Hospitality in the Classroom—Part III: Modeling the Practice Posted on October 5, 2013 by David RhoadsIn this post I will provide a number of the specific ways I have personally tried to answer: “How can I create an atmosphere where people were free to speak and learn without being anxious or fearful?” These practices may seem obvious, but they go far to create a classroom culture where learning can affectively occur….
Put it Out There: Publicly-Performed Course Work Posted on September 30, 2013 by A+ Brooke Lester, CuratorEngaging strangers on Twitter. Teaching an adult-education session in a church. Blogging an interview with a high-profile scholar. When learners accomplish their course work by means of public performance, the common student refrain, “What will I do with this stuff?” becomes “Let’s examine what I’ve done with this stuff!” Publicly-Performed Course Work: Jennifer Shepherd writes this week about “being heard,” particularly outside the classroom…
Hospitality in the Classroom—Part II: A Legacy of Hospitality Posted on September 25, 2013 by David RhoadsAt its simplest level, the image of hospitality relates to our homes. If I imagine the classroom to be my home, how would I act if I had guests? Actually, hospitality is a lost art in our society….
Scared but Not Too Scared? Fear & the Creative Act Posted on September 16, 2013 by A+ Brooke Lester, CuratorHe turned to me, looked at my face and said sharply, “Something on your mind, son? Speak up!” “Uh—” I blurted it out. “Sir, that temporary third lieutenant—the one that got cashiered. How could I find out what happened?” “Oh. Young man, I didn’t mean to scare the daylights out of you; I simply intended to wake you up.” (dialogue from R.A. Heinlein, Starship Troopers, 1951. “I didn’t mean to scare the daylights out of you; I simply intended to wake you up.” Two of our Seminarium bloggers have raised, each in her or his own way, the observation that frightened people don’t learn…
Hospitality in the Classroom—Part I: A Key Ingredient Posted on September 14, 2013 by David RhoadsI learned a teacher’s hospitality from the best-loved teacher at Carthage College, Dudley Riggle. Dudley is one of the finest human beings I have known. He has a profound theology of grace, and everything he does is informed by it. He is a quiet, unassuming person who thinks carefully through everything he says and does. He was the chaplain at the college, and he preached some of the best sermons I have ever heard….