MAILING LISTS

It is such a novel approach that students require some lead in to the
pedagogy.  I have them take a learning preferences inventory and divide them up
into teams based on providing heterogeneous learning preference groups.  This
enables them to learn from each other different ways to learn as well as round
out the groups to approach problems from a variety of directions, all equally
valuable.

The first day I explain TBL and the RAT process using some overheads that I
borrowed from a presentation Larry made at POD.  I do NOT read the syllabus
aloud, but highlight key points.  I tell them that they need to read
(thoroughly) the syllabus for the next class day.  I choose not to read aloud
my syllabi (for any class) because it creates an expectation that I might read
aloud all the important things in the class (which I do not) and puts a
priority on them to do their work, do their reading in PREPARATION for class.
I do a practice iRAt/gRAT
over the syllabus.  This exposes them to the process and I think eliminates
that as part of the unknown.

I have asked the following set of questions after they have had 2 formal
iRAT/gRAT under their belts (not the practice one over the syllabus)...
1) What component(s) of this class has(have) been beneficial to your learning?
2) What component(s) of this class has(have) been a hindrance to your learning?
3) What could WE (you, the student, and I, the professor) do differently to
further enhance your learning?

Most of them find TBL to be a help, a few say that their is too much TBL,
although this is usually not the majority.  I then spend the next class day (so
this is usually about 6-8 weeks into it... reminding them why I use the TBL
format.

My field is sports medicine.  I remind them that successful cooperation in the
field of sports medicine means working with a variety of professionals from
different backgrounds, coaches, physicians, parents, athletes -- toward a
common goal -- providing safe, appropriate care for student-athletes.  I remind
them that my job as a professor or as a certified athletic trainer cannot exist
in a vacuum and likewise their learning requires input and output from a
variety of sources.  Particularly in my field TBL = real world training.

The largest hurdle for me is trying to get them to see beyond the grades and
points after the first iRAT/gRAT process in which many of them are not as
successful as they have been for quizzes taken in the middle of a unit or near
the end.

Juli Dunn
Sport Studies
Assoc. Professor
Whitman College


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