Active Learning for First-Time Teachers (part 2)

This past fall semester I had a chance to bring some of my active learning course design to the large lecture section of American Literature Before 1865 that I was assigned to teach. More specifically, I had wanted to use it in the smaller Friday breakout discussion sessions that were led by the graduate teaching assistants I had been assigned. However, all this will need some preliminary explanation.

When the College of Liberal Arts and the English Department here at Auburn agreed on a model for 90-student sections of our core literature courses several years ago, this involved Monday and Wednesday classes conducted in the traditional large capacity lecture hall by experienced faculty, and, then on Fridays, with the class population redistributed among six smaller sections of fifteen students each, discussion classes led by the teaching assistants assigned to help the primary teacher with grading. This satisfied those who wanted the teaching of literature to involve discussion and debate rather than simply broadcasting ideas, at least satisfied them enough to make the proposal viable; and this also satisfied a keen need to offer our department’s graduate students in our various programs more teaching experience under the aegis of experienced mentors.

When I volunteered to teach lecture-sized sections in its second year, I hadn’t a clear conception of how these Friday discussion sessions would operate. In all fairness I was moving full time into active learning during the pilot year of our active learning classroom at the same time and so my resources and attention were spread a bit further than usual. What I and my first teaching assistants did, then, was to devote Fridays to a discussion of the material covered Monday and Wednesday and to meet Wednesday afternoons in my office to cover the themes and details that might be elaborated on come Friday. However, when I observed my teaching assistants on a few occasions conducting their Friday sessions, it was sometimes evident that covering the material and initiating and maintaining discussion was a strain, especially as some of these teaching assistants did not come from our literature program and they were being asked to lead discussions in areas outside their field.

As this last fall semester was approaching, it dawned on me that I might instead try using the active learning approach and materials I had already prepared for the Friday sessions. This meant Fridays could be used to cover new material as well as reviewing the week, which expanded the breadth of the literature we could cover. More importantly, it provided a structure to the Friday sessions, created a more naturally conducive environment for discussion, involved the students more directly in interpreting their assigned reading, and supported the teaching assistants working outside their field, who were still getting the Friday preparation on the preceding Wednesdays.

I asked Michael Brooks, one of my three teaching assistants this past fall, to comment on his experience in order to gauge the effectiveness of this new approach. “As a brand new graduate teaching assistant (GTA) in Auburn University’s Technical and Professional Communication program,” he writes, “I started…in a course covering American literature before 1865. I had the typical GTA duties: grading, sitting in on lectures, the works. However, I also had a very interesting responsibility every Friday — leading an active learning session with the undergraduates. Each Friday I met with two groups of students and we participated in a student-driven class discussion over whatever topic was on the agenda.”

I may have forgotten many details about the earliest years of my teaching, but I do remember some vivid details from my first year and so I can well imagine what Michael and the rest of our team would feel that first week. I couldn’t eliminate the nerves, nor would I want to entirely, but I wanted the first-time teachers with whom I was working to feel less as if they were thrown in the deep end of the pool to learn to swim than I had felt. “I have to admit that I was skeptical when I found out how my Fridays were going to be spent,” Michael confesses. “Although I had taken two American literature courses as an undergraduate student, the literature I read was still relatively new to me. I wondered how I was going to lead a discussion on subjects that I wasn’t even remotely familiar with. This dilemma of mine turned out to be resolved fairly easily. [We met] every Wednesday to discuss the literature for the following Friday and he provided us with Power Point presentations that helped focus the Friday discussions.”

“The active learning sessions themselves went a lot smoother than I expected,” Michael continues. “I was fearful in the beginning and I wasn’t sure if my students would get to all of the points we needed to discuss. My fear led me to overcompensate for the first few sessions. Instead of leading the discussions, I walked around and fed them information. After about three sessions, I figured I would try something new. Instead of walking around and feeding the students information, I made myself available for questions or guidance if they needed me. As it turns out, the groups did a great job of coming to their own conclusions. More often than not, they would reach the interpretation Dr. Simkins was looking for and more.”

“The students were extremely creative and, to be honest, they enjoyed themselves. They responded with more enthusiasm in the active learning sessions than in the lectures. The students and I were able to accomplish Dr. Simkins’ goals, develop critical thinking, and establish a relationship of trust. The students seemed much more confident in themselves when they come to conclusions on their own versus when I just gave them answers. Overall, I’ve grown to really appreciate the active learning sessions and I would love to see them used more often.”

As Michael observes, I believe the active learning worked rather effectively in our situation. However, even its success in this case raised more questions for me, but those will have to wait for a later blog entry.