I
would like here to give you a brief overview of why I teach the
way I do. My approach and expectations may be different from
what you have encountered before in your high school or Haverford/BMC
classrooms, so I'd like to lay my cards on the table from the
beginning.
- Teaching
is to some extent a matter of conveying knowledge that
I have and you don't, but more importantly, its
purpose
is
to teach
you
how to formulate useful questions about what you're learning
and to develop techniques to answer them. This puts a good deal of
responsibility for how the class goes on your shoulders:
I want to adapt what I think you should know in terms of
what you, as
a unique collection of individuals, would like to know.
Accordingly, I expect you to invest actively in what goes
on in the classroom,
both in terms of input and feedback. Don't think of yourself
as a sponge, passively soaking up knowledge; think of yourself as
participating in a contract, where we have responsibilities
to each other for making the class a successful one.
- Success
in my class depends on how far and how deep you're willing
to go into the subject matter. If your priorities or
interests are elsewhere, if you're content just to pass
the class, that's
understandable--we all have to make choices about where
to place our energy and time--but I encourage you to engage
to
a greater degree than
that. I hope you'll take advantage of my time to continue discussions outside of class, and that you'll do some exploring on your own initiative.
- Success
also depends on risk-taking. There is no shame in trying
and failing; risking being wrong is often an important
part of the process of learning to be right. You'll find that I often
ask you to do things that seem beyond you; see what you can do, and
you will surprise yourself! Another part of risk-taking
is flexibility: I challenge you give up the safe, tried-and-true learning
techniques
you may have depended on in the past and to try the
different approaches I propose, even if ultimately you decide your way
is better.
- Your
contract is not only with me, but more importantly with the other members
of the class. How effectively you learn is a function
of what you give to the classroom community, as well as what you take from
your peers. What your classmates get out of the
class will be influenced by the degree to which you are
responsible
for being
prepared, engaged,
present, and on time.
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