I find that I am consistently entertained by reports of what faculty members do or don't do in their classrooms. Perhaps these situations should be taken more seriously than I tend to take them, but I cant help it. I find many faculty members to be quite eccentric and therefore I find there actions entertaining. I mentioned once in a blog comment that I had a faculty member who did not allow sneezing or coughing in her class. It was actually in the syllabus! Of course, that terrified me as 19 year old undergrad, but looking back at it...it was quite funny! if nothing ele these oddities help students learn about working with others, how to adjust to odd social situations, and how respect peoples differences
This title of this article Will Teach for Food grabbed my attention. Upon first glance it would appear as though a "seasoned" faculty member will walk out of his psychology class if the students do not bring handmade snacks to class. This does seem unreasonable...perhaps eccentric...perhaps crazy....at the very least, weird. Turns out the faculty member requires students to get into groups and work through a snack schedule. If, on any given week the snack does not show up, he will walk out and class is cancelled. And that is what happened last week when one section of his course failed to bring a snack, he left. Clearly, students are reportedly upset. Although I wonder how upset they really were...have you seen many students upset when a class is cancelled?
In reading the article further, the professor defends his actions and claims that his policy is justified as well as purposeful and intentional. He claims that he is teaching about group work- accountability, working as a team, making a a plan and executing it. He says he has seen student culture change a lot in his career and he finds that students are more inclined to do what is asked when they know othesr depend on them. I would agree with that observation...intrinsic motivation seems to be a lost art. Opponents of his requirement believe that what he is trying to teach is fine, but that it is the way he does it that is not okay. Rather than relating to food, one person said the lesson could be acheive better, it could be related to the maintenance of the equipment in the lab, for example. Each student has a responbility to take care of soemthing in the room. Whatever, I think we all know that students are more likely to pay attention and respond to a message when food is involved!
An element that was not addressed in the article that I had thought about was the cause and effect (psychology term- behavioral modification). Of course he has to leave the class when the students end of the deal was broken. If he not cancelled class and continued to teach that day, the students would not have learned their lesson about commitment. of course, the students have now also learned that if they don't want to have class that day, all they need to do is bribe the kid with snack-duty and convince him not to bring the treats.
Of course, there are actions of faculty members that I do take more seriously and those that do merit disciplinary actions, as we have discussed in class. But this is not one of them :)
Interesting. I see the professors point and how this might just work for the end result he is looking for however, there are a few details about it that do not feel right. I like one of Michele's last comments: "the students have now also learned that if they don't want to have class that day, all they need to do is bribe the kid with snack-duty and convince him not to bring the treats." I wonder how many times per semester this actually happens. If this class is large, as I am assuming it is, then I would bet there is a mix of motivation in the class. There are probably some students who are motivated and take school more seriously than others. What about the students who want to learn? What about the students who are working their way through school and so every cancelled class is seen as a waste of money?
ReplyDeleteOverall, I would have to say this is an interesting, crazy experiment. While I see a lot of ways this can go wrong, I also wonder if it is so far outside the box, the students will never forget the lesson they learned. Some of my favorite, most influential coaches and teachers were the ones who were seen as "crazy" and would do just about anything to teach a lesson that would stick with us forever. It would be interesting to do qualitative research with his former students to see if he really did make his point and reach his goals with this out-of-the-box experiment.
Interesting article and I have to say that I like the idea! I think that any way that teachers can get the attention of students is a winning technique. I don't find anything wrong with making these students work together, plan and follow through. There are not a lot of disadvantages to this type of request. I think that students would love to take this class and enjoy the food tasting. I would also bet that there are not a lot times that class is actually cancelled. I think this brings the class together and creates a fun learning environment. I applaud this professor and hope he continues with his request!!
ReplyDeleteAs a parent of a 6 year old my world is filled with choices and consequences...get out of bed on time and you'll get some time on the swingset in the morning before school...etc. I'll confess that, after reading this, I was chuckling. On one hand, I thought it was a completely cooky move on the part of the faculty, and I thought that was great; I mean, we all have stories (like Michele's "no sneezing")about that one faculty in our undergrad who seemed completely "off". On the other hand though, it seems fairly creative an ingenious if indeed he is doing it purely for the reasons he states.
ReplyDeleteMichele, thank you for your post. I have to agree that this idea of mandatory "snack sharing" seems a little off the wall, but the overall idea and the point the instructor is trying to get across works for me. I do feel like the more lessons we can teach students on group work and accountability, the better. I see too many students these days that are all about themselves and not about the greater good of the group. I think what is even more interesting is that the professor left it up to the students to coordinate. This seems like it may be troubling for the current higher education generation as they seem to need step-by-step directions. So, they did not do what was assigned and there was a consequence. Lesson learned.
ReplyDeleteI also believe that requiring homemade snacks took a little more creativity and planning on the student's parts. Oh no, not planning! I mean, it isn't that hard to throw a batch of cookies into the oven, is it (you just buy it in a tube, right :))? I really enjoyed this blog and think there are some great lessons to be learned from this instructor.
I too came across this article and found it interesting. I think it is a creative way to teach students about responsibility, working with other students and planning. The fact that the instructor followed through with not holding class if the snacks were not brought shows students that there are consequences for their actions. Something that came to mind while reading this article was who is paying for the food? Yes, I know that a couple tubes of slice and bake cookies is relatively cheap. However some students don't have the means to feed the class or even themselves for that matter. I just think it may be an unnecessary financial burden and there may be other creative ways to get the point across.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first started my student career in higher education I would be delighted if classes were cancelled. In my graduate studies I would be a little irked as it interfered with my schedule. Now, well now I loathe to miss class for any reason whether it be foolish (like my 32 oz smoothie splashing all over me and the inside of my car after hitting a bump in the road too fast) or whether it is a necessity such as due to work related commitments or heath issues.
ReplyDeleteMaybe I have matured over the years. I do know though that when I do miss class I miss a great deal of important and pertinent information. I miss the only time I get to speak with people who have amazing insight and are going through a similar process.
Today, if supplying snacks was a requirement for the class I would be irked but do it. However, if anyone forgot, including myself, I would be genuinely angry as to me my education is more important than whether Joe Snuffy brought brownies or not.