B and I were talking about logistical things we are learning along the way.
1. Build in some flex into the syllabus, to account for snow days, sick days, family emergencies and the like. Then, have some free-floating lesson plans that relate to the course objectives but don't have to be in sequence, to fill in if you haven't missed any class meetings. I was sick on Monday, and I am really stressing out about catching up: my syllabus is a finely-tuned instrument and if I get behind it will cause all sorts of other problems.
2. Set up a directory system and naming conventions for documents BEFORE THE SEMESTER STARTS. I spent a bunch of time this morning looking for a document I'd renamed. It got into the wrong folder somehow.
3. Likewise, use the Save As function to make new documents AS SOON AS YOU OPEN THE ORIGINAL. Otherwise you lose old material because you mistakenly Save. It really doesn't matter a huge amount in the particular mistakes I've made in the last couple of days, but I don't have a full archive of what I did last fall anymore, which is kind of too bad.
4. Spend some time learning how to foster useful discussions in class. I spent a lot of time with this last summer, and it worked, but I've gotten out of the habit at my new job - partly because it is SO HARD to get them talking that sometimes I am just not up to the effort. College as a spectactor sport; the professor as a sort of live TV screen. Harrumph.
Posted by otto0114 at February 6, 2008 09:24 AM