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Teaching and Technology Apprenticeships in Philosophy &
the Humanities
By: Dr. Kay Picart
FSU ENG & HUM
AimAim to form a collaborationcollaboration with invited invited
studentsstudents in the attempt to integrate technology with teaching by developing opportunities for students to train as teaching apprentices and to acquire relevant skills in the use and development of technology resources, which are germane to teaching and learning Philosophy.
RequirementsRequirements Such students had at least one class at least one class
of Philosophy taught by the of Philosophy taught by the professorprofessor, and as such, had acquired and displayed a proficiency in the general subject matter and skills of critical thinking, reading, writing and argumentation that the professor finds essential to function effectively as a peer instructorpeer instructor.
Tasks as a Teaching Tasks as a Teaching ApprenticeApprentice
leadingleading weekly small group discussions that served as forums for clarifying possible confusions concerning the lectures; for preparing for exams; and simply for engaging in philosophical inquiry that contextualizes lectures taken up in class
Tasks as a Teaching Tasks as a Teaching ApprenticeApprentice
monitoring, responding to, and monitoring, responding to, and grading weekly virtual threaded grading weekly virtual threaded conversationsconversations and other web-based/interactive/virtual activities assigned outside the formal class time, based on guidelines given by the based on guidelines given by the professorprofessor, who was monitoring the entire procedure;
Tasks as a Teaching Tasks as a Teaching ApprenticeApprentice
receiving instruction and supervision for checking short quizzes, objective checking short quizzes, objective sections & short essaysections & short essay portions of the exam (or drafts and chapter drafts and chapter summariessummaries), with other student teaching and technology apprentices and the professor.
Tasks as a Teaching Tasks as a Teaching ApprenticeApprentice
collaboratingcollaborating with the professor and other student apprentices in designing designing exams and checking drafts that lead exams and checking drafts that lead to the production of the final paperto the production of the final paper
Tasks as a Teaching Tasks as a Teaching ApprenticeApprentice
leading one or two sessions of the leading one or two sessions of the classclass, in which, after consultation with consultation with the professorthe professor, the student apprentice took over a selected topic (and used relevant technology in these presentations) and afterwards received detailed feedbackdetailed feedback regarding her/his performance
Honor’s StatusHonor’s Status
In addition to these tasks, student apprentices are required to hand in a short (10 pages, DS, minimum) papershort (10 pages, DS, minimum) paper related to the courses in which they have apprenticed, which will be used as raw material for conference conference presentationpresentation and possible possible undergraduate journal publicationundergraduate journal publication.
Duties as a Technology Duties as a Technology ApprenticeApprentice
to update and postpost the syllabi syllabi of the courses the professor taught at St. Lawrence University, such as the Introduction to Philosophy; Feminist Legal Theory; and Philosophy and Film courses
Duties as a Technology Duties as a Technology ApprenticeApprentice
to develop sections enhancing the presentation of the syllabi, which had frame grabsframe grabs, powerpoint powerpoint presentationspresentations, video clips, CD Rom video clips, CD Rom clips, and brief audio and written clips, and brief audio and written excerptsexcerpts that provided a succinct explanatory backbone or a series of guide questions that did not take the place of assigned texts to read in preparation for class, or the in-class lectures and discussions
Duties as a Technology Duties as a Technology ApprenticeApprentice
design a venue (and maintain a design a venue (and maintain a site)site) for threaded conversationsthreaded conversations in which students, the teaching and technology apprentices, and the professor could extend discussions beyond classroom time
Duties as a Technology Duties as a Technology ApprenticeApprentice
engage/assist the studentsengage/assist the students in the stepwise developmentstepwise development of their own course-related web projects, which present the results of their final projects.
Feminist Legal TheoryBasic Philosophical IssuesPhilosophy and Dance
Duties as a Technology Duties as a Technology ApprenticeApprentice
For example, for the Philosophy and Philosophy and FilmFilm course, this entails the production of video shortsvideo shorts, which move in between the creative and the critical/analytic. For the Feminist Legal TheoryFeminist Legal Theory course, this involves the creation of a webpagewebpage designed like a poster presentationposter presentation for a conference that entails a theoretical analysis of the legal dynamics of this case (e.g. Links to Student Webpages)
Additional FeatureAdditional Feature when possible, the use of
technology also enabled the integration of virtual guest integration of virtual guest speakersspeakers to various lectures, through the use of conference call formats (e.g., Judge Richard Judge Richard Posner for Feminist Legal Theory, Posner for Feminist Legal Theory, and Professors Janice Rushing & and Professors Janice Rushing & Noel Carroll for Philosophy & Noel Carroll for Philosophy & FilmFilm)
Benefits/Results:Benefits/Results:
Students who wished to acquire training as teaching and technology apprentices had the benefit of rigorous feedback rigorous feedback from the professor and extensive from the professor and extensive support from Information support from Information Technology staffTechnology staff
Benefits/ResultsBenefits/Results
The use of peer teachers and technology assistants enhanced the enhanced the atmosphere of learning and atmosphere of learning and contributed to greater collegiality contributed to greater collegiality within and outside of class, while within and outside of class, while maintaining a professional maintaining a professional sensibilitysensibility
Benefits/ResultsBenefits/Results
Students weighing whether or not to sign up for a class could simply print could simply print off a copy of the syllabus and have off a copy of the syllabus and have basic information on the class and basic information on the class and its subject matter, methods and its subject matter, methods and requirements available at any timerequirements available at any time
Benefits/ResultsBenefits/Results The development of an integrated integrated
websitewebsite got rid of the need to set up multiple equipment, such as a slide projector, boombox, tv/vcr, powerpoint or net surfing presentations. The result was a formally neater and more formally neater and more coherent (not to mention convenient) coherent (not to mention convenient) arrangement. (e.g., ppt. lectures in arrangement. (e.g., ppt. lectures in WST 5934 or ENG 3014 or HUM 5253)WST 5934 or ENG 3014 or HUM 5253)
Benefits/ResultsBenefits/Results
Students who (had to) miss a class could click on the site and start could click on the site and start catching up on the basics of what catching up on the basics of what they have missedthey have missed so when they consulted with the professor or the apprentices, the time was better spent on questions, rather than a rote recapitulation of a lecture
Benefits/ResultsBenefits/Results Both the development of interactive
activities and a forum for threaded conversations rendered the learning environment more dynamic and enabled discussions to extend beyond classroom time and physical confines (thus coordinating well with small group discussions, which were coordinated with virtual discussions in extending opportunities for conversation beyond formal classroom time)
Quantitative SurveysQuantitative SurveysScale: 1-5, with “1” as highestScale: 1-5, with “1” as highest
Integration of Technology
PHIL 100 (N=23): 1.41
PHIL 336 (N=13) 1.61 PHIL 366 (N=10) 1.6
Integration of Apprentices
PHIL 100 (N=23) 1.35 PHIL 336 (N=13) 1.69 PHIL 366 (N=10) 2.25
Latest Developments
I modified this model for an FSU mixed undergraduate-graduate course called “Gender, Authority and the Politics of Representation in Science and Art”
Applications in Graduate Pedagogical Training in Multicultural Film
I have also used this model to develop a training program for TAs in the multicultural film course of the Humanities Program here at FSU.
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