Well, I nearly killed my students from boredom yesterday. Honestly, why would a teacher be scheduled to lecture for eight hours in one day? It was almost non-stop. From 8:00 - noon, the topic was research; 12:00 - 2:00 was E-Learning I, and 4:00 - 6:00 was Sex Therapy. It was a very long and exhausting day.
People were barely hanging on by the time we got to the end of our research lecture about cost-effectiveness studies. Students were reading emails on their laptops and were having a hard time paying attention to my parting shots. Willis had eyes that were at half-mast. Sherry had a frozen grin on her face. She was trying not to drift off. I was bored with myself, so it would have been surprising for them to be paying attention to me.
"Now I'd like this side of the room to get into a group and plan a formative program evaluation of the Student Counseling Services here, and the other side of the room will plan a summative program evaluation." 10 sets of unblinking eyes looked at me. "What kinds of questions would you ask, with whom will you speak, and what kind of information will you need to get? Get into groups, make a plan, and in 15 minutes be prepared to share it with the class."
Slower than molasses flowing uphill in January, I think we used to say to describe the type of motion that followed.
It was a challenge, but they did finally get moving and came up with very good evaluation plans. I was relieved to see new energy take over the room. Effective teaching for adult students requires changes in presentation or activities every 20-30 minutes. That means we need to have debates, student presentations, article reviews, whole group planning activities, YouTube video analyses, small group activities, and discussions. Oh yes--and breaks. And for students who are first told that the topic of this required class is "Overview and Critique of Research in Marriage and Family Therapy," it is almost overwhelming. When the gagging dies down and the white knuckles begin to relax, we actually have a fairly good time in there. But not every single week; not every single issue that is under examination.
Willard loudly declared last week that he disdains qualitative research methods. That was what we were discussing at the moment. The week before that, Cherise, a social constructionist, shared her perjorative views with the class about quantitative research. "It just seems that what is of importance to the majority might not be the best for the marginalized groups who do not have a voice," she lamented. "What happens in the kitchen and bedroom is just as important as what occurs in the board room, so the truths of each domain can only enlighten those who are in those settings." My brain sagged under this comment. Fortunately, Dilbert, at the back of the room, piped up with a non sequitor about what occurs in bedrooms and the conversation lurched off into an exploration of standards of ethical behavior in sex research. Cherise later told me, with a knowing look, that it was interesting to hear how Dilbert storied his sexual issues in his questions. In that moment, I was thinking, "What a lark it is to teach a bunch of mini-Freuds!" I love it.
But I have to say, these four-hour class periods are killers. I was filled with panic when I realized that I'd have to teach this class without having any teaching pedagogy courses myself. Most people think that everyone holding a PhD has been taught how to effectively teach, keep order in the classroom, and create good lesson plans. It ain't necessarily so! Therefore, most teachers become a "Sage on the Stage" or follow the example cited in the Old Testament books: "Every man did what was right in his own eyes." It can be a crap shoot for students in regards to what they get in the classroom. Particularly when the teachers are trained therapists or sociologists. Long drawn out group process-type discussions that impassion the teacher and drain the students can ensue. Or esoteric postulations about theoretical aspects of reality and perception. It is days like this that I wonder what on earth I've done in taking a teaching job. But then students in other classes approach me and say they wish they could be in such a fun class as mine because they're dying in the courses they've signed up for. It's a marvel to me. I suppose one can never feel that they've arrived as a teacher--there is always much more to achieve.
It's probably like being a parent: you're never sure if what you're doing is what you should do, or the correct way of doing it, or if your kids even understand what you're talking about. But then down the road they'll recall some remark you made about something halfway insightful (and they gratefully share this with you as being a turning point for them) and the sun comes through the clouds. Perhaps we are on the mark some of the time. We might just be too close to it all to be objective about it.
I hope this is what is happening with my students. For now, I'm just aiming for "good-enough" teaching and a fair degree of understanding and positive feedback from these folks. They know I'm worn out by these marathon classes, too. We just keep hanging in there with one another and hope to live through another class period. One day when I'm very old and they are the teachers here, maybe something I said or did in class will have been helpful. And I shall be ready for a long rest.
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