But one thing for which I am really grateful, and which I frankly find surprising, is that nobody in the class has yet to express any kind of longing for the good old days when professors lectured and students sat there and listened. In fact most students who express anything at all say that having the lectures on video, in addition to having a well-written textbook for reference, is hugely beneficial for their work in the class.
I can see why this would be helpful in a math class. Will the students find an English lecture as worthwhile?
I’m taking the approach of showing students how to find examples and how to evaluate their own work, and giving them opportunities to study worked examples and compare their writing to existing writing, rather than “going over†things and simply lecturing more. And I want to make sure that I am explaining to students why I’m not simply going up to the board to lecture. They’re definitely smart enough to get that.
I like the ideas… I am still not sure how they would work for a literature course.
However, you can read more about his sixth week at Casting Out Nines.