Serendip is an independent site partnering with faculty at multiple colleges and universities around the world. Happy exploring!

You are here

Reflections on Class Discussions

unsettle8's picture

The dynamic of our small group seems to be working so far. I find it rather enjoyable. Three days a week I am surrounded by intelligent like minded people, whose one goal for that day is to discuss something. Every day I learn something new, not just from the material for the course, but from the dialogue that we form as a team. I speak too much, but when surrounded by everyone I have so much to respond to. I really enjoy our awkward call or just talk system, because everyone is so respectful of each other, it's been working very well. It does, however, require a great deal of self awareness. Something that I know I need to work on, and as the semester continues I hope to practice more and more restraint, all while others practice speaking out more impulsively. I feel safe and comfortable, but also stimulated. I really enjoy the small side bars, where we discuss our thoughts with the person who is sitting next to us that day, but after a few classes I realized my one on one chats are limited in variety, and I hope to try alternating my placement in the classroom throughout the semester, so that I may experience conversations in as many ways as possible. Also, I like that it feels so casual. I do not know if the class would feel so balanced if Anne and Jody would take a more serious lecturing position. I really enjoyed the text analysis portion of class today, and I hope that as the semester continues our conversations continue to be so vibrant.