‘One
day when I was twenty-three or twenty-four this sentence seemed to form
in my head, without my willing it, much as sentences form when we are
half-asleep, ‘Hammer* your thoughts into unity’.
For days I could think of nothing else and for years I tested all I did
by that sentence [...]” William Butler Yeats (Nobel Prize, 1923; cited
in Frank Tuohy, Yeats,
1976, p.51 )
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The
Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University,
1998
The failure of research universities seems
most serious in conferring degrees upon inarticulate students. Every university
graduate should understand that no idea is fully formed until it can be
communicated, and that the organization required for writing and speaking
is part of the thought process that enables one to understand material fully....
AN ACADEMIC BILL OF RIGHTS includes (2.) Training in the skills necessary for oral and written communication at a level that will serve the student both within the university and in postgraduate professional and personal life.
recommendations:Ten Ways to Change Undergraduate Education
II. Construct an Inquiry-Based Freshman Year....Beginning with the freshman year, students must learn how to convey the results of their work effectively both orally and in writing.
III. Build on the Freshman Foundation... Inquiry-based learning, collaborative experience, writing and speaking expectations need to characterize the whole of a research university education......the changes need to include greater expectations of writing and speaking....
V. Link Communication Skills and Course Work..... Undergraduate education must enable students to acquire strong communication skills, and thereby create graduates who are proficient in both written and oral communication.
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GRADES. Class participation, which includes listening and speaking, is worth 254 points in this course, that is, 28% of an A- grade (900), 32% of a B- grade (800), etc. 224 of the 254 points are to be daily in class participation at the rate of 8 points per class. Prepare for class by reading the assigned reading and related Discussion Board in advance and by bringing your notes and your books to class (points deducted if books are not brought to class). If you made a contribution to the Discussion Board you should print out at least your own contribution and bring it with you.
If you are late to class you forfeit all chance to earn these 8 points. The second time you are late you are given -1 points, the third -2, etc. When you are in class on time you earn 2 points for listening effectively, but can be fined up to -15 points for not doing so (see below). You can earn up to 6 points for contributing to the discussion (up to 3 points each for two contributions). The teacher will act as grader and, if need be, co-facilitator of the discussion process, awarding points to those who make good connections backed up by citations from our assigned texts.
The remaining 30 points of the 254 are assigned to leading class discussions, as described in the final paragraphs below.
THE ART OF LISTENING. They
also prepare by reviewing "Guidelines
for Listening" in our anthology. During
the discussion they listen attentively -- staying in the present moment,
suspending judgment -- and help the organizer generate a meaningful discussion.
They focus their sympathetic imaginations on the speaker and concentrate
well enough to repeat what the speaker has just said and/or the course of
the discussion to that point. To that end they should take notes, which they
will turn in at the end of class for additional points (in the category of
in-class writing). Needless to say, during the discussion they focus on the
speaker without talking to others, without interrupting, without thinking
about they want to say next. They might well find that writing down a reminder
of what they want to contribute will help them get back to concentrating
on the discussion. Students who talk to others while the speaker is talking
and/or encourage this rude behavior with a willing ear, will have points
deducted from their class participation/attendance grade for each incident.
Sleeping in class will be fined -15 points and doing other activities during
class, like reading the Daily Texan or any other material not directly related
to the immediate discussion, or working on an assignment to be turned in
later in this or any other class, will be fined accordingly.-----------------------------------------------
LEADERSHIP. Students post their reading journals on a Blackboard Discussion Board by 8 P.M. the night before class. The first students to post indicate on the board or in email to the instructor that they are willing or not to lead the discussion. The first or some subsequent posting student is selected to identify and organize key themes and dialectics in the posted journals and comments. The discussion leader, of course, will be given Thor's* hammer, to hammer our thoughts into unity. Opportunities to lead discussion will be offered to students in the order in which they post in the Discussion Board. (Usually a student may only lead the discussion once per semester, and not all students are guaranteed a chance to lead discussions.)
The selected student then outlines on paper his/her plan for the discussion (the outline to be turned in at the end of class) and leads the class in an organized discussion of the topics and readings assigned for that day. The leader focuses on how the Discussion Board entries and readings relate to each other and to the themes of the course throughout the semester (earning up to fifteen points). The discussion leader's goals are to (1) facilitate a productive and comprehensive discussion involving as many students as possible; (2) keep the discussion focused on assigned readings; (3) "connect" the readings to each other and to our other themes for this and the previous semester (hammer our thoughts about the readings into unity).
When the leader calls on someone to speak, the leader is expected to ask, (1) "what quote do you have for us to consider?" (2) Then the leader asks for the page and location on the page of the quote. (3) Then the leader asks for a summary of the context of the quote. (In both the initial Discussion Board entry and in the ensuing class discussion it is crucial to demonstrate close reading, especially getting the context of quotes correct: otherwise the quotes do not count and the speaker may make egregious errors.)) (4) Finally, the leader asks the student to "perform" a good chunk of the material that contains the quote.
When abstractions are introduced, the leader is expected to ask for definitions and examples immediately. (Students who introduce abstractions should be prepared to supply definitions and examples.) Why? "Without a firm hold on things, we shall waste ourselves in vague speculations" (John Henry Newman).
The leader will try to include everyone in the class. After those with their hands up have all spoken once, instead of calling on them again, the leader will call upon one of those who have not raised their hands and ask that person to summarize the discussion so far. (They will lose points if they can not do so.) The leader can then call on more of those who have not participated or alternate between them and those who have already spoken once or ........
If the leader wants to retain the option of going outside for class, s/he needs to have a readable printout of the Discussion Board to take outside (and/or tested wireless computer access in the place s/he wants to hold class).
* "Thor's Hammer is a symbol of the struggle against chaos and evil. It's the weapon used by Thor against giants, monsters, and other trollish folk who threaten the common good. It seems particularly appropriate in these troubled times"
(http://www.ragweedforge.com/ThorsHammer.html). See especially http://www.mackaos.com.au/Articles/Mjol.html
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