Stressing out my students

This class is like stress therapy said one of my Nature Writing students, but I fear that my next class might disagree. The Nature Writing students have been talking about how we frame nature, so I gave each of them a rubber band and asked them to go outside and frame some part of nature within the rubber band and then observe that small space for a minimum of ten minutes. The time limit was the hardest part--if nothing much was happening in the patch of moss a student observed, it was easy to get distracted. But they kept at it and brought back some good insights about observation, including that it's helpful to employ all the senses. Progress!

My next class will be more stressful. The first-year seminar is designed to equip students with the skills they need to succeed in college, and today the emphasis is on discussion skills. In Monday's class I gave them a photocopy of the first two chapters of Tara Westover's Educated and I showed them methods of annotation to help them retain what they've read--and then I gave them some time in class to work on it. (No AI involved, but there's nothing stopping them from getting an AI summary of other parts of the text that we didn't touch in class Monday.) 

In today's class, the students will be expected to discuss their reading--for points. Each student will be expected to ask a question or make a comment about a particular passage in the text, and I'll be up front putting a check mark next to the name of each student who contributes to the discussion. Two check marks equal ten points, the maximum available for this assignment.

I've never tried to quantify student engagement in discussion so literally, but this is where we've arrived in higher education. My biggest problem will be that I haven't yet learned all their names, so I've printed out a seating chart and I'll put all their names on it this morning. Sure, I could ask them to wear name tags, but I'd never be able to see them from up front. So seating chart it is. 

The thing about teaching two brand-new (to me) classes is that everything is an experiment. Some experiments result in enlightenment and joy and stress therapy while others may prove more frustrating. Either way, it's a learning experience, and learning, after all, is why we're here.  

The theme photo for the Nature Writing class. How do we frame nature?