Crash Knowledge: Pretending to be a professor who fails

Journal of Legal Studies Education, 2012

When disco was king, protest bumper stickers began to appear that proclaimed, 'Disco stinks! We want to see the band.' Many disco bands at the time actually consisted of a couple of guys with access to synthesizers and drum machines that could keep a beat. These bands never went on tour for the simple reason that there was no real band behind the machinery. Similarly, students today want to see the teacher, although in many cases the teacher has been banished to the scrap heap by the currently popular educational theory known as constructivism. Id. at 327.

A ctors representing the anonymous collective Bruce High Quality Foundation (BHQF) sang, " Whatever you ask for, that's what I'll be, " and the rest of George Michaels's " Father Figure " in the karaoke ending to their lecture-performance Art History with Benefits. The performance took place at the X Initiative in Chelsea last November, as a part of Performa 09. It was one of many lecture-performances presented at the biennial; William Kentridge, Alexandre Singh, Guillame Desanges, and Terence Koh also performed their own wildly varied takes on the academic lecture. Seeing their work in rapid succession over the course of three weeks brought a few questions to mind: Why, for one, are so many visual artists attracted to this particular form of live performance? What is the precedent in art history, and how does this work compare to the lecture-performance being created in the dance and theatre worlds? I set out to discover the wide range of aesthetic and conceptual possibilities for the increasingly popular form. Twentieth-century artists such Chris Burden, Yvonne Rainer, Robert Morris, Robert Smithson, and Joseph Beuys have used lecture-performance to blur the lines separating art from discourse about art. In contemporary performance, artists are continuing, in this tradition, to push past the boundaries of disciplines (Desanges, for example, is foremost an art critic and curator) as well as the boundaries between art and life. These are popular themes in contemporary art practice in general, but more specific to lecture-performance is the idea of teaching-as-art. The best lecture-performances always seem to originate from artists who believe that teaching itself is a central component of their artwork. Institutional critique also factors heavily in most iterations of the form. Though it is by no means the only conceptual framework for contemporary lecture-performance, I've found that the most interesting work of this kind comes from artists who meld a critique of institutional structures with a specific and idealistic view: the belief that consciousness stemming from teaching and learning can lead to a new way to live in society. The BHQF uses the form to illuminate problems in the commercialized structure of the art world and art education. The choreographer Jérôme Bel explains the philosophical foundations of his works, which are often about exposing systematic structures in the dance industry, more directly than he has found possible through

We teach because we love working with students. We're dedicated to helping students gain knowledge and develop their intelligence. However, our efforts to consistently deliver high-quality instruction are undercut when we can't maintain a productive learning environment. Lack of training, anxiety, and inexperience cause many new teachers to feel overwhelmed when a group of rambunctious students doesn't cooperate. Even high-quality instruction by veteran teachers is rendered ineffective when students are disrupted, distracted, or feel threatened by their peers.

2009

This piece documents my journey as a young T.A. in the English department at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. I trace the steps I have taken in the pursuit of a better understanding of what my goals should be as a composition teacher. After discovering these goals, I have then discussed some of the difficulties that myself and others have experienced while pursuing goals in the classroom space. My journey eventually leads me to the world of Art for an answer to how I can become more comfortable and effective in my classroom space. I discover that my love for Art and English complement each other as I pose the theory that teachers should consider themselves artists. As such, we can use techniques that artists use in order to become more effective at their jobs. In particular, I explore the idea of using the Stanislavski Method actor training techniques to help me gain a more solid foundation in my classroom.

Abstract: Art is a valuable learning tool, regardless of discipline, that is often neglected in the college classroom. This article describes an artistic group exercise that required students enrolled in a homicide class to illustrate “warning” posters, depicting various explanations for why people kill. The author explores how this innovative group project enhanced a traditional classroom lecture on the same subject. The assignment was replicated for four semesters. Using the results of a post-assignment survey, the author presents student evaluations of the project, including both quantitative and qualitative responses. Students rated the assignment as both enjoyable (average score of 6.42 out of 7) and beneficial to their retention of course material (average score of 6.06 out of 7.0). Based on student feedback, this article serves as a call to higher education professionals, encouraging the implementation of creativity in traditional curriculum. The detailed activity within provides a blueprint that any professors can tailor to fit their given course topic and discipline.

Science Education, 1975

This paper includes a series of responses to survey questions posed by Mia Funk at Creative Process Project in Paris, France. Mia and I have been working collaboratively over the past two years. I serve as faculty adviser for our high school’s Creative Writing Club; my students submit their work to Mia, who publishes their writing in the “Young Writers: Pure Imagination” section of her website, which features the 100 Leading Authors in the world today, as well as testimonials from teachers in over fifty countries about the art of their craft. Teaching is indeed primarily an art, the vigorous attempts in U.S. graduate schools to frame it as a science notwithstanding; the most sophisticated and clever “strategies” can never ensure genuine student engagement; only the development of a viable relationship – a bond of trust and mutual regard and respect – between the classroom teacher and individual students can accomplish that.

Thanks to Michelle Sullivan for her perspective on the graduate school experience; to Tom Clinton and Carol Fallis for legal counsel; to Jen Dividock and Dani Mclntyre for technical assistance; to Paris Tennenhouse for technical assistance and unwavering emotional support; to Patrick Foley, Barbara Corbin, Joyce Recker, and Dan Dauser for helping me to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Thanks to Chad Jay, Mary Kolenda, and Erli Gronberg for sharing resources and for technical support. Thanks to everyone at the Camera Center-Ellis, Paul, Larry, Bob, and Hal-for generously sharing your enthusiasm and expertise. Special thanks to Kendall College of Art and Design for providing me with release time and technical/financial support Thanks to my students. It is all of you who inspired me most to share my experience of teaching and all that it encompasses. The illustrations of your work breathe life into my words. Although I am unable to use examples of everyone's work, I am grateful to all of you who provided me with permission to use your drawings throughout The Art of Teaching Art. xi xii / Acknowledgments Thanks to Moorhead State University in Minnesota for having faith in me and for giving me my start in teaching, and to Phil Harris and Anne Schiesel-Harris for their support and friendship during those first few difficult years. Thanks to my editor, Joyce Berry, for guiding me through the publication process. Finally, and most important, love and thanks to my family. Words cannot express my gratitude for the gift that we are to each other.

Headache, 2020

Guerrilla instructional strategy is when one instructor (the guerrilla) enters into their colleague’s class that is in session unannounced, sits for a while to gain insight on what topic is being taught, takes over and facilitates students’ learning for about ten minutes and then leaves the classroom. The strategy is disruptive as an unconventional approach to enhance student engagement and learning. The temporary takeover of roles is designed to be a surprise to students. In addition, the host is not privy to what the guerrilla’s plan is. In this paper, we share themes that emerged from the thematic analysis of our teaching reflections and our students’ experiences with guerrilla pedagogy. It was evident that students appreciated having two experts who have different instructional strategies collaborate in ways that captured their interests. The experience was positive and fostered a strong sense of respect and trust between colleagues. The “guerrillas” felt vulnerable as they impl...