Informal Small Group Learning and Interactivity: Taking Risks and Breaking Down Walls - by Steve Ackerman Some advice and reflections on this activity I've found that students really like having their questions be the basis of the content of a class, so I took that one step further and asked them what they wanted to learn in the entire course. It gives them an investment in the course. The material defined by their questions is what I want to cover anyway, but they don't know that. We gave them a special questionnaire about what they liked and didn't like about this course-almost all of them said they really liked the fact that they had something to say about what was going to be taught in this course. You've got to make clear to the students that this is a lot more work. I told them at the beginning that they would have some control of the class, but they would be doing a lot of observing, which means they wouldn't just sit there in class. They would be applying material that we learned in class or read from their text to the things that they observed, in order to understand them, so that in the future we could predict. I am a wreck a half hour before class. Once I get up in front of the class and start, I'm fine, but right before class, I get nervous. I'm going in prepared, but I also know that it may not work, because some things have worked for one class and not for another. If it's not working, then I'm going to let it go. And if I let it go, what am I going to do? I would much rather go in there, throw a whole bunch of stuff at them and then leave-as opposed to showing them a photo that somebody in the class took, and having them make an observation that I haven't seen and I don't know how to explain. How am I going to tell them what this is? All of a sudden I have to present a logical, step-by-step explanation. I've got to think on my feet, fill up 50 minutes, and teach them. That gets pretty scary. But it's also pretty exciting. I accomplished these innovations gradually over the course of five years, and I've had successes and failures. Three years into the process I really started to study it-that was the first time I heard the word "pedagogy." I got involved in a campus program, "Creating a Collaborative Learning Environment (CCLE) and sought out some professional development that way. If you're doing a retooling, plan out the entire course. You want to know where you're going. Take risks and be willing to fail. Sometimes you may look like an idiot, but it helps break down that wall between you and the students. If you're really trying to teach somebody, it's communication. And if you're going to communicate, you can't have a brick wall between you. Tell me more about this activity: Student Questions Guide the Course A general description Some advice and reflections on this activity Why I like this activity Example Student Questions Course Outline More about Steve Ackerman

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