One lecture and one seminar a week. Seminars tutor-led to provide discussion of material presented in lectures.
Each lecture supported by web pages (see below) which doubled as visual aids during the lecture; net discussion site mounted for revision.
For further articulation of teaching strategy see module handbook.
Presentations from me seasoned by prompted discussion and reflection.
Visual aids provided by web site, made available through projector (and, conveniently,
net connection also provided in the lecture theatre).
I reprise the one or more of the main issue(s) presented in the lecture (3 sentences only) and participants take it in turn to say what they want to say (we go round the room). It is a rule that anyone is welcome to 'pass'. (I think this method is called, and anyway it is called by me, 'rounds'.) Participants are down to have done a set piece of reading, and that to some extent feeds into the discussion.
I would highlight from a number of useful points:
Lectures appreciated. 'Enthusiasm' of lecturer noted particularly. Breaks for reflection / discussion welcome.
Seminars. 'Rounds' technique considered successful. Several strongly positive comments.
Website. Now established as very useful, warmly appreciated.
General. Some texts found to be difficult.
Not available at the present time.
Again this year, I've spent a lot of time and enthusiasm developing the website. I now need to make the pages more interactive (though I have to say I'm not sure the quizes which cost me so dear are much used...) I would like to have the pages stand as doing the work of a text book, but also to develop as some kind of alternative to lectures and tutorials ....
I'm more relaxed about allowing pauses in my talking every now and again without demanding questions or discussion to fill them.
I repeat what I said last time: Kant is perceived as difficult, and by some participants so are all or most of the other texts we consider. I think for a lot of course participants the great thing they take from the module which actually persists is their having actually encountered directly some of the greatest achievements of Western Civilization - and that mastering their arguments via modern secondary texts comes second. So I would like to stay with the policy of challenging participants to read the big things. I feel closing the module with Kant is good in terms of structure - giving a point of view from which pre-Kantian Enlightenment thought can be seen in some perspective.
Seminars have gone well this year I would say, quite often producing excellent discussions.
I thought I had made progress on this front this year until the External marked down all but one of the exam scripts that had been internally marked at 70 or more.
|
Average
|
Me
|
2nd Marker
|
External
|
|
| Course work | 60.6 | |||
| Exam | 60.3 | 57.8 |
| ACTION POINT | WHAT HAPPENED |
| Keep the website development going in the direction of creating a resource which improves on the 'textbook' and is free for participants | Significant progress made, more to be done. |
| Keep under review the use of discussion breaks in the presentations | Done, working OK. |
| Keep trying to find a way of pushing people | No real progress. |
| It should go without saying but: make sure I keep the teaching refreshed with the latest work in the area | Yes, met this to some extent, high priority for next year. |
Website development as indicated above.
Continue to keep in mind the needs of the really able.
Signed
VFJ Pratt
The webpages are designed to
· make lecture presentations fully available for consultation after the lecture.
· offer supplementary material to the enthusiastic student who seeks further depth or coverage through material of mine
· encourage students (by incorporating a manageable number of well-chosen links) to make use of the great wealth of other people's material now available across the net.
· encourage people to develop their encounter with primary texts by giving links at the end of quotations to their specific occurrence in full e-texts. Eg http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/philosophy/courses/211/L1%20Descartes1.htm#sense
· to offer prompts for thought, linking directly to the module discussion site, and sometimes linked to the response to the prompt offered by me. Eg http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/philosophy/courses/211/L20kant4.htm
· to offer juvenile quizes to help consolidation. Eg http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/philosophy/courses/211/L12%20Berkeley2x.htm#spirits
· To offer visual aids to comprehension. Eg http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/philosophy/courses/211/L19Kant3.htm#causality
· to offer eye candy to make life sweeter. Eg http://www.lancs.ac.uk/depts/philosophy/courses/211/L11%20Berkeley1.htm
· to be used as a visual aid instead of 'Powerpoint' (which on the whole I hate as all glitter and closed technologically) or the more flexible overhead transparency.
The full pages were made available to students on request on a free CD ROM.
 |  |