William James Seminar #1

Well, we finished our first seminar today, our first real seminar that is.

The course has been going well, and I really think that students are learning a great deal. My first indication of this was with the diagnostic essay. I asked students to come up with a metaphor for a University education. Is it like an assembly line, a fast food restaurant, a sublime sunrise . . . whatever. I've used this prompt before, and I quit using it because it hasn't been that successful in the past. The first barrier is that many students simply do not understand what a metaphor is, let alone able to craft one quickly on the spot to describe their education.

With this diagnostic, from what I have seen so far in grading them, everyone at least has a legitimate metaphor in their essay. Darrell did a similar activity in his class, which meets before mine. He asked students to come up with a metaphor for philosophy. He explained to them what a metaphor was, and put them in groups to come up with a metaphor, and I think the group work allowed students to educate each other about what a metaphor is, and this really, really made my job that much easier.

Anyways, on Tuesday, we did a sample seminar using the fishbowl principle. We put half the students in a group, around a table, and had the rest of the students arrange themselves around the outside to observe. The students in the middle discussed an assigned reading, while Darrell and I took notes and observed. Then we switched the groups.

So, students were fairly well-prepared for the seminar activity today. For the real seminar, Darrell took half the students for his class and had them discuss James' essay, and I took the other half for my class.

My seminar went extraordinarily well. It was a lively conversation, mostly on task, with lots of contributors, and, I think, people really exploring each other's ideas. I redirected them a few times, emphasizing some of the implications for each position, determinism and libertarianism, as well as focusing their attentions on exactly what James' argument in the essay actually is. They were sort of talking around the choice of worldviews that James highlights, and the implications of each, so I redirected them to consider what James' point was.

I was really nervous thinking about having to teach and respond to philsophical questions, but in the end, it just like reading an essay or piece of literature, and while I can't provide a comprehensive background like Darrell can, I can read and interpret and understand the reading as an essay, with a point or purpose that is identifiable and appropriate to an audience. It's fun. It's also hard work.

I really like the social dynamic that seems to be developing in the class. Students seem to be adjusting quickly, and, even, maybe developing some social connections within the course, which is pretty amazing for it only being the 2nd week of class.

When I came into class today, the students were already sitting around having a pre-seminar seminar, talking about determinism and libertarianism. I heard Samanatha say that this is her favorite class. I think she was talking about philosophy, not writing, because she said that she keeps going home after class and discussingthese ideas with anyone she can persuade to lend her an ear.

I'm pretty sure that students do not go home speaking incessantly about rhetoric, but I could be wrong (yeah, right).

Overall, I think a very positive beginning to this learning community experience.