To go beyond "good" teaching, says Grant Wiggens, a teacher must create "powerful designs for learning" which take all students beyond easy answers into deeper inquiry. By teaching English 101 and Anthropology 100 in a combined format last fall, I hoped to create one of these powerful design for learning that would help students go beyond the district approved competencies and outlines to something very personally relevant and meaningful. I was also interested in spending more time with the same set of students and in finding a way of getting around the "I don't know what to write about" syndrome.
An extended syllabus with a seven class-period rhythm of classroom activities -- lecture, discussion, films, reading and writing assignments, and essay writing, editing and finalizing -- also gave students a good, predictable structure to let them know what is required and where we were as we moved through each segment. This structure incorporated the Peer Editing Model (PEM), a step-by-step writing process developed at Chandler-Gilbert Community College, into each of the six segments. The predictability of the structure helped students overcome any confusion initially encountered in the combined class format.
To ensure flexibility of choice within this structure, I provided students with a wide range of materials about different cultures and themes from which to choose. Journal articles, class readings, monographs (studies of one culture), research activities, and class discussion all served to spark student interest in a writing topic. Students initially just scanned class readings and created questions about things they didn't understand. These questions shaped class lectures and discussions and, oftentimes, helped students identify topics for their essays.
At the end of each segment, class members provided brief descriptions of the content of their essays as well as what they learned by writing them. This always resulted in very interesting and exciting, even inspiring discussions. The students were extremely open-minded, generous and non- judgmental as their fellow students presented their work, often on volatile social topics.
As a whole, the essays that resulted from this combined format were as good as or better than essays from past single ENG 101 sections I've taught. The writing was richer, more detailed, and more engaged. Judging from their evaluations, the students found the experience to be meaningful and enjoyable, as I did. I plan to offer the same two classes in the same format next fall.