Gina Bennett

Junko, after thinking it over a bit more, I think you are right: it is CRAZY hard to come up with 5 questions! I like your suggestion to provide something as more of a base to get them started. It's tricky, because the big thing with this type of work (curriculum development in unusual circumstances) is that you often know very little about the learning audience or the environment in which you will be teaching & I'm not sure a journal article would help (unless maybe related to intercultural communication?). Maybe if I posted an image of the project community? Do you think that might help generate questions?

Thanks for the suggestion, Beth. I had a quick look at the Workshop tool & I think it could indeed work. Like a lot of people I get set in my ways, sticking with one or 2 tools that I'm most familiar with, & forget that Moodle has some pretty cool tools that accomplish the learning goal better &/or more easily. Definitely worth exploring further! 

oooo Karen, I *like* that idea! Like you say, I think this could be a good way to keep the conversation going. 

hi Emma

Let me see if I understand your predicament: you want your students to reflect on their experiences re teaching & learning and propose some ways things could go better. Or just to sit with that query on their minds ("mull") for a little while, spend some time in that state of creative not-knowing. You want to open the discovery (& the discussion) up wide, BUT also generate -- publicly or privately -- some concrete ideas for change.

Hmm. That's a tall order. 

I'm a BIG fan of appreciative inquiry so I like what you're trying to do with that approach. But when I ponder your revised prompt; i.e.

... I confess the first thing that pops into my mind is "but WHY would I change my approach to how I'm currently teaching Course X? I'm already teaching it the best way I know how (otherwise I would have already changed, wouldn't I)??"

I agree with Jeff that I would need a fair bit more clarification before I responded to this prompt. For example, what do you mean by "approach"? Your suggestion to "provide a few examples" would probably go a long way to help people get started. What do you think about suggesting something maybe a bit radical to get them thinking? Maybe even a combo of the appreciative inquiry & TRIZ approaches? I don't know, ... something along the lines of:

I'm not sure there's anything wrong with this as a discussion prompt... Personally, I find it more difficult to respond to a "negative" suggestion (i.e. guarantee a lackluster response) but when you explain how this can work from a TRIZ perspective, it makes sense. 

Perhaps to add just a little twist to the directions, re-write comme ca:

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A bit off-topic but ... as I contemplate further what causes lackluster responses, I think about vague, complicated requests that sound like a lot of work. Remember the Final Exam?