As I have written about earlier, I am
sampling two graduate classes, one from the online Applied
Linguistics program at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and
the second from Rhode Island College's Masters in Teaching English as
a Second Language.
The first summer session at Rhode
Island College is over, and I now feel ready to begin digesting my
experience. Three issues seem the most salient.
First, my physical absence from my
house, both from transit and from class time, was significant.
Beneficial to me as a student, in that I did not have little
distractions running around, biting each other, screaming my name
from the bottom of the stairs. Detrimental to little person
equilibrium, in that they both have become more clingy than before,
and complain loudly when they see babysitters arrive. Plus the house
is a mess. More so than usual.
Second, the teacher modeled good
teaching brilliantly. He (Professor Jaime Ramirez) deployed some
really inventive teaching tools, having us circulate in very useful
problem solving groups, having us reteach to each other, theorize as
teams, etc. He scaffolded (how I hate this jargony word. So I will
change it) He guided us through the stages of our final paper very
effectively throughout the semester, giving us a continuously solid
work load, rather than one impossible avalanche at the end, and both
my output and my learning benefitted from this.
Third comes the downside. I received
high marks on all of my tests and papers – not normally a thing to
bemoan, but this time it was strange, in that there were a small
number of us who did very well, and the rest did so poorly that the
teacher, doubtless to protect us from scrutiny, hid our scores from
others. It is usually the low scorers who are given anonymity, but
not here... I don't really take this as a good sign, for my sense of
belonging, for the department's standards, or for the quality of the
students.
Okay, there is still the fourth point.
If I did this program, I would have to stay in Rhode Island for at
least one more year, possibly two. Rhode Island has its merits, but
winter isn't one of them, and I'm ready to leave that behind.
Whistling in the Wind
As for the class at Umass, I have mixed
feelings there, too. We write online responses to our readings every
week, but they are not always read by someone... And the teaching
being modeled is all about the software, which is buggy...