Page and the Stage Feedback 2010-11
NOTE: This page reproduces the questions I asked via an anonymous
online questionnaire at the end of the course. Because of a computer server
error, some unknown number of responses were lost. All those I have are
reproduced below; some, at least, will have been resubmitted after I let
everyone know about the server problem.
In each case I identify one learning strategy that folks who had
been engaged in the class will recognize; if you weren't enrolled and want
to know more, please go to the course
Web page for the 2011-12 version.
In this course I employed a number of learning strategies that I think
are not especially conventional. I would very much appreciate comments
on any of them, especially dealing with whether they helped you learn,
or made your learning more difficult, and why. (I'm much less interested
in whether they were enjoyable; I hope they were, but my bottom line is
about learning.)
Making the writing of students a central focus of the course rather
than primarily a means of evaluation:
-
I really liked this because I felt it was an opportunity for me to focus
more so on my independence of getting my work done about watching and reading
plays, and I kind of felt it helped me focus more so on what I had learnt
rather than on how to write.
-
It was an alright idea. I didn't feel like my writing improved or anything,
but I like that better than taking quizzes and exams.
-
I thought that this was a good idea, because although a lot of focus was
still put on the writing if you had a week where you didn't really know
what to say and your responses weren't very well written it wasn't held
against you.
-
Good. I think my ability to think in depth and write about those experiences
was improved.
-
I think this was a great idea, but I feel like people got lazy and just
wrote whatever if there was time between the thing we're supposed to write
about and when they actually started writing. I think the inksheds were
the best idea for student writing because students had to write right then
and there instead of having to go do it later and forgetting. I think the
spontaneity of writing was the best method for getting out students' ideas.
Written prompts to explain and structure what we'll be doing in and
between classes:
-
Great. I like having a visual cue in front of me. It also helped when I
went to write Learning Journals.
-
That was helpful, since I had the sheet with me to remind myself what I
had to do over the weekend or before next class.
-
I liked this because it gave me an opportunity to know what is going to
happen and what is expected of us.
-
Good. However it would have been nice to have one piece of paper that gave
a list of all the deadlines and assignments required.
Focusing classroom sessions on student discussion and input:
-
I liked this because it filled me in on other students and how they are
making out with their work.
-
It sounds like a good idea but students in the class didn't really talk
that much. The rounds we did with the cue-cards forced people to voice
their opinion but most of the time, I didn't think that worked too well.
But that's all based on the students in the class rather than the professor.
-
Ok. I felt like class time could have been better used by a more guided
discussion.
-
Good idea.
Using Moodle Forums and wikis as a way of sharing and discussing information
and ideas:
-
I thought this was good but the problem was many students would leave it
to the last minute and those who completed their work early had a limited
number of responses to reply to.
-
I find myself indifferent to that. It helped in the sense that's where
you had to do your homework but I don't really see how it helped or pushed
anything forward.
-
It was a quick and easy way to keep up with my work. I liked that I just
sign in and then do my work instead of having to type up an essay and print
it off and make sure it is in on time to the class. This way I could go
online and get my work done and had Friday night, Saturday and Sunday until
5 to post my learning journal and other things I had until just before
class on Wednesday. It was nice to do this rather than have to wait for
class to pass something in and it made me feel really on top of my work
getting it right in (by using the internet).
-
Good idea, kept all the ideas organized together under the same subject
and easy to access and use.
Creating a course Web site to organize work and make information available:
-
Helpful at keeping everything organized and very easy to access everything
from one spot.
-
It was a great idea and was very nifty to me. It was nice having everything
laid out and be able to see what I had to post still (like reading a play
or from seeing a play).
-
ok. It was a little difficult having to look in two places for the information
and postings would have been nice if it was all in one spot.
Requiring a minimum number of postings on reading a script and seeing
a production:
-
Yes a minimum is a good idea. I think the word count on the reflections
of the plays should be taken into account when giving a mark for them.
-
It was a good amount to have to see and read. I liked seeing the plays
and reading them also.
-
That's a good thing for the class. It forced people to do what they were
supposed to. Some people would've probably done nothing at all and that
would be disheartening for the Professor.
-
Good idea, because it requires the student to think about various aspects
of reading seeing that may not have been touched on otherwise. Ensures
a wide range of thought processes.
Using rounds structured by the use of 3X5 cards to promote discussion:
-
Oh, I already mentioned that. I liked that because it forced people to
talk (Well, not force but people usually said something on their name),
instead of sitting in silence.
-
It let me get my voice out there, since I am shy and normally do not speak
my opinions this really let me get to say something instead of raising
my hand to say something. I am too shy to normally just raise my hand and
say something so this was nice and let me get my opinion out there. I liked
that we could say "pass" if we had no comment too, in case I had nothing
to say.
-
Good, it took the pressure off of having to raise your hand and promoted
discussion.
-
Great idea, because it ensures that everyone gets to talk and that the
discussion isn't over-shadowed by a select few who like to talk.
Counting work as "done" rather than evaluating assignments and averaging
them toward a grade:
-
Much less stressful to mark things as "done" than given a grade. I am required
to keep a certain GPA to both keep a scholarship and stay in my program,
so the fact that things are marked as "done" help me to relax if I happened
to have a bad posting. It is easier to make up for something bad when you
don't feel as much negative pressure.
-
I loved this. Such a great idea and a nice change from other classes. I
felt smart in this class because normally I feel like I am not that brilliant
and have to work over the top just to skim by.
-
I'm not sure if I agree with this, just because it seems like everything's
sort of pointless. If I put a lot of hard work into one of my responses,
I don't want a check-mark. I would like a better mark than someone who
didn't put any thought into their work. But, I guess it could work out
that I get "done"s while people who didn't do anything get "zero"s.
-
No. I think students should be at least graded on the length of their submissions.
Requiring participation in a Task Force and an Editorial Team:
-
Good.
-
Again, this forces people to do their work, which is good. But some people
in the class didn't even do it when they were supposed to.
-
I liked this. I hated presenting in front of the class though and wish
I could have had the option to do more work for the group or something
instead of having to present. But it was a good way to learn about the
authors and a background about them and let the class know about our findings
for sure. I'm just not a big fan of presenting infront of the class.
-
I thought that being part of a task force and editorial team was a good
experience. You are working with people who may have a different take on
the play being discussed.
-
Great idea and good experience of a hand's-on kind of learning. Wish I
had the chance to do it more than once to compare learning experiences.
Writing and research assignments whose audience is the other members
of the class:
-
Good, but the quality of the work wasn't always up to pair because it was
based on quantity and not quality
-
Good idea because it specifies the kinds of research done, but may end
up being too specific when it comes time to make a Playgoer's Companion
for an unknowing audience.
Conducting discussions of scripts and plays through the online Forum:
-
Good idea for keeping ideas organized, but may need a specific time limit
because I found students got lazy and wrote just any old thing instead
of putting substantial thought into their posts when they had some free
time. Seems counter-intuitive, but I felt as though the later the post
from the time of assignment, the more half-assed the post was. (Doesn't
apply to everyone though - just most).
-
Good more freedom to express your thoughts
-
I liked this aspect just because it gave me better ideas of how to look
at the script and see how others felt about the script/performance. It
was an interesting insight.
Tracking tasks completed to attain a minimum mark:
-
I like this a lot.
-
I think you should base more marks on quality in order to improve the level
of workmanship
-
Good idea, especially if grades aren't given to these tasks, because then
recognition for completion is given.
Counting a weekly learning journal entry as a task completed:
-
I really liked this idea too.
-
Good maybe a little more leeway on the time it has to be done by.
-
Makes sense to me. If any task should be counted, it's the Learning Journals
because they help the student with writing the midterm and final reflections.
Strategies I haven't thought to ask about here that helped you to learn:
-
Watching the plays and reading the plays was a good idea and a good way
to learn about plays. I liked the Q&A at the end of Autobahn. It was
a good way to learn some information "behind the scenes"
Here are three slightly more general questions:
The focus of the course was on learning from experience of theatre
productions. Would you say this was a valuable way to organize a course,
or not? Why?
-
I would say this was a valuable way to organize a course because a lot
can be taken from it. If you go into the course with little knowledge of
theatre when you're done you develop a much better idea of what is is(that
is if you allow the class to show you).
-
I think it was a valuable way to organize a course, it taught me more about
plays than I have ever learnt before. I had no idea of anything about a
play except that they are enjoyable until I took this course.
-
For a drama course, yes. The experience of reading the scripts and seeing
the plays is a good way for students to think about the similarities and
differences, and how to transition from the text to the stage without having
to actually go through the experience (which is good for the few people
in the class, such as myself, who aren't big theatre buffs and who only
took the course as a grad requirement). Now, I have more an appreciation
for what happens in theatres
This is a course in literature, though its approach to texts is not
conventional. To what extent do you think it helped you understand literature
(especially, of course, plays) better?
-
I think that it helped me understand literature (plays) better in the sense
that you are allowed to develop your own opinion just don't think that
is the only opinion. Researching and finding out what others have said
is important too.
-
It taught me literature in a new light. Instead of focusing on my style
of writing, it taught me about plays and how they work. I didn't really
think about reading a script for a play, I just assumed that directors
made up the play.
-
Compared to other literature courses I've taken, the approach to the texts
was better than the norm in terms of discussion. The online forums were
a good way to think about and discuss aspedcts such as the story line,
themes, and overall impressions of the play with my classmates. However,
I found the in-class discussions were more theatre-based than literature-based,
which makes sense because this course is a theatre one and not everyone
has read every single play. I wonder if there may be a way to accomodate
this into more in-class discussions about the literature. Maybe if people's
experiences of reading scripts were compared to what other people were
saying, even if it wasn't about the same script. (i.e., comparing an aspect
of "Buried Child" into an "Inspector Hound" discussion if you haven't read
"Hound.").
If you heard I were offering this course again, and you knew someone
thinking about enrolling, what would you tell her?
-
I would highly, highly recommend this course. I would tell them they need
to keep on top of their work, and they will definitely enjoy this class.
It was fun to be in and I wish there was another course like this that
I could take. It is such a great class and it was nice learning about plays.
-
I would say that it is a course that requires a lot of attention and that
completing the work is important, but if you are willing to do that it
is a great experience and there is so much you can learn from this course.
-
I'd give them a basic breakdown of what to expect - four plays, Task Force,
Editorial Team, etc. I'd try my best to explain how Russ' marking scheme
works. And then I'd give my personal feedback: that it's a good experience
to not only see plays, but how, if you're dedicated and actually try, you
can improve ways one writes and thinks about their education. The only
way this is accomplished, though, is through the student's determination,
because Russ doesn't hold hands.
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