Teaching

Abstract

Unintended outcomes can derail the best of intentions in the classroom. Designing a new course for Honors students provided an opportunity to change my traditional teaching style. I envisioned a classroom where students enthusiastically became more self-directed learners. I was perplexed with mixed reactions from students; while some joined me and adopted the model of teaching and learning I proposed, far more than I expected resisted this change. Using a sociological framework helped me understand that I had overlooked the powerful influence of the larger institutional context for shaping and maintaining expectations for teacher/student role enactment. I argue that when students' comfort is disrupted and their normative role expectations are rendered unpredictable or misunderstood, some respond with resistance. Honors students, in particular, may be the most resistant to pedagogical innovation because they are the most skilled at, and invested in, enacting and maintaining the institutionally normative roles.

Teaching sociology in a divided society

“…The question remains: how far they wish to speak up? Cheryl Albers (2009) shared our disappointment when she realised that not many would like to come out of the "comfort zone" as far as innovative teaching practices are adopted in the sociological classroom. In view of the challenge, the second author of this paper is using Google Slide as a means for them to communicate their thoughts.…”

Measuring Student Preferences for Stimulus-Response (Rote) Learning

“…A final benefit is minimizing the amount of information students need to study, know, and apply for exams and other assessments (Boesen, Lithner, & Palm, 2010;Brost & Bradley, 2006;Clump & Doll, 2007;Lord, 2008;Ogilvie, 2009;Peters & Higbea, 2012). Since lectures and PowerPoint slides highlight the subset of assigned readings the instructor deems to be important (Adams, 2006;Albers, 2009), and the definition is reinforced by course activities such as case studies, quizzes, and small group projects (Choudhury, Gouldsborough, & Grbriel, 2010;Uskul & Eaton, 2005), students are able to focus on the defined elements and virtually ignore the other material with impunity (Peters & Higbea, 2012).…”

“…Their allegiance is deepened by the use of grades to track primary school students and for higher education admissions. The educational process, in conjunction with pathways to academic success, therefore nurtures devotees to stimulus-response learning (Albanese, 2000;Albers, 2009;Ogilvie, 2009, Peters & Higbea, 2012Raidal & Volet, 2009). Due to these elements, college students have a deeply ingrained preference for instructors who differentiate between consequential and inconsequential material (Adams, 2006;Clump & Doll, 2007;Lord, 2008;Peters & Higbea, 2012).…”

Learnings through explorations of the teaching space: Creating climates of collaboration

“…My attempts to resist didactic teaching is thwarted by consoles, desks, doors and student expectations. These students consistently attempted to sideline their agency and instead return to the comfortable, likely familiar, position of passive knowledge recipients (Albers, 2009). My interest in the impact of physical spaces upon pedagogy initially arose in early 2019, while engaged in a collaborative research project to integrate mathematics and drama.…”