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What IS "Steph-style"?

This course is unlike any other classroom experience & there are several components that make this course unique:

CLASSIC VIEW OF LEARNING

 

The entire reason for this new course design stems from my reading of Frank Smith's The Book of Learning and Forgetting, which explore the difference between the "classic" and "traditional" views of learning. 

 

Smith explains that the traditional view of learning is what we imagine when we think of education: classroom, rows of desks, standardized tests, rote memorization, lecture-style instruction. He explains that the classic view of learning is where actual learning has been taking place naturally for thousands of years: in the home, in clubs, sports teams, church, and any other socially-driven experience.

 

He argues that what we think of as "learning" when people pass tests is actually "forgetting". Be honest: how many of us have studied really hard all semester (or the week before) in preparation for a test or major exam, passed the test, and forgotten 50% of what we "learned" within 2 days? or 90% within 2 weeks? I'm going to say that this forgetting is way more common than the reverse.

 

Then Smith argues that when someone feels a sense of belonging, has a socially-based membership to a group, that the learning occurs naturally. We, as humans, exist to learn. How many words had you learned before you first stepped into your first classroom with rows of desks? How many rules? facts? acceptable behaviors?

 

So, after reading Smith's book, I thought to myself: what if I could design a course that allows university students the opportunity to learn naturally, in a social setting, rather than forcing them to memorize information that I spout at them in a lecture?

 

The result of this inquiry is the course design that has already transformed the learning of over 100 students. I look forward to seeing it in action!

INQUIRY-BASED

 

This is a "choose your own adventure" course, and, although there are certain criteria that must be met in order to successfully complete this course, I try to give students as much freedom to make decisions as I can.

 

This newfound freedom can be frightening for students because we are so used to "teaching to the test" that students associate learning with "right" and "wrong" answers -- but, thankfully, in literature (especially!), I am able to create a learning environment that helps students prepare for the "real" world.

 

This course helps prepare students for a successful career by allowing them to develop their soft skills such as cooperation, independent work, problem-solving, all stages of project completion, presentation, design, and understanding their audience.

 

Students are able - and expected - to choose the following for themselves:

  • readings/texts

  • arguments

  • audience

  • website design

  • project components

  • close reading focal points

  • cultural/historical contexts

  • comparative elements 

  • methods of team communication

  • work saving strategies

  • ways to get assignments done

 

Students are encouraged to start with what they know, what they like, what grabs their attention, because learning can happen anywhere and can take any form.

 

TEAM-BASED 

 

Students are placed into teams on the very first day of class.

 

These teams are permanent and predetermined by the instructor.

 

Teams work together to accomplish daily, weekly, and unit goals.

 

Teams spend the first 3 quarters of the course working together to practice, practice, practice!

 

Teams submit their work on a team-designed wix site.

 

Teams earn grades on the following criteria:

  1. 3 unit projects

  2. Cover Letter

  3. Website Design

  4. Peer Review 

PROJECT-BASED

 

There are 2 major projects within this course design: team site and individual site.

 

BUT!

 

Within these two major projects are many more minor projects. This course is designed to be like building blocks: start small, create several small items, and then find ways to synthesize these items into one larger cohesive unit.

 

ADDITIONALLY!

 

There are 5 minor projects that every student must do twice (once in each site). I call these Add-Ons, because they do not take a lot of time and effort, but they do help students process cultural, social, historical and/or close reading components of the course.

PROBLEM-BASED

 

In an effort to help students generate career-ready skills, this course is designed to be experiental - meaning that students learn by experience.

 

This experience occurs in a safe space, where the stakes aren't as high as, say, a $50,000 annual salary.

 

Having "low stakes" experiences allows the students to be able to "fail", because the focus is on the process - and students have many opportunities to self-assess, get feedback from both peers and the instructor, and make corrections/improvements along the way.

 

One primary problem I want students to focus on is: how can I transition from a student who is doing what they are told into a self-autonomous, self-efficacious, self-driven member of society?

 

Another problem - and the one that is near and dear to my heart is: what does literature have to do with my life? Nearly all of the students in my courses are non-English majors. Most of them are in hard sciences that require black & white answers, so it is difficult for them to understand why my course is required for their successful degree completion. 

 

The final problem I ask my students to attempt to resolve is: what does strong, argumentative, polished academic writing look like? I have them consider questions like: does academic work have to be black words on a white page? what formatting and citation rules are non-negotiable? and how can I find *my* voice in a sea of voices about literature?

VOCABULARY

Because this course is unique, we (my students and I) had to establish a unique vocabulary in our efforts to optimize communication.

 

Here are some important terms:

 

UNIT

One cycle of coursework that focuses on a specific genre and results in a big project. Each unit will require that students choose letters from the genre's packet to close read a text. Then, students will synthesize these letters into one cohesive big project in either essay or creative formats.

 

PACKET

Currently, I am using packets that I have compiled by collecting close reading assignments from the Norton Introduction to Literature, Portable, 11th edition. Each packet has two parts:

  1. Guided Close Reading Questions

  2. Letters

Students will choose multiple letters to work with for each reading.

 

LETTER

A letter is a building block toward a project. It is designed to help students focus their close reading skills.

 

BIG PROJECT

A big project is a polished, formatted, properly cited, cohesive compilation of letters that provide evidence that the student has accomplished all or part of the course SLOs. A project has several requirements

  • must contain 2-4 letters

  • must contain more than one approach to the text

  • minimum 1000 words

See specs grading for more details.

 

ADD-ONS

An Add-On walks away from the packets and letters to provide students with new ways to consider the material. There are five (5) required Add-Ons. Each student must put 5 Add-Ons on the team site and 5 Add-Ons on the capstone project site for full marks.

Here are the Add-Ons:

  1. Timeline

  2. Summary

  3. Vocabulary Contribution (minimum 3)

  4. Quote 

  5. Image

 

COVER LETTER

A cover letter is a reflective essay in business memo format that does two things: 1) it allows the student to recognize and acknowledge the work s/he has completed throughout the course, and 2) directs the instructor to the places where the student feels that s/he is most accomplished.

 

CAPSTONE

The capstone project is the final, high stakes assessment in the course. This is the equivalent to the final exam.

 

I explain the capstone project to students using 2 analogies:

  1. the origin of the term capstone used by Irish monks on their round towers, and 

  2. sports

 

PEER REVIEW

Because this course is both independent and cooperative, students must rely on their peers to meet goals. This causes some stress for students who are used to the traditional concept of group work. As an accountability measure, 50% of the student's grade on the team website will come from his/her teammates using a team assessment rubric and the student's reflection on the rubric score. 

 

I reserve the right, as instructor, to mediate, advocate for students who get frustrated, and make the decision to not allow a student to earn the team grade, when necessary. This last option is a failsafe and is very rarely used.

 

WIX

The website creation service we will use to create our projects.

 

PRESENTATION

Each team will present their chosen text to the class in a designated space on its website. These presentations will be creative and will answer the guided close reading questions at the beginning of each packet.

 

ESSAY

Words on plain background with no creative element - i.e., generic text box or Word doc. Requirements:

  • header

  • page #s

  • paragraphs with topic sentences

  • PDF format only

 

CREATIVE FORMAT

Any academic writing that is presented in a uniquely organized manner. Must be cohesive. Organization must be clear and intentional. See list of creative options for more information. 

 

Does not require header, page #s, or paragraphs.

 

All creatively formatted projects must be in Wix or PDF format, unless they are social media, in which case a button with a link to the appropriate URL is required.

 

LITTIX

LitTix is a token system we will be using in this course at a method of positive reinforcement. In an effort to support students’ choice, I allow some flexibility in the ways in which students earn their grades. LitTix is a reward system – for work completed on the LitTix points list, students earn LitTix. LitTix can then be submitted electronically using the button on the Welcome page of this website to fill out a Google form and trade their ticket for assigned work.

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