If we’re going to get back to “normal” we have to get creative.
At this point, it’s clear that if we are going to get back to “normal” we’re going to have to get creative. Want to open elementary schools? Hold classes outside! Movie theaters? Lots and lots of seats! Pubs? No problem, just get your temperature taken first. |
What about colleges and universities? What about these expensive colleges, where students — and their parents — pay up to $30,000 a semester in exchange for a well-rounded liberal arts education? |
Lisa Feldman Barrett, a professor of psychology at Northeastern University, has a creative solution. In her Op-Ed today, she recommends replacing lecture classes at American colleges with something that resembles the British “tutorial” system: “In the classic tutorial system,” she writes, “students do most of their learning in small sessions that include the professor (or an assistant) and just a few other students.” This may be especially well suited to online learning, Lisa writes. |
I messaged two professor friends of mine to see what they thought about the idea. One is an American who teaches in England, the other is a Brit who teaches in America. It was a friendly text exchange rather than an interview, so I’m not going to identify them, but I found their responses good supplemental reading for Lisa’s Op-Ed. |
“in general i think the UK system (tutorial or otherwise) produces more serious thinking/ writing by students,” said the Brit-in-America. Then she quickly added: “but Americans have huge range.” |
The American-in-Britain also saw pros and cons: “I think tutorial can be amazing training — you have to assimilate a ton of material very quickly and write weekly essays and that shows in the people that I know that have gone to Oxbridge.” (Oxbridge, I immediately learned upon moving to England, is the ubiquitous shorthand for Oxford and Cambridge.) On the other hand, she said, “I loved my American university education! Wouldn’t trade it.” |
My friends had plenty more to say about the subject — and about their feelings, tutorials aside, about teaching online. Lisa’s Op-Ed looks at some of the other benefits and potential drawbacks. But if nothing else it has the advantage of offering a creative solution, which is clearly what everyone needs right now. |
Forward this newsletter to friends … |
Here’s what we’re focusing on today: |
|
No comments:
Post a Comment