Death to the Syllabus

Again, this is kind of an old posting from "In Socrates' Wake." But it's another that I will be thinking about over the summer.

I've always thought about tossing my syllabus in favor of a document that's more like a mission statement, something that will communicate what I think are the more exciting and interesting things about the classes I teach. "Death to the Syllabus" is a good consideration of that kind of idea.

Let me know what you think.

Babbel.com for Language Learning

Again, I know it's late in the school year for most of us, and summer vacation is right around the corner. But I have been using Babbel.com over the last few months, and I think it is a really great language learning tool. All of you language teachers might find this pretty useful for next year.

I actually don't teach languages, but I have always found it rather helpful to know a little bit about the languages that are in use around me. Most of my students are either taking Spanish or German, and they are surprised when I can converse with them in the language they are studying. It always makes for an interesting way to connect with my students on yet another level.

And, there is always the "let's learn another language with all my free time over the summer" kinda project.

Have fun with this one.
Let me know what you think.

www.babbel.com

Who Controls the Classroom Anyway

I realize that this is an old blog posting from January... but I find that by this point of the school year, with only a few weeks left, I begin to get my stuff together so that I can use my summer productively. I like to think about what changes I am going to make for the next school year, and Chris Panza's post (Who Controls the Classroom Anyway?) is on my list.

A few months ago, I almost used this article in a particular section that I have been having personality issues with; but it seemed like something that is more appropriate for the beginning of a semester, before anything weird has started to unfold.

Regardless, enjoy this article: "Who Controls the Classroom Anyway?"

They have a pretty cool blog, too: In Socrates' Wake

So What?

I found this description of a cool reading/discussion activity on StumbleUpon.
In fact, I plan on trying this one out, hopefully this week. It may be a bit dramatic, but I like dramatic; so this is right up my street.

The Greatest Literature Lecture You'll Never Give