Center for Teaching and Learning
Newsletter
Vol. 11 No. 2
Dates to Note!!
EXPLORING THE CORE
CURRICULUM:
Tuesday, November 8
Critical Thinking
12:15 to 1:15
Library Room 412
STRATEGIES FOR STUDENT
ENGAGEMENT:
Thursday, October 27
Respectful Dialogue on
Controversial, Social Justice
Issues
12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
Marillac 317
Thursday, November 17
Active Learning: The
“Reacting to History”
Approach
12:15 to 1:15 p.m.
Library Room 412
PROGRAMS FOR NEW
FACULTY
Tuesday, November 15
Publish and Flourish
2:30 to 4 p.m.
Library 420A
BROWN BAG SMORGASBORD
Monday, October 24
Women and Social Issues
Noon to 1 p.m.
Bent Hall 447 – Queens
Flynn Hall Board Room - SI
Wednesday, November 9
Writing Biographies
Noon to 1 p.m.
Bent Hall 447 – Queens
Flynn Hall Board Room - SI
To RSVP phone us at ext.
1859 or email us at
[email protected].
October 2005
The Internet: Keeping the Confusion Orderly
William Keogan (University Libraries, [email protected])
Vastness of the Web
The 2005 New York Times Almanac, citing 2003 figures, reported 50 million websites
with 6-8 billion pages on the Internet. More recently, Netcraft’s Webserver Survey
received responses from more than 71 million sites in September 2005, 1.33 million
more than reported in their August 2005 survey
(http://news.netcraft.com/archives/2005/09/05/september_2005_web_server_survey.html
). The quest to bring order to the World Wide Web—to separate the wheat from the
chaff—has been going on almost since the beginning of the Internet.
Depending on the Kindness of Strangers
With the mind-boggling numbers noted above, how can we find and keep track of
what is useful on the web? There are a number of answers to this question.
Improvements in the capabilities of search engines such as Google allow experienced
web surfers to zero-in on desired information. Yahoo’s menus can guide even novice
searchers to basic information. Additionally, there are specialized seach engines—such
as Feedster (www.feedster.com) for checking blog entries, and Scirus (www.scirus) for
science-related sites. Organizations often provide collections of useful websites on
specific subjects. The National Institutes of Health site (www.nih.gov), for example,
includes an invaluable compilation of medical websites. Certain individuals create
websites of value. My colleague Charles Livermore’s site (www.charleslivermore.com) is
an especially valuable one for members of the St. John’s community.
Organizing Your Corner of the Web
For those who would set off to put the web in some order themselves, there are
“bookmarks” or “favorites,” but these are set up on individual machines. How can we
have access to favorite sites on whatever computer we happen to be using, and even
share sites with students and colleagues? One of the latest efforts in this area is
something called social bookmarking. Such free services as Del.icio.us
(http://del.icio.us/), Spurl (http://www.spurl.net/), and Connotea (www.connotea.org—
especially for science) allow users to create personal collections of sites, and use oneword index terms to organize them. One can access such a collection from any
computer with an Internet connection. Users of these services can also check for sites
that other users have found useful and share their own collections or parts of their
collections with other people. Older sites such as Backflip (http://www.backflip.com)
have been providing a similar service for a number of years, but while Backflip has the
advantage of being able to organize sites in hierarchical levels, the method of adding
new sites is a bit more cumbersome.
While optimistic about the possibilities these services have opened up, a Nature article,
notes that they are just beginning and have much to learn. As a number of the social
bookmarking tools I looked at were less than user friendly, I’d agree with that
Center for Teaching
and Learning
DIRECTOR:
Maura C. Flannery
ASSISTANT DIRECTOR:
Nancy Becker
ASSISTANT TO THE
DIRECTOR:
Lisa Getman
2005-2007 FELLOWS:
Laura Gianni Augusto
Lucy Heckman
Aliya Holmes
Colleen Mary Mallon, OP
Joseph Marotta
Jay Zimmerman
2004-2006 FELLOWS:
Elaine Carey
Claire O’Donoghue
Basilio Monteiro
Sangtian Liu
Carol Fletcher
Teresa Danile
Nicole Maisch
SENIOR FELLOWS:
Barrett Brenton
Hilmi Elifoglu
Mark Meng
Jean-Pierre Ruiz
Sharon See
This newsletter is
published monthly
during the academic
year by the Center for
Teaching and Learning.
Managing Editor:
Lisa Getman
2
assessment. Another possible point of concern is that the number of these
services has grown—see the list of seventeen sites at the end of this article. One
might expect some to fall by the wayside, and it is questionable what would
happen to favorite sites entered on bookmarking services that go out of business.
For anyone interested in more in-depth analyses of social bookmarking, see the
following 2 sites: “Social Bookmarking Tools (I)” (http://www.dlib.org/dlib/april05/
hammond/04hammond.html), and “Social Bookmarking Tool Comparison”
(http://www.consultantcommons.org/book/print/239).
Personal Experience
I became a bit of a favorites fanatic a decade or so ago—hoarding hundreds on my
PC, and later adding more than a thousand sites to my collection on Backflip.
However, over the years I have changed the way I search and have lost most of my
former interest in Backflip, with the result that many of the urls I collected there
are now dead links.
As a reference librarian, much of the time I am responding to other people’s
questions. I do not usually need to collect sites intensively on one subject. I now
have a core set of favorites that I have put in a Microsoft Word file stored on a
flash drive that I wear geekily around my neck. I can plug the flash drive into any
computer on which I happen to be working. Other than using my personal
collection, I find that most of the time I can locate needed information by going to
one of the databases available through the University Libraries
(http://new.stjohns.edu/academics/libraries/resources/databases/Databases_AtoZ.sju
) or by using the advanced search on Google. I mention the Library’s databases
first because the material there is reputable, and the searcher can identify the
source of the information. On the other hand, webpages that come up on search
engines may have been created by 4th graders in Naperville, Illinois, who may not
be experts in astrophysics. As the caption from a famous New Yorker cartoon says,
“On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog.” But that’s less true these days as
many Internet savvy people can usually identify the “dogs.”
If I am looking for a collection of trustworthy sites on a particular subject, I usually
find that such sources as the Librarians’ Index to the Internet (http://lii.org/), the
Internet Public Library (http://www.ipl.org/), or the previously mentioned Scirus are
useful. For other online reference sources I find Princeton’s University’s site
(http://www.princeton.edu/~pressman/genref.htm) is fairly good. Bartleby
(www.bartleby.com) and Refdesk (www.refdesk.com) are also terrific sources for a
variety of free and reliable reference sources.
In sum, one’s information and research needs will determine how a person should
approach the Internet.
List of Social Bookmarking Services
Backflip
http://www.backflip.com
Blinklist
http://www.blinklist.com/
CiteULuke
http://www.citeulike.com
Connetea
http://www.connotea.org
De.lirio.us
http://de.lirio.us/rubric
Del.icio.us
http://www.del.icio.us
Feedmarker
http://www.feedmarker.com/
Flickr
http://www.flickr.com
Frassle
http://frassle.rura.org/
Furl
http://www.furl.com
Jots
http://jots.com/
Lookmarks
http://www.lookmarks.com/
scuttle
http://scuttle.org/
Simpy
http://www.simpy.com
Spurl
http://www.spurl.net/
Unalog
http://www.unalog.com
Yahoo! My Web 2.0
http://myweb2.search.yahoo.com/
Faculty News
October 2005
Professor Joseph Adolphe (Fine Arts, adolphej@
stjohns.edu) illustrated the following: Jimmy
Johnson for The Edge Magazine, Zadie Smith for
Harpers Magazine, Jerry Storch, CEO Target, for
Little & Co. Advertising; had an art exhibit,
"Figuratively Speaking,” at Delgado Pomei
Gallery, Williamsburg, NY (August-September
2005).
Dr. Dolores Augustine (History, augustid@stjohns.
edu) presented a paper entitled "Wunderwaffen
of a Different Kind: Nazi Scientists in East German
Industrial Research" at the annual meeting of the
German Studies Association in Milwaukee, WI;
published “ ‘Es sind zwei Welten Gewesen’: Eine
Informatikerin in der DDR und in der
Bundesrepublik,” in Europa und die Europäer:
Quellen und Essays zur modernen europäischen
Geschichte. Festschrift für Hartmut Kaelble zum
65. (Stuttgart: Franz Steiner Verlag, 2005);
recently served as a reviewer for Enterprise &
Society, prepared a historical evaluation of the
book Master Mind: The Rise and Fall of Fritz
Haber, the Nobel Laureate Who Launched the
Age of Chemical Warfare previous to its
publication.
Dr. John D. Beach (Human Services and
Counseling, [email protected]) and his daughter
Margaret C. Beach presented a paper, “Becoming
a reading teacher then and now: A fatherdaughter conversation on traditional and
innovative routes to success in our profession,” at
the 50th annual convention of the International
Reading
Association
in San
Antonio,
TX
(May,2005); the paper is available online at
http://www.reading.org/association/meetings/ann
ual_handouts.html.
Dr. Elaine Carey (History, [email protected])
authored the book, Plaza of Sacrifices: Gender,
Power, and Terror 1968 Mexico (University of New
Mexico Press, 2005); received two fellowships, the
National
Endowment for the
Humanities
Summer Seminar “Human Rights in the Age of
Globalization” (June-July 2005) and the BeekeLevy Research Fellowship, Franklin and Eleanor
Roosevelt Institute (2005-2006); presented a
paper, “Saint Children on Heroin: Gender and
Representation in the Narcotics Trade, 1930-1960”
at the Third International Colloquium on the
History of Women and Gender in Mexico
(September 2005).
Dr. Dennis J. Carroll (English, carrolld@stjohns.
edu), published four essays: "Greetings from the
Village of Yulan," "Beau's Bride and Sullivan
County Summers: An Adolescent Reflection," "Of
Hurricanes and Memories: Half-Century Mark," in
The Towne Crier, Stone Arch Media (April, June,
August 2005 respectively), and "Of Summers Past
and Billy's Bride: Looking Back on a Piece of
Americana" in The Sand Paper: South Jersey News
Magazine, (April 2005).
Dr. Charles M. A. Clark (Economics and Finance,
[email protected]) co-edited a book (with Helen
Alford, OP, S.A. Cortright and Michael Naughton)
Rediscovering Abundance : Interdisciplinary Essays
on Wealth, Income and their Distribution in the
Catholic Social Tradition (University of Notre
Dame Press 2005); also contributed two chapters:
“Wealth as Abundance and Scarcity: Perspectives
from Catholic Social Thought and Economic
Theory” and “Wealth and Poverty: Preferential
Option for the Poor in an Age of Affluence,” as
well as co-writing the “Introduction” and
“Poscript.”
Dr. Sylvia Clark (Marketing, [email protected])
presented a paper, Market Orientation in
Hungarian Firms: A Preliminary Analysis, at the
American Hungarian Educators' Association
conference in Budapest; published an article,
"Perceptions and Positionings of Colleges in New
York City: A Longitudinal Study of Brand Images,"
in the International Journal of Educational
Advancement; co-authored an article, "Building
Relationships in Business and Leisure Flyers:
Perceived Loyalty and Frequent Flyer Programs,"
in Services Marketing Quarterly.
Dr.
Judy
Cramer
(Mass
Communications,
Journalism Television and Film, cramerj@stjohns.
edu) completed a year-long Journalism and Mass
Communication Leadership Institute for Diversity
fellowship, sponsored by the Association for
Education in Journalism and Mass Communication
(AEJMC) and the Association of Schools of
Journalism and Mass Communication (ASJMC).
3
Dr.
Judith
DeSena
(Sociology
and
Anthropology,[email protected]) published
a revised edition of Protecting One’s Turf
(University Press of America, 2005).
Dr.
Rita
Dunn
(Administration
and
Instructional Leadership, [email protected])
published an article with Dr. Kenneth Dunn
“Thirty-Five Years of Research on Perceptual
Strengths: Essential Strategies to Promote
Learning” (July/August 2005); also addressed
three higher education conferences as their
keynote speaker on Differentiating Instruction
Through Students’ Individual Learning Styles
in Stockholm, Sweden, Oslo, Norway, and Port
Lucie, Florida (June and August 2005).
Dr. Maura C. Flannery (Computer Science,
Mathematics
and
Science,
flannerm@
stjohns.edu) published an article, "From
Science to Quilting" in The Quilter's
Newsletter Magazine (September 2005).
Dr. Donna Geffner (Speech, Communication
Sciences and Theatre, [email protected])
presented
workshops
on
Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder at the State
University at Plattsburgh, Kingston SpeechLanguage-Hearing Association and Health
Med Seminars in Boston, (October 2005); her
text, What Professionals Need to Know About
AD/HD, has just been released; authored "The
Role of Audition In Literacy," the feature
article in the ASHA magazine (September
2005).
Dr. Joseph A. Giacalone (Economics and
Finance, [email protected]) co-authored an
article, “The Silence of the Stakeholders: Zero
Decibel Level at Enron,” Journal of Business
Ethics (2005); presented a paper, “HewlettPackard’s E-Inclusion Strategy: Are There
Profits in the Digital Divide?” at the Fall 2005
International Business and Economic Research
Conference, Las Vegas, Nevada (October
2005); refereed two papers for the Southern
Business Review.
Professor Dave Gregory (Law School,
[email protected]) presented a talk on
Blessed Frederic Ozanam at the St. Joseph
Catholic Worker House (September 2005); was
interviewed on the NBC TV national evening
news and was quoted on the front page of
The New York Times regarding the labor strike
at Northwest Airline; appeared on the NBC
4
Today Show and on MSNBC to discuss the strike
(August 2005).
Dr. Smita Guha (Early Childhood, Childhood and
Adolescent
Education,
[email protected])
presented a paper, “In search of enlightenment:
Encouraging education among children at-risk in
India,” at the ACEI Annual International
Conference and Exhibition, Washington DC
(March 2005).
Dr. Paul Gyllenhammer (Humanities, gyllenhp@
stjohns.edu) presented a paper, “Conscience as an
Attunement to Alterity,” at the annual meeting of
the Society for Existential and Phenomenological
Theory and Culture (London, Ontario).
Dr. Michael Henry (Humanities, henrym@
stjohns.edu) presented a paper, “The Paradox of
Consciousness in Augustine’s Confessions: A
Voegelinian Reading,” at the annual meeting of
the Eric Voegelin Society held in conjunction with
the American Political Science Association meeting
in Washington D.C. (September 2005); published a
paper on biotechnology and human nature in the
Modern Age (August 2005).
Dr. Grace Ibanez Friedman (Early Childhood,
Childhood and Adolescent Education, friedmag@
stjohns.edu) was the luncheon keynote speaker at
a conference sponsored by Brown University,
entitled Family and Community Engagement:
Successful Models For Immigrant and Minority
Communities (September, 2005); with Smita Guha,
was awarded a three year vendor grant by the
NYC Board of Education to deliver professional
development services in mathematics and science
to early childhood educators (October 2005).
Dr. Jerome Joffe (Social Sciences, joffej@
stjohns.edu) joined a Faculty For Israeli-Palestinian
Peace (FIPP) fact-finding delegation to Palestine
and Israel; a copy of the report is available from
[email protected] (June 2005).
Dr. Andrea Licari (Administration and Economics,
[email protected]) completed a Fulbright Senior
Specialist Grant, in Tarrgona, Spain, where she
conducted an international Business Game;
published Business Games: A Global Reality
(Houghton Mifflin 2005).
Dr. Mark S. Malaszczyk (Social Science,
[email protected]) received an Honorary
Commission to the 2005 National Nominating
Committee of the National Youth Leadership
Forum (Washington, DC).
Dr. Mary Ann Maslak (Early Childhood,
Childhood
and
Adolescent
Education,
[email protected]) participated in the
Fulbright Summer Study Abroad Program on
Women in Contemporary India (June-August
2005); author of chapter in edited book, Re-
Positioning Females in the International
Context: Guiding Frameworks, Educational
Policy and Future Directions for the Field;
chapter in David P. Baker and Alexander W.
Wiseman, (Eds.). International Perspectives on
Education and Society (London: Elsevier
Science Ltd 2005); was an invited speaker and
presented her paper, “Re-Positioning Females
in the International Educational Context:
Theoretical Frameworks, Practical Policies and
Future Directions,” at the Comparative and
International Education Society conference,
Palo Alto (March 2005); was elected to the
Board of Directors of the Comparative and
International Education Society (CIES) (20062009 term); presented a paper, “Studying
Ethnicity in Asian Education and its Impact of
the Indian Educational System,” at the
Association of Asian Studies, Chicago (March
2005); organizer of panel and paper
presentation, “Education for All: Analyzing
International Educational Policy for Females;”
presented a paper on “The Dichotomy
between Theoretical Frameworks and Practical
Policies: Realizations of Female Education in
EFA Policy” for the American Educational
Research Association Meeting,
Montreal
(April 2005).
Father John H. McKenna C.M. (Theology and
Religious
Studies,
[email protected])
published
an
article,
“Eucharist
and
Memorial,” in Worship 79 (November 2005);
presented the keynote address, “Eucharist:
Celebration of, and Call to, Service,” for the
First Annual Elizabeth Ann Seton Day on
September 13, 20005 at the College of St.
Elizabeth.
Professor Diane Miller Himmelbaum (Fine
Arts, [email protected]) selected for the
39th Juried Exhibition at the Parrish Art
(SeptemberMuseum
in
Southampton
October); was one of five artists who showed
several works each in the Paperworks show at
The New York Mercantile Exchange in the
World Financial Center (August-September
2005); has one work in a printmaking show at
the
Instituto
Cultural
Peruano
Norte
Americano in Lima, Peru (Fall 2005).
Dr. Regina Mistretta (Early Childhood, Childhood
and Adolescent Education, [email protected])
published an article, “Integrating technology into
the mathematics classrooom: The role of teacher
preparation programs,” in The Mathematics
Educator.
Dr. Robert J. Mockler (Management, mocklerr@
stjohns.edu) co-authored Cases in Domestic and
Multinational Strategic Management (VII) (New
York: Strategic Management Research Group
2005);
co-authored
"Relating
Knowledge
Management
Systems
to
Strategic
and
Operational Initiatives" published in Global
(Marietta, GA: Ivy
Knowledge Management
League Publishing, Fall 2005).
Dr. Paul D. Molnar (Humanities, molnara@
stjohns.edu) published an article entitled “Myth
and Reality: Analysis and Critique of Gordon
Kaufman and Sallie McFague on God, Christ and
Salvation” in Cultural Encounters (Summer 2005).
Professor Alex Morel (Fine Arts, morela@
stjohns.edu) exhibited his work, "Public Bathing,
Figural Portraiture," at the Klein Blue Print
Productions, Brooklyn NY (September- October
2005).
Professor Stephanie Navon-Jacobson (Fine Arts,
[email protected]) is exhibiting her work at
the Shenzhen Art Institute, Shenzhen, China
(October- December 2005) and at the National
Arts Club 109th Annual Exhibition of the
Catharine Lorillard Wolfe Art Club 109th Annual
Exhibition (October 2005).
Dr. Jeffrey Nevid (Psychology, [email protected])
an adaptation and translation of his coauthored
human sexuality textbook, entitled Sexualidad
Humana, was published in Madrid Spain by
Pearson Education/Prentice Hall.
Dr. Julia Upton, R.S.M. (Theology and Religious
Studies, [email protected]) published
“Preaching 9-11” in Preach (July-August 2005).
Faculty News: If you would like to send an entry to
“Faculty News,” the deadline for the November issue is
November 2. We prefer that you email the information
to [email protected]. If that is not possible, then send a
typed copy of your announcement to our office located
in Bent Hall, room 281. We reserve the right to edit all
material received. Material included in CTL Faculty News
will be sent to Dominic Scianna for distribution in a news
release.
5
Creating an Active Classroom
Paula Kay Lazrus (St. John’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, [email protected])
I was frustrated. I was exasperated. It appeared that no matter what I tried I could not seem to draw my
students into the excitement of exploring the new and challenging ideas presented in their classes. Then
I saw an article by Mark C. Carnes of Barnard College in The Chronicle of Higher Education entitled
“Being There: the Liminal Classroom" (Oct. 8, 2004:B6-8).
Carnes described situations similar to those I was encountering: the
perennial frustration of instigating thoughtful and incisive class
discussion (or any class discussion), the lack of engagement students
have with their assigned readings, the sense that one was failing the
students by not reaching them and drawing them into the material.
I decided to investigate "Reacting to the Past," the pedagogy Carnes developed to counter the problems
observed. Last semester I integrated a “Reacting” game into my Emergence of Global History curriculum.
This semester I am using it both in my history class, and in my DNY classes. It continues to be an ongoing
experiment for me.
"Reacting" is a role playing pedagogy (think dungeons and dragons meets model UN) in which students
are members of factions each with a position to defend or promote with regards to a critical moment or
idea in history. For example, in the “The Threshold of Democracy: Athens in 403 BC” game, students are
either: Oligarchs, Socratics, Moderate Democrats, Radical Democrats or they are undecided members of
the community. Each student receives a detailed role sheet delineating their character's background,
their faction’s goal, and in some cases an additional personal aim. In general it is the goal (whatever the
game) to persuade those who are undecided to join your group giving you a majority. Topics reflect
important issues of the time and place in question. The Athenian assembly must decide how magistrates
should be selected, whether or not to pass a reconciliation agreement to prevent public discussion of
events related to the rule of the Thirty Tyrants, and in some cases the fate of Socrates, among other
items. The game departs from simple play acting because it is based on close reading of major texts such
as Plato’s Republic, excerpts from Xenophon and Thucydides, etc. All students must write papers on
themes that they must expound orally (preferably without reading the written version) before the
assembly. All written and verbal interactions must adhere to the realities of the time (no anachronistic
terms or references), and must be backed up with citations from works that are either assigned or that
students may find on their own, but that would have been known to the inhabitants at the time.
Could this work at St. John’s? Skepticism was expressed by some of my colleagues. However, this
pedagogy was being used at Queens College, Pace University, and the College of Staten Island among
other places, not only at Barnard and Smith. Why not at St. John’s? It was immediately obvious to me
that for this to work at St. John’s I would have to provide the students with more background than was
assumed in the games themselves and I did. I selected the game entitled “Confucianism and the
Succession Crisis of the Wanli Emperor.” It is set in Ming Dynasty China, and focuses on The Analects of
Confucius and Ray Huang’s book 1587 a Year of No Significance among other texts. There are fewer
factions in this game, which include roles for the Emperor Wanli, his First Grand Secretary (FGS) and the
members of the Hanlin Academy, all scholars who advise the Emperor. All the academy members are
either supporters of moderate interpretations of The Analects, or else are purists supporting a strict
interpretation. Each is an individual with a back-story that details how they grew up and/or where they
come from in China. The issues under discussion include how to deal with flooding of the Yellow River,
threats of invasion by the Mongols, the merits of the existing examination system for admission to civil
service jobs, and whether the Emperor should be allowed to name his second-born son to succeed him in
apparent contraction to Confucian principles. Student papers are in the form of Memorials to the
Emperor.
In my use of the game, I made sure that when we discussed East – West trade, or absolutism and differing
types of monarchies the students knew where the Ming Dynasty stood on the continuum, and they’d also
6
had an assignment at Metropolitan Museum of Art that included the China galleries. I put 12 relevant
books on reserve in the library for them, and told them to use information from at least one of those
books in addition to the documents in their game books, Huang and The Analects in their memorials.
What happened next? Much to my surprise and delight, despite the fact that one section was too big for
this exercise (ideally 15-25 students) and one was rather too small, the classes were so animated at times
that a neighboring professor came by and asked us to close the door or lower our voices! While not
happy to be disturbing other classes I took this as a sign of success, in that the request to quiet down
inevitably meant students were energetically engaged in arguing their points. The oral presentations
were tentative at first and did require some prodding, but once students understood what was
happening and started asking one another questions and challenging each other’s positions things
improved.
Their written work was significantly better than the work I had been
receiving, more focused, more impassioned, and in some cases
wonderfully creative both in argument and in the use of metaphor
(a requirement I had added for the second paper). In one class, students were talking about their
characters and wheeling and dealing even outside of class, no small thing on the Staten Island campus
where most students commute.
In our debriefing sessions (a scheduled part of each game designed to help impassioned students calm
down and view each other once again in their normal personas, and because game outcomes can deviate
from established history and one needs to reestablish the facts), I asked students what they thought of
the experience. Several mentioned that it was the best learning experience they had had, that they really
looked forward to coming to each class. Others commented that they were frustrated because a single
Analect could be used to support opposing viewpoints (no small victory in learning outcome this insight).
A few commented that while they felt they learned a lot, they didn’t like it because they had a character
whose position was so different from their own personal viewpoint. This may make some students feel a
bit uncomfortable, but it is part of the pedagogy that students learn by inhabiting roles and investigating
ideas that might be foreign.
As a professor, I felt that some students evolved remarkably over the
three weeks. Several of them became more astute and nuanced in
their arguments.
There are real challenges involved in speaking and writing as a French revolutionary or a Ming scholar
and to be an effective participant in the games you must begin to master The Analects, Plato’s Republic
or Rousseau’s The Social Contract.
While the students take the lead in this pedagogy by running the discussions, there is plenty of work for
the professor in terms of feedback on oral and written work. Within the three or four weeks of a game,
students usually write two papers (depending on the game), and these require prompt attention so
students have feedback on the first before writing the second. The students can post their work on their
class websites thus encouraging them to read one another's work and use it to better frame their own
arguments although this aspect of the pedagogy did not work as well for me. Students posted their work
because they had to, rather than to comment on one another's arguments. The professor may have to
post information regularly to help focus discussions or refine requirements for arguments if one feels
they are too frivolous or too anachronistic for example.
What do students gain from this experience? I found that students read their texts with greater
understanding because they were trying to use the material to support their positions. They gained a
better perceptive of the group dynamics of decision making, and the key role of charismatic or otherwise
strong leaders becomes apparent. In research that Barnard has conducted it appears that students who
participate in “Reacting” classes have shown improvement in their oral presentation skills, increased
empathy and self esteem with respect to peers in a control group.
At Barnard, “Reacting” classes are mostly stand alone freshmen seminars in which two or three different 7
Reacting games are played in a single semester. In other institutions “Reacting” is either taught as at
Barnard or as I am using it, integrated within an existing class. The games cross several disciplines and
thus have the potential to expose students to a wide variety of important texts. Existing games include
those discussed above, as well as: The Trial of Anne Hutchinson, Rousseau, Burke and The Revolution in
France, 1791; Defining a Nation: Gandhi’s India on the Eve of Independence, 1945; Galileo and the New
Cosmology; and Henry the VIII and the Reformation Parliament, among others. There are also a number
of games in various stages of development (for a list, see http://www.barnard.edu/reacting/REACTING
%20CURRICULUM.pdf ).
In conclusion, I found using “Reacting” to be an engrossing, time consuming but ultimately successful
way of creating a more active learning environment. With time and increasing expertise on my part (and
with perhaps more amenable class sizes), I hope to continue this experiment. If any other faculty are
interested in “Reacting” they can go to http://www.barnard.com/reacting where game titles, articles and
comments on the pedagogy and a video clip of a reacting game in action are provided. Barnard sponsors
regular workshops around the country for professors to learn "Reacting" by trying out mini versions of
the games, and there is a schedule of upcoming workshops as well. The workshops are intense, but a lot
of fun, and allow one to learn how this works, while also gaining insight into what the students will be
experiencing. Lastly, please feel free to contact me if you want further information.
If you are interested in learning more about this active learning approach, Paula Lazrus will be
presenting a workshop on the Reacting to the Past pedagogy on Thursday, November 17 at 12:15 to 1:15
p.m. in the Library room 412.
Junior Faculty Research Colloquium
The Junior Faculty Research Colloquium is pleased to announce its schedule for Fall 2005. All the
presentations will take place in the Writing Center located in St. John’s Hall, Room 203 from 12:15 to 1:30.
Elaine Carey, Department of History, “Selling is More of a Habit than Using: Women and Narco-trafficking
in Mexico, 1930-1960.” October 27, 2005.
Chris Denny, Department of Theology and Religious Studies, “Dionysius Crucified: On the Feasibility of
Tragic Christ-Figures." November 17, 2005.
Steve Mentz, Department of English, “Shipwreck, Accumulation, and Modernity in The Tempest."
December 1, 2005.
Faculty Growth Grants Program
The deadlines to apply for Faculty Growth Grants are:
Monday, January 23, 2006
Monday, April 3, 2006
If you have any questions regarding the application procedures look at our website under Growth Grants
Program (http://www.stjohns.edu/academics/centers/teach/growth.sju).