While I enjoyed what felt like a fresh spirit, rooted in sound pedagogy when I read TDOC, I was left with plenty of questions as to the real-world application, esp. how to peel back the scaffolding.
Fact, Artifacts and Counterfacts comes across as a more realistic approach on several different levels. I'll come to that in a bit. For now, I'd like to mention some points that impress me about the B&P program:
1. The goal is crystal clear: a student in this course is going to work is ass off in hopes of learning what it means to really engage with language, with the end goal to move away from heavy scaffolding into the real world, taking the End-of-Review test. To me, this seems like a blending of the best of both worlds: self-discovery through writing, followed by real-world ruminations on anthropology and growing up, followed by the birth pangs of the Big Test and proving yourself.
2. The engaging aspect of the course seems grounded in very workable student-centered activities that allow the student to draw on his own experience. There are plenty of opportunities for the student to use reading and writing in a very personal way, thus learning "what writing is for," in its full potential, yet on a very organic level.
3. Let there be no mistaking: this is a no-bullshit, mother f-ing BOOT CAMP. If some students in the DOC program had a hard time taking it seriously at first, students in the B & P program wouldn't have a moment to even consider that, I feel, if they put half as much time and energy into their work as the teachers expect.
4. The variety of writing is tough, but the teachers seem nurturing. These kids have to write journals and papers and revisions and more revisions. Then they have to write in-class essays on subjects they may know very little about under the duress of a ticking clock. Great. It would probably scare the piss out of some students; it would also scare the "fear of God" into others, so, again, they realize the program means business, but more importantly, that something very real is at stake. Put that together with the amazingly student-centered theme, the personal journaling, the deeply purposeful -- and hugely community-building -- autobiography project, plus the "tough love" tenderness of the prompts ("We'd like you to plan to sit and read..." or "Would you also be sure to..."), and this feels like a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn and grow, and in a safe, caring environment.
5. On the other hand, this is an adult-world course for adults, taught by adults. Part of the "tough love" aspect is the code of silence, so to speak, where the teachers pose questions for discussion, but consciously stand back and expect students to engage, with the teachers avoiding any coddling of panic-stricken students.
6. Personally, I've found I can face any kind of obstacle, so long as I have a friend or, better still, a mentor to talk me through it. This class has two deeply dedicated mentors giving motivation, insight and feedback through the tough times (as well as the good times).
The program smacks of real world determination, demanding students speak, write and engage at the college level, which is asking a lot, but isn't asking anything beyond what their other courses will be demanding. I feel this is perfectly in keeping with a step-wise de-scaffolding plan. Because of this, and because it's all aimed at real world skills, I much prefer the B & P over the DOC program.
Like most remedial programs, like the DOC program, too, the B&P program sounds super-humanly demanding, first of all, on the teachers, far more than for the students. It's hard to imagine that these team teachers would have a minute for planning or teaching any other course, let alone developing what we call a personal life. The real drawback, then, is that this course would be next to impossible to implement alone, as most of us will never have the luxury of team teaching in the manner.
This would leave a solo teacher strapped with 100% of the remedial students' issues, a dream of 100% implementing this brilliant curriculum, yet only 50% of the time, energy and vision required to pull it off. If these teachers had only a 40% pass rate for their final test, the projection for our single-teacher classes would be dimmer still. Nonetheless, if I could summon the energy and the vision, I would love to be this disciplined, personally, and to put my students through such a boot camp of learning, especially the constant onslaught of different types of reading, writing and discussions. My guess is that the B&P approach will be far more popular with my 709 colleagues because of its real-world relevance.
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