It's the middle of the semester. You know what that means - zombie-like students in the classroom - unwilling, perhaps even unable, to engage in the course materials. If you didn't know any better, you'd think it was an 8am 3 hour lecture course, but a quick glimpse at the clock reminds you that you teach in the afternoon and this class only lasts 50 minutes. Lively in the hallway, they fall quiet as soon as they enter the classroom, choosing only to indulge into technology or doze off with one single hand holding up their head.
Interesting. I remember my class being more lively and engaged? #dontpanic
Since it's the middle of the semester, I want to be understanding (after all, I'm a student still myself, I feel the struggle), but perhaps it's that desire for understanding that has lead to week 3 of seemingly brain-dead 1010 students. As Palmer (2007) states, "the way we diagnose our students' condition will determine the kind of remedy we offer... That caricature highlights a truth: our assumption that students are brain-dead leads to pedagogies that deaden their brains" (p. 42). Despite me wanting to empathize and be understanding with my students, I cannot and will not settle for accepting "brain-dead" as the new norm in classroom participation. My subconscious caution may accidentally be preventing me from upholding a high expectation from my students within the classroom.
Since this epiphany came to me, I have spent quite a bit more time planning my classes for the upcoming week. I want to continue to encourage and push my students outside of their comfort zones and into realms of critical thinking. I need to remember #dontpanic when my students are unresponsive. Instead I should approach engagement from a different pedagogical perspective. I encourage you all to join me in assessing this part of the semesters' student engagement levels & associated reasonings - is it midterms or pedagogies that deaden the brain?
Rudi, let me start off by saying that this was a super relatable post. I was so excited to get past the initial awkward phase in the beginning of the semester. I loved the classroom environment in all of the sections and I genuinely felt like it was a good, solid environment. Everything was going great up until about a week ago and I feel like it all just stopped. They literally just won't talk to me I have to push them to just have conversation with me before class and engage in discussion. It feels forced now and I hate that because I feel like I worked so hard to create a positive environment that everyone enjoyed. I know that a lot of this is because of the time of year, but I think regardless we still have to do our best to encourage engagement. I'm definitely going to take your advice and not panic, and just continue to plan solid class periods and push my students to engage! #dontpanic #keeponkeepinon
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