This year I'm diving headfirst in teaching my European History class as a seminar course. Last year I waded into the shallow end and it went well. The seminar course is taught in a conversational way that requires students to actively participate in a classroom dialogue. My lectures have never really been one-sided anyway...I've always engaged the class in discussion. But now I'm going to dive in even deeper. It requires much more work on the student's part because they have to be ready and prepared for that day's discussion. They can't fake the reading and research. The teacher also has to work harder to be read up on the subject and have stimulii ready for potential lulls and red herrings. The teacher also has to know the subject backwards and forwards so they can be flexible enough to discuss the topic from whatever direction the disscussion heads.My Euro class is much smaller than my world classes and usually features the best and brightest of our social science students. They can handle the seminar. If I had more room in my classroom I would buy an oval table and try out the Harkness Method seen in America's most prestigious prep schools. I am pumped and ready to get talking and getting students engaged in critical thinking.
