Observation

9/6/2012

As I observe classroom interactions, between teachers and learners, I am witness to several  techniques and subjects that I have yet had the opportunity to explore and implement as an educator. How do instructors decide on an approach or approaches towards student learning?
Women in Literature is an interesting topic to teach and consider. (I would imagine many universities' courses that fall under the umbrella of Women Studies include few male participants.) Today's class focuses on discussion following the assigned reading. As all good teachers do, the agenda is presented with objectives in mind. These aims are central to the entire class, as students will be writing essays and expected to connect the themes and observations from previous discussions. The goal is to compare the treatment and presence of women in literature and film. Students are asked to consider the essential questions the Bechdel Test (play media clip below) present.

The class adds another element to ponder, "are the women fighting, querulous, or argumentative towards one another".

The structure of this course is student-centered. The instructor does not lecture, nor does she wish to dominate the conversation. All collaborative responses are welcome. There was a time when the topic transformed into a subtopic, discussing the treatment of women in the medical field, in the workplace, and notions of hysteria - which reminded me of the time I experienced a panic attack; the discussion travels for a bit, but is pulled back to the original focal point.

Reviewing the syllabus, I find it interesting the course is divided into *three sections, on which students should focus over the duration of the course, as well as when reading the assigned literary texts.

*Sections:
  Speaking Up (engendering language, silence, and voice)
  What it is to be a woman (writing the body, writing motherhood)
  Resistance, Transformation, Redefinition

My interest is sparked for the next two observations.

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