Christine... you are not alone, so, not to despair, at least if misery benefits from company! I have had the same experience with students when the course required for their majors (I also have students in the course who are enrolled on their own choice, an elective in their majors, who more generally appreciate TBL). The explanation, I believe, is straightforward enough: For these students it is not only required, but they actually have to take personal initiative to learn something (which TBL better ensures)! Said somewhat differently, they are now required to both take the course and required (they cannot be successful in a TBL course unless they work at it) to learn the material they are not interested (at least they did not choose the course on their own) in studying!
Gary D. Lynne, Professor
Department of Agricultural Economics and
School of Natural Resources
103B Filley
University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Lincoln, NE 68583-0922
Website: http://www.agecon.unl.edu/facultystaff/directory/lynne.html
Phone: 1-402-472-8281 Cell: 1-402-430-3100
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"We are always only one failed generational transfer of knowledge away from darkest ignorance" (Herman Daly)
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Christine Kuramoto ---06/11/2009 08:20:17 PM---Hi Everyone,
Hi Everyone,
I am just finishing up my second course using TBL and have had some disappointing feedback. I teach medical English (in Japan), so basically it's an English as a Foreign language class concentrating on medical terminology. The negative feedback came mainly (I think) from students who hate English as a subject. They basically have English foisted on them from junior high through high school as a means to the end of passing university examinations. Many of them don't want anything more to do with English after entering university, so would prefer to be left alone to sleep through lectures. I got some pretty strongly worded comments in the student feedback to the effect of "how dare you expect us to use English in class in our teams?!" They are calling for the class to be an elective rather than compulsory, which is something I agree with,but don't have any control over.
So, my question is, do any of you teach students using TBL in compulsory courses where a large number of students would rather be taking any other subject but yours? I honestly think it has nothing to do with TBL and everything to do with their feelings about English--but what is a conscientious teacher to do? I think that TBL is great for the course --100 students who would be sleeping if they weren't in teams. But even the enthusiastic students are making comments like "you should divide teams into students who want to use English and those who don't"-- which would basically nullify one of the important principles of TBL.
On a brighter note, my boss has decided to use TBL in a course next Fall--so there is hope for the spread of this excellent teaching strategy here at Kyushu University.
(heavy sigh)
Christine
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Christine Kuramoto, Assistant Professor: Medical English
Kyushu University, Department of Medical Education
Faculty of Medical Sciences
3-1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, 812-8582 Japan
Phone: (+81)92-642-6186 Fax: (+81)92-642-6188
E-mail: [log in to unmask]
