I totally agree with you when you talk about professors that start classes a little differently. Sometimes just jumping straight into the lesson promotes the idea of just trying to get the class over with, an in a sense encourages mindlessness. I find it helpful to be able to take a step back and think about the material from a different perspective in order to absorb the knowledge in a more meaningful way.
Author: Rudi
Comment on Mind Gym by rudi
It is always a pleasure to read your blog posts! I loved the questions, you posed for us, the reader, at the end. Sometimes I really do question why we read what the syllabus instructs us to. Besides the small fact that it is a requirement or ‘strongly recommended’, I also question the ‘why?’. Why are we reading this article, by this author, and in this class? Why does their voice matter over others? Of course, these questions usually pop in my head when procrastination kicks in, but also when I can’t connect what I am learning to the big picture. No matter when these questions come, I am glad my brain is developing them because that is an indication that it is exercising!
Comment on All Work and No Play Makes Jac a Dull Instructor by Rudi
Reading your post was truly insightful. I appreciate the way that you have integrated peer learning in your classroom. It is true, it is sometimes easier to spot problems in work that belongs to your peers than your own. I myself sometimes suffer with this and I can see the value in critiquing my peer’s work. If you come up with more group work ideas and teaching concepts, please share with us so that we can learn from you too! In addition to that, also feel free to ask us for some ideas as well if you find yourself searching for some creativity or inspiration.
Comment on With a show of hands, who wants to be lectured at? by Rudi
Your post poses a lot of interesting questions. I love how the examples given will probably resonate with a lot of readers. I do wish that lectures, when needed, could be more intellectually stimulating, and while having a great speaker does help, I sometimes wish that on average most lectures had higher levels of information that was retained by students. Though, I must admit that I am making an assumption that students do not retain that much. Your post also made me think about whether major topic and the content have a role to play in this. Are certain majors, topic areas and concentrations more prone to lectures? Is it the way the curriculum or syllabus is structured that lends itself to having lectures being the main mode of classroom content delivery? I am not sure, but feel free to share your thoughts if you wish to do so.
Comment on A Balanced Serving: networked learning to better equip the student by Rudi
I agree with your thoughts on higher education and the associated costs of gaining that experience. It seems that the price will continue to rise for the foreseeable future unfortunately. In an ideal, the addition of technology will not only reduce the cost of higher education, but eliminate it on a sustainable level. Though, I do question which sections or portions of the overall ‘public’ have access to this information though. Is it really safe to assume that everyone in the public has ready access to these learning opportunities? This is not a question that needs to be answered right now, but just something to consider.
Comment on Networked learning: The sky’s the limit by Rudi
It was a pleasure to read your post and I also agree that factors such as age and distance do not prevent us from gaining a higher education experience. I sometimes skim over online postings to see if there is any course online that I could join to gain new knowledge not available to me on my physical campus. Though, it does make me wonder what barriers prevent others from having a similar higher educational experience or who do not have the same privilege(s) as me at VT.
