It\u2019s been a very productive summer for me as an Open Pedagogy Fellow. After a few months of meetings, readings, and exchanging inspirational ideas with my colleagues, I\u2019ve finally managed to craft a syllabus that looks unlike anything I\u2019ve ever produced. The course is \u201cMusic of Texas\u201d, and Fall 2021 will mark the first time that I\u2019ve taught it. My work this summer with Open Pedagogy has deeply informed the design of \u201cMusic of Texas\u201d, from assessment to assignments and even the nature of our time together in the classroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first day of class was scarier-than-usual for me, as I had to get students excited about a new course and<\/em> on board with an experimental new course-format. I shared my carefully-written syllabus, explained exactly why<\/em> I was doing things differently than they were used to, and acknowledged that they were each going to have to be willing to experiment alongside me. I reminded students that \u201cnew styles of teaching\u201d (for me) will also mean \u201cnew styles of learning\u201d (for them). So far, my \u201cMusic of Texas\u201d students seemed to buy in to the idea of Open Pedagogy as I\u2019ve explained it \u2014 no one has complained yet!<\/p>\n\n\n\n I had originally imagined that I would ask students to work towards creating a publicly-available podcast as a summative semester-ending project. But after a few meetings with my Open Pedagogy \u201ccourse-development group\u201d (CDG), I realized that a student-developed website would be a perfect repository of the work that we do in class over the semester \u2014 and equally easy to share with the general public when the semester is over. A website obviously allows students to generate work in a variety of multimedia formats, which \u2014 in this course \u2014 will include written texts, but might also include embedded audio (student-created podcasts, original songs, samples of classic Texas music), video (existing YouTube videos about Texas history, culture, or music or student-created \u201cexplainer videos\u201d), and archival\/primary-source images related to the themes of the course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve worked to design assignments that strike an appropriate balance between structure and freedom \u2014 I want to provide guidance for my students (so they know what the larger task is), but I also want to leave room for them to experiment and discover. I want students to be comfortable to \u201cgo with the flow\u201d if their research changes direction midway through their process, and to celebrate their own curiosity. That might mean following their muse, rather than a strictly-worded assignment prompt. My work with Open Pedagogy has stimulated this kind of flexible approach, and encouraged me to think about centering assignments around students (and their interests) rather than around some particular specific \u201ccontent\u201d that I\u2019d like to make sure that students learn. Instead of designing this course around lectures or readings, I\u2019ve designed it around a series of assignments that use a \u201cjigsaw\u201d strategy: each student studies a different topic (one they can opt to select on their own), and then\u2014in class\u2014we can learn from each other\u2019s research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019ve spent so many months with versions of this course in my head \u2014 it\u2019s exciting (and scary!) to see it as a real thing<\/em>, out in the real world. I\u2019m eager to see how the course will continue to develop now that it\u2019s a shared classroom experience, one that is no longer 100% under my control. And, of course, I\u2019m grateful to the Open Pedagogy Fellowship (and to my fellow Fellows) for helping me get more and more comfortable with this sharing of control.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It\u2019s been a very productive summer for me as an Open Pedagogy Fellow. 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