane mashups in attempts to outrage and astonish xyzzy - Convoy + Rappers' Delight + something...? While also reading bits of work wikis (new for current projects, old in order to understand things better). And now will go read Rook's LJ and think about gaming for a bit. Commenting on his rpg LJ is also romantic.