I observed in an early childhood education class about literacy and language. The class size was about forty students. The room was in the basement of the Robinson building and held about fifty chairs in rows. When students came in they signed in on a sheet at the front table, picked up handouts, and deposited assignments due in a pile. This appeared to be the standard beginning to the class. When the professor came in she started her lecture with a power-point right away. She got angry with late-comers, some of whom came half an hour late.
There were students in the back of the room texting on cell phones, chatting with each other, or surfing the net on laptops during the professor’s lecture. One student fell asleep. It seemed that most students were not attentive or interested in the presentation. The lecture lasted over an hour. The topic was part of the chapter from the previous week which they hadn’t had time to finish. The professor told the class to save questions for the end. At that time, several students asked for clarification on some points. The professor answered some of the questions but cut off further discussion.
At the break I asked to see a syllabus from the student sitting closest to me. The syllabus was clearly outlined and easy to follow, but apparently not all of the assignments are on it. The class does quite a lot of work on Blackboard, some as individual students, and some in group chat rooms. Some of the assignments are only on the Blackboard site. On the syllabus the learner outcomes are detailed on the first page. Professional standards associated with language and learning are outlined. The class readings and textbooks, course requirements, and grading methods are listed. Class attendance and participation are 15% of the final grade. Three major assignments constitute the other 85% of the final grade. One assignment is small group work, and the other two are individual tasks.
The night I visited class, the students were confused about an assignment and asked for help. I noticed that several students were still unsure about what to do even after the explanation. The assignment was on the Blackboard class site, not in the syllabus. The professor was impatient with the questions and wanted to get back to the lecture. The last half of class was lecture style and concerned the chapter for that night.
Two students visited with me after the class was over. They said that they were not enjoying the class but had to take it for their degree program. One student shared that she never bothered to read the textbook chapters because the professor lectured on them every week. She said that the amount of additional work on Blackboard should have been detailed on the syllabus. The students found the extra work to be too much in addition to the class readings and large assignments.
I asked the students how they would change the class. One said that she felt the professor should be more responsive to the concerns and difficulties the students were having. The other student said the professor loved the subject of literacy and language but wasn’t good at teaching. The student said that there should be less lecture style and more interaction, questions and answers, and maybe have small groups during class time to discuss the readings rather than just lectures. It sounded to me as though the students didn’t feel any ownership of their learning and had little to no interest in being in the class.
I agree with Brian’s point that lecture style is more effective if the lecturer moves around, away from the podium, and in the class. My impression in the class I observed is that the teacher didn’t want to engage directly with the students; whether that was because she doesn’t feel comfortable with personal interactions or perhaps is just entrenched in one teaching style isn’t clear. The teacher did not seem amenable to spending much time talking with the students. Negativity seemed to come from the teacher and the students. It was uncomfortable to observe. I know how I do NOT want to teach a class after my observation. I hope I will be positive and engender positivity in my students.
I think that if students came late, fell asleep, and ignored the professor’s lecture on the night I was in class, the problems in the class have been going on for awhile. The evident lack of respect exhibited by some of the students doesn’t just appear all at once. These students don’t seem to feel valued, recognized, or as contributing members of a learning community. If I were the head of this department and observed the class, I would be talking to the teacher about instituting some positive changes.