Sociology of the Anarchists - Gozips.uakron.edu - The University of ...

my own attitudes that we should not pretend we are “neutral” or “unbiased” about the
issues of the day. Sure, we should be fair and respectful in considering our students’
values, beliefs, and opinions. But, to pretend we ourselves do not have any is absurd, and
I think removes credibility from our presence. I think of Howard Zinn's excellent
autobiography called You Can't Be Neutral On A Moving Train (1995), which is the
statement he would use at the beginning of all his history classes at Boston University. To
inspire students to use the things they learn (whether from us teachers or from
themselves) is what higher education should be about; it ain’t a diploma factory (or at
least, that’s not its best utility). The passion we display in class is important to show
students that action is possible. For me, this last point is very important; as an activist I
am constantly confronted by the need to be critical of the dominant institutions of society
and the horror they frequently wreck upon humanity and the earth, but at the same time to
remain positive about the ability for people to organize themselves in a way that allows
for both resistance to these problems and for the creation of more positive ways of
organizing society. Their article brought this point out well, in my opinion.
Preparing for class:
Some of McKeachie's (2002) suggestions seem useful and appropriate. I particularly
appreciate things that encourage greater student participation in the process of learning—
and somehow he managed to mention two suggestions linked in with pre-course
planning. First, the idea of democratically selecting a textbook never dawned on me, but
it's a fascinating idea! For some reason we (the well/over-educated few) seem to think
we've got the best humdinger of a book/assignment/whatever in mind, and don't often
consider consulting with those who will be reading or doing that task. Not sure how it
would work in practice, but I'd be intrigued by the process. I suspect-- and it's been my
experience with non-academic, activist work-- that people generate more enthusiasm
about things when they have an active role in determining the outcomes of a certain group
(or in this case, a class).
Secondly, I appreciate the suggestion McKeachie made (almost in passing) that we try to
create alternative assignments (or at least alternative readings) that will allow students to
pursue their interests more closely. My experience very much matches his thought that
“students who have options and a sense of personal control are likely to be more highly
motivated for learning.” (p.17) The clearest example of this is where instructors give
students the choice on a variety of topics to do a report on, opposed to assigning everyone
to do it on the same damn thing. Sure, a homogeneous assignment might make it easier to
grade, but it doesn't allow students to pursue their particular interests in a subject, nor
empower them a sense of ownership over their learning processes.
First day of class:
I appreciate McKeachie's suggestions about the first day of class, and how it makes sense
to use the time productively. It's a great chance to deal with non-content stuff like getting
to know the class, their expectations, develop some trust, etc. Although I sometimes
dreaded it, instructors who kept my classes longer on the first day of class actually helped
to calm me about the course and its expectations. When everyone is kicked out after 15
[ Williams 97 ] [ this is a draft. do not cite. ]