V o l u m e 1 • I s s u e 6 • December 2 0 0 2
An International Forum for Innovative Teaching
CONTENTS
1 Commentary
Larry Head
2 Writing Effective
Multiple Choice Exams
Mike Atkinson, Ph.D.
4 “Spoken Word”: The
Favorite Poem Project
Scott Dillard, Ph.D.
6 Building Effective Online
Learning Communities
Debra Kuhl
8 Unmasking Heterosexism
With Monty Python
Roy Schwartzman, Ph.D.
10 Just Humor-Us : A
Simple and Amusing
Assignment
Dr. Stan Kajs, Editor
11 Meet the Authors
• • • • • • • • • • •
C
O
M
M
E
N
T
A
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An Aviation Mechanic’s
Call to Arms
Larry D. Head
Assistant Professor, Aviation Technologies
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale
Carbondale, Illinois
lhead@siu.edu
Since September 11, 2001, insecurity has spread
throughout our nation’s job market as layoffs
plague many industries. The effect on the aviation
industry has been particularly devastating. As
an educator in the aviation industry at Southern
Illinois University at Carbondale, I am witnessing
widespread apprehension among our current
students and recent graduates. Before 9-11,
new aviation maintenance technicians had
numerous employment opportunities from
which to choose; today they find themselves
facing uncertain futures.
Thinking about their concerns, I considered
what action I might have taken had this national
tragedy occurred during the early stages of my
career. After imagining numerous scenarios, I
decided that I would have continued my education.
Because I believe in the resilience of the United
States and its aviation industry, students in this
field—whether they are beginning, continuing,
or completing their training—should use this
time to enroll in additional courses and serve
apprenticeships in order to further their expertise
in as many areas as possible. Some of these
areas include avionics, digital engine control
systems, sheet metal, troubleshooting, and
helicopter maintenance.
One notable aviation field that requires
specialized training is helicopter maintenance.
Technological and engineering design advances
���� ����
have enhanced the practicality of helicopters
for many aviation functions. These highly
maneuverable vehicles have proven their
dependability in military, construction, law
enforcement, agriculture, air ambulance and
rescue capabilities, to name a few. A relatively
recent and rapidly expanding application using
helicopters is electronic newsgathering (ENG).
In a recent study conducted by Bill Milton,
Assistant Professor in the helicopter program
at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale,
helicopter operators were surveyed in an effort
to gather feedback regarding the qualifications
of helicopter maintenance technicians. The
survey entitled, “Assessing the Needs of the
Helicopter Industry” was sent to 170 helicopter
operators, 26% of which were returned and used
to tabulate findings. One of the conclusions that
was drawn from this survey was that the majority
of responding helicopter operators indicated
maintenance technicians need additional training
in certain areas. Some of these areas listed in
order of criticalness are (1) inspection and repair
of wiring and connections (2) troubleshooting
avionics (3) repair and replacement of components and (4) communication and navigation
systems.
Prior to the terrorist attack in September,
the helicopter industry, as well as the entire
continued on pg. 2..........
A Call to Arms
continued from pg. 1..........
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• • • • • • • • • • • •
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aviation industry, was in need of highly qualified
technicians to maintain their sophisticated
machines. With the increased utilization of
helicopters in the United States, specialized
aviation maintenance technicians capable of
troubleshooting and maintaining integrated
advanced avionics and electrical systems will
be at a premium, especially as the economy
stabilizes. Therefore, the more courses students
can take to supplement their certification as
aviation maintenance technicians the more they
can offer the industry when it rebounds, thereby
benefiting themselves and our nation. As our
nation begins to come to terms with the insecurities we have all been forced to acknowledge,
individuals have the opportunity to take positive
action to address their personal apprehensions
constructively. Instability of their industry is
but one of the worries aviation students and
workers are probably contemplating, but as
they see the tremendous strength demonstrated
by so many U.S. citizens in the face of adversity,
I am hoping they will choose to follow suit.
•••••••••••••••
February Commentary
Dr. Stan Kajs, editor of The Successful Professor,
will author the Commentary of the February issue
with an article entitled, “The Role of Literature in a
World of Technology.”
www.thesuccessfulprofessor.com
• • • • • • • • • • • •
Writing Effective
Multiple Choice Exams
Mike Atkinson, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Psychology
University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario, Canada
atkinson@uwo.ca
Instructors and students alike often express
certain distaste for multiple choice (MC) exams.
While MC exams have the advantage of being
easy to grade, the items themselves are frequently described as tricky and unnecessarily
difficult. Students may feel that the exam did
not test their knowledge of the course material.
Instructors complain that items tend to be
“low-level” and test recall of material rather
than critical thinking. Is it possible to construct
a fair, yet challenging MC exam?
Absolutely! The key to an effective MC
choice exam is to construct high-level items
that actually reflect the course material. Highlevel items are those that tap cognitive skills
from the top categories of Bloom (1956). Bloom
described a six-layer hierarchy of cognitive
skills arrayed in the following order: knowledge,
comprehension, application, analysis, synthesis,
and evaluation. At the bottom of the hierarchy,
questions require students to simply define,
recall or identify information. This is not a
complex cognitive activity and leads only to
a surface understanding of the material. If we
want students to engage in critical thinking,
then we must structure questions that require
more complex processing, e.g., compare sources
of information, extract the appropriate information, formulate a new approach and evaluate
how well students have done. This can be
done on a MC exam, but we must take care
when constructing the items. Some good
examples of questions at each level of the
continued on pg. 3..........
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VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6
2
Multiple Choice Exams
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hierarchy can be found at the following
website:
http://www. uct.ac.za/projects/cbe/mcqman/
mcqappc.html
A good way to begin writing your
exam is by constructing an exam blueprint.
This is simply a cross-tabulated matrix or
spread sheet that indicates the number of
items devoted to each level from Bloom
for each of the topics to be covered on
your exam. For example, let us say that
my final exam covers chapters 10, 11, and
12 of the text as well as lecture material
that may not appear in the text. My exam
blueprint might look something like the
table below (See Table 1.).
This exam consists of 67 questions,
fairly evenly distributed across the topics,
but with slightly less emphasis on the
lecture material. We can also see that the
emphasis in chapter 10 is more toward
the lower end of the taxonomy, whereas
chapters 11 and 12 focus on higher-level
material. This scheme may, in fact, reflect
the orientation of the chapters (10 is more
directly tied to content whereas 11 and 12
discuss broader implications.) and the kind
of knowledge that I as the instructor expect
the student to master. An exam blueprint
helps the instructor identify where higherlevel items are needed and serves to
validate the learning objectives for the
Level
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
course. It is a good idea to share the exam
blueprint with your students; it will help
them to assess the kind of knowledge they
need to acquire. The blueprint also further
reinforces the learning objectives. If I
want my students to be critical thinkers,
my exams should be designed to assess
this ability.
Are there any guidelines for writing
items? Several good sources are on the
web (See the list at the end of this article.),
but here are a few tips. Note: These are
general guidelines and do not necessarily
apply to all questions at all times. For
example, on some occasions none of the
above is a reasonable alternative to include.
However, you should not just make none
of the above an alternative when you need
something for option “e” and cannot really
think of any another choice.
Chapter 10
6
4
4
4
0
you use in the stem unless the learning
objective is to be able to accomplish
this task. Consider the following
question:
Which of the following is the best car?
2
2
4
5
2
Toyota
Volvo
Ford
BMW
Hyundai
b.
c.
d.
lens
rods
horizontal cells
The answer depends on how we
define the word “best.” Do you mean
“most economical,” “safest,” “most
luxurious,” or perhaps something else?
Be clear in what you are asking.
3. The stem should be stated in a direct,
positive format. Consider the following
question:
Which of the following retinal
structures is not behind the ganglion
cells? a. cones
1. In general, a good number of alternatives are 4 or 5. This number provides
a reasonable guessing rate (25 or 20
percent respectively) without making
the question unduly complicated.
Adding more alternatives will increase
the difficulty level of the item, but
this increase is likely due to extra
cognitive load rather than pedagogical
soundness of the item.
2. The stem (the part in which the
question is phrased) should provide
a clear and unambiguous question
or statement. There should be no
room for interpretation of the words
Chapter 11
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
e. amacrine cells
This question (which is at the knowledge
level) is both ambiguous (what do we
mean by the word behind) and is made
even more difficult by phrasing it in
the negative (not behind). Once again
we have an increase in cognitive load
that is unrelated to the course content.
If you want to know which structure
light entering the eye strikes first, you
should phrase the stem that way.
Chapter 12
Lecture
1
6
5
3
1
2
2
4
3
1
Table 1. Exam Blueprint
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VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6
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Multiple Choice Exams
continued from pg. 3..........
4. Distracters (the incorrect alternatives)
should reflect errors in logic, common
mistakes, or inappropriate reasoning.
The MC item should require the
student to think, and the student who
does not comprehend the material
should be lead to an incorrect alternative. Distracters that are glaringly out
of context or that bear no relation to the
stem at all are unlikely to be chosen.
Apart from serving no pedagogical
purpose, such distracters also change
your test statistics. You may think
that the guessing rate is 20% with 5
alternatives; but if two of those are
not real choices, the guessing rate is
actually 33%.
5. Use the phrase all of the above or none
of the above sparingly and only if you
are trying to test whether students
can properly combine information.
All too often these alternatives appear
as the final selection in an item because
the instructor could not think of another
distracter or because the instructor
is trying to see if the student can
identify one term on page 10, another
on page 12 and still another on page
15. Consequently, all of the above is
typically the right answer, and none
of the above is typically wrong. If
you want to use one of these options,
include it as a choice on some items
where it is the correct choice and
others where it is wrong.
6. Randomize the position of the correct
answer. There is a tendency to make
“b,” “c,” or “d” the correct choice
and to avoid “a” and “e.” Most likely
this decision reflects the fact that we
took a long time to write the MC item
and we do not want to give away the
answer from the beginning. However,
students will soon pick up this pattern,
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and default to the strategy of choosing
“c” when in doubt.
7. Remember to make the stem
grammatically consistent with the
alternatives For example, if the stem
ends with the indefinite article a, you
must consider whether any of the
choices begin with a vowel and thus
require the article to be an. It is a
good practice in such a situation to
end with the more generic a (n).
Multiple choice exams can be every
bit as challenging and thought provoking
as an essay exam, but constructing a really
good test takes time. Student complaints
that items are “picky” or that the instructor
was just trying to trick them usually reflect
the fact that the test was not well constructed. Be open to these comments and be
willing to examine your items after the
test has been written. We are usually very
open to constructive criticism in our
scholarly work, and we should take the
same stance when it comes to our pedagogy.
Web Resources for Writing
Multiple Choice Items
http://www.ucs.umn.edu/oms/multchoice.htmlx
http://www.ed.gov/databases/ERIC_Digests/
ed398236.html
http://www.psywww.com/selfquiz/aboutq.html
http://www.uoregon.edu/~tep/assessment/
sometechniques.html
http://www.ucalgary.ca/~dmjacobs/portage/
Reference
Bloom, B.S. (1956). Taxonomy of
educational objectives: The classification of
educational goals: Handbook I, cognitive
domain. New York: Longmans, Green.
•••••••••••••••
“Spoken Word”: The
Favorite Poem Project
Scott Dillard, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Rhetoric
Georgia College and State University
English, Speech, and Journalism
Milledgeville, Georgia
sdillard@gcsu.edu
In 1997, Robert Pinsky was named the
thirty-ninth poet laureate of the United
States. Pinsky’s greatest achievement
and perhaps his lasting legacy as poet
laureate was his creation of the Favorite
Poem Project. The project began with
recordings of Americans reciting their
favorite poems. The project then grew
into a series of live event readings in
communities across the country, a series
of audio and video documentaries, a web
site, a searchable database, and a print
collection of poems accompanied by
letters. The print collection, Americans’
Favorite Poems: The Favorite Poem
Project Anthology, was edited by Pinsky
and Maggie Dietz.
Upon hearing of this project and
reading the book, I became fascinated
with the idea of holding one of these
events on my own campus, Fort Valley
State University. Pinksy’s live readings
were evenings when members of the
audience would read their favorite poems
to the audience. I thought that with the
help of my students I could create an
evening like the ones that Pinsky created
for his project. I allowed my students to
choose to be a part of this community
project. To my surprise, most of my
students wanted to participate in some
way with the poetry project that came to
be known as “Spoken Word.”
My original idea for the project was
slightly different than Pinsky’s project.
continued on pg. 5..........
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6
4
The Favorite Poem Project
continued from pg. 4..........
I wanted to create an evening of poetry
performances to accompany the poetry
readings.
I decided that because Fort Valley
State University was a historically black
university we would create an evening
celebrating African-American poetry. The
poetry performances would be divided
into three separate themes; and between
the first and second grouping and the
second and third grouping, we would
invite people in the audience to come
forward and read their favorite poems.
Because I had eighty students to work
with (four sections of public speaking with
twenty in each class), I knew that I would
have to be creative in involving all of the
students. They could not all participate
as readers or performers, and certainly not
all of them were interested in doing so. I
designed other tasks for them that would
draw on the skills that the course taught,
such as persuasion, organization, and other
critical thinking skills.
Members in one of my classes decided
that they would be in charge of publicity.
Another class decided that they wanted
to work on organizing and running the
technical elements of the show—lighting
and sound. A third class wanted to create
the posters and programs and to work the
doors on the night of the performance.
Most of the performers were drawn from
the fourth class.
We had two weeks to organize the
project.My students were their typical
skeptical selves. At Fort Valley State
University no one ever showed up for
any of the performances; and when they
did, they did not treat performers with
respect. Students would come late, bring
food, talk during the show, laugh inappropriately, and wander around the theatre
while the show was in progress. I had
spent the previous semester creating a
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handout for professors who were requiring
their students to attend these events. The
handout was entitled “How to Attend a
Performance”—a practical guide of do’s
and don’ts for attending theatrical events.
Although the handout was met with almost
universal derision from students that did
not like to be told how to behave in any
context, the audiences for the theatre were
gradually improving their behavior.
I assured the students during the
planning stage of the project that we could
succeed. What was needed on that campus
were students taking ownership of the
various performances that they helped
stage. I told the students that the success
of any project was up to them. If they
wanted the project to succeed, they had
to persuade the entire campus population
that it was a worthwhile event to attend.
I challenged each student to bring two
friends to the performance. We started a
contest in one class where the person who
brought the most people would receive
extra credit points. I told them that they
had to persuade their guests to be on time
and to stay for the entire show.
We began to work on the performances
for the evening. The student performers,
although inexperienced, were eager to
present the poetry. We had, earlier in the
semester, used poetry in order to help
them with articulation and expressiveness
of voice so they were familiar with the
concept of performing poetry. They performed in different styles. Some read their
poems from manuscripts while others
recited it from memory. Some of the many
performances were solo pieces, some duos,
and others group pieces.
The sound people put together a preshow tape to set the appropriate mood for
the evening. The lighting people came to
rehearsals in order to design a lighting
plan for each performance and to learn
to run the light board. The program and
poster committee started designing their
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6
What was needed on that
campus were students taking
ownership of the
various performances
that they helped stage.
projects. The publicity machine went into
high gear.
The publicity we did for the show
really helped make this project a community event because somehow we had
to advertise this performance as unlike
any other they had attended on campus.
At this performance, the audience would
also perform. So, the publicity committee
had to encourage the audience to come
armed with their favorite poems.
The people who created the posters
made sure that the information was clearly
marked on the posters. But, who reads
posters on campus anyway? We knew we
would need more than that. The publicity
committee took two very important steps.
The first was to send out an e-mail that
announced the project and the opportunity
for all to participate. They then targeted
particular professors, hand delivering
them invitations so that if the professors
had any questions about the project, they
could be answered immediately. Finally,
a day before the show, e-mail reminders
were sent to all.
The night of the show, I was very
nervous. Would this project really work,
or was I kidding my students and myself ?
I felt as if I were putting my reputation
on the line. If I failed at this effort, I
would be failing in a very big way.
I need not have worried. The night
of the show we had a packed house. All
arrived on time and took their seats. The
lights went down. Out walked the first
continued on pg. 6..........
5
The Favorite Poem Project
continued from pg. 5..........
students, a group prepared to perform “The
Creation” by James Weldon Johnson.
Their performance went extremely well,
for which the audience rewarded them
with a round of applause. After each
subsequent performance, the applause
grew louder. The audience was the most
attentive I had ever seen at Fort Valley.
Impassioned, the performers were feeding
off of the energy the audience was supplying them. I watched as performers who
always held back suddenly burst out of
their shells and conveyed nuances in their
poems they never had before. Their bodies
were loose and expressive.
We had made it through the first
portion of the evening. Now came the
audience’s turn. The emcees for the evening
asked people in the audience to share their
favorite poem. I watched in amazement
as about twenty people came rushing forward. They read a wide array of poetry
for a very appreciative audience. In
Pinsky’s project, the readers were required
to read a poem by a published poet and
to tell the audience the reason that poem
is their favorite. For our project, we abandoned those rules. The readers that evening
could read any poem they wanted and
could decide if they wanted to tell us about
their selection. Many people gave the
reasons they liked their poems, but most
did not. They just performed. A good one
third of them read their own work.
The evening continued like that for
the next section of our performance and
the second opportunity for audience participation and our final performances. The
second time the audience was asked to
participate, as many people come forward.
In the audience, I heard a number of people
express their regret that they had not
brought a poem to read.
I watched that evening’s performance
with such pride in my students and what
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In the audience, I heard a
number of people express
their regret that they had not
brought a poem to read.
they accomplished. I have vivid memories
of each of my student performers bringing
to life the works of Maya Angelou, Paul
Laurence Dunbar, Langston Hughes,
Countee Cullen, and many more. I will
never forget a young woman who stepped
forward from the audience to perform a
poem called, “If I Were Your Bath Water.”
As she caressed the words in her expression
of the sensuous nature of the poem, the
young men around me began fanning
themselves in mock ecstasy. Also, I can
still hear the young men who used hip-hop
rhythms to express their deepest feelings.
I will most remember how those students
created community that night when they
thought it could not be done.
After that evening, my students wrote
short papers that debriefed their experiences working on the project. The first
paragraph of their papers described the
work that they did to bring the project to
fruition. The second paragraph was their
impressions of the evening. The last paragraph linked the experience to classroom
materials. Performers were able to report
that the experience of reading/performing
the poems allowed them to think about
how they used their voices as speakers
and how tone and other nonverbal cues
help carry messages. Most of the students
were able to talk about how they had
persuaded others to attend and participate.
When we think of community involvement on college campuses, we sometimes
forget that the campus itself is a community. And as such, that community needs
to be nurtured. “Spoken Word” was a
dream I had about the Fort Valley State
University community, and my students
made it come true.
•••••••••••••••
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6
Building Effective
Online Learning
Communities
Debra D. Kuhl
Business Instructor
University of Arkansas Community
College at Hope
Hope, Arkansas
dkuhl@mail.uacch.cc.ar.us
Online education has become a reality in
the 21st century. But how successful is it?
In the general college population, one-half
of all freshmen drop out or leave college
within the first six weeks. Online students,
however, typically drop out even earlier
than the students in a traditional course
(Carnevale). A major problem is not the
students but the online courses. Studies indicate that students evaluate online courses
the same way they do traditional courses
(Carnevale). They like knowledgeable
instructors who interact with students as
well as those additional features that build
a sense of community among those taking
the course. The question is “How does
an instructor build an effective online
learning community?”
The online instructor can engage
students by using various methods of interactive communications so that they feel
they belong to a group. This community
leads to a greater commitment, cooperation,
and satisfaction with learning experiences.
The question is “How does
an instructor build an
effective online
learning community?”
continued on pg. 7..........
6
Online Learning Communities
continued from pg. 6..........
Instructors and students must realize
that online communication is not instantaneous. One method is online posting.
However, after messages are posted, one
must wait for a response because both the
instructor and students must read and post
responses. Because online communication
eliminates face-to-face interaction, resulting in no eye contact or body language,
messages are open to interpretation.
Therefore, the instructor and students
need continuous feedback from the class
to ensure that the messages they are sending are the messages being received.
Online instructors must access their
online courses frequently, generating, rotating, and responding to assignments that
encourage interaction among the students.
Online instructors should e-mail all enrolled
students before the semester begins, tell
them about the class in a positive and
friendly way, and insist they visit the course
site. They should encourage students to
e-mail questions and/or concerns about
the course. Once an online course has
started, students can use the course bulletin
board as a means of communicating and
building learning communities. In order
to assist students in building this learning
community, instructors should check the
bulletin board every day, seven days a
week, four times a day. For example, they
should it check at about 7:00 a.m., around
11:00 a.m., about 3:00 p.m., and finally
again around 9:30 p.m. These frequent
checks result in students’ receiving timely
advice.
Fostering student interaction is extremely
important, and instructors have to begin
by responding to every single posting on
the bulletin board. Instructors should
never let the first posting go by without
a response. They should post leading
questions, then contrast responses to those
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questions for discussion. Instructors should
give credit and encouragement to students
for participation. Finally, instructors should
learn to keep a low profile and let their
students discuss the course material.This
interaction is a very strong incentive to
many students and gives them motivation
to respond among themselves.
Another successful method of building
a learning community in an online course
is for instructors to maintain office hours
each week and to encourage interaction
and communication with their students.
Instructors should incorporate the use of
chat room access, allowing real-time conversation. These chat rooms allow students
to receive instantaneous feedback and
clarification of concepts as well as promote
discussions about topics covered in the
course material. When instructors encourage
and participate in communication by using
e-mail, bulletin boards, and chat rooms,
their courses are more likely to become a
successful learning experience for students.
Instructors should also encourage
students to initiate their own discussions,
allowing for development of support
groups with a human dimension. Online
discussion is generally comfortable for
most students because it eliminates barriers
such as gender, age, race, and social class.
Another barrier removed in these discussions is the subconscious faculty bias in
choosing who answers questions. The
removal of this barrier allows for diversity
of opinions from coast to coast or nation
to nation. Sensitive topics, such as certain
biases based on stereotypes, are sometimes
easier to discuss online than in a traditional
class. Discussions pertaining to these topics
are generally easier for students because
they can voice their opinion while feeling
secure in doing so. The security, although
false, is in students’ belief that their identity
is not known and that they are not having
the conversation face-to-face with the class.
This feature can lessen the anxiety that
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6
Instructors should also
encourage students to initiate
their own discussions,
allowing for development
of support groups with a
human dimension.
some students feel about speaking up in
the classroom setting.
Instructors often fail to pursue the
nonparticipating students in online courses.
If a student is enrolled in the course and
is not posting to the bulletin board, then
the instructor should e-mail that student
and not give up easily. Instructors should
call or mail students a letter as a follow-up.
Instructors should keep after the stray
students and with persistence steer them
back online to participate in the class.
Instructors must let students know the
importance of their participation in the
course.
Instructors should encourage all their
students, even the quiet ones, to participate in online discussions. The online
environment, in particular, allows the
“wallflower” student to become involved
in direct conversation without the traditional
speaking barriers surfacing. As we know,
a few students who dominate traditional
classes can discourage introverted students
from participating in discussions. Online
classes, by their nature, force all students
to participate actively. Every question and
posting is perceived as being directed to
the individual and requires response. Even
introverted students must respond to all
questions asked.
The result of an instructor’s active
promotion of online discussion is that
students become more self-motivated and
continued on pg. 8..........
7
Online Learning Communities
continued from pg. 7..........
independent in the class. The key to learning
is the sharing that takes place, and this
sharing seems rich and rewarding when
done in a learning community. Belonging
to an online learning community promotes
student commitment and enhances learning
satisfaction. Instructors of online courses
who actively establish a learning community
with students are the future for successful
online learning and may develop the best
learning strategies. In a discussion, instructors must be willing to field questions
and engage students as a group because,
according to Carnevale, “Knowledge
isn’t transmitted; knowledge is constructed.
It isn’t something that’s handed to someone
over a bandwidth cable.” These instructors
need to engage students in discussion and
assist them in joining and building an
online learning community.
Because student attrition is one of the
major obstacles to the credibility and
effectiveness of online courses, instructors
can benefit from these guidelines to build
an online learning community.
Reference
Carnevale, D. “What makes an online course
succeed? Not everyone agrees, a study finds.”
The Chronicle of Higher Education 12
October 2000. p. A 29.
•••••••••••••••
The Successful Professor™
Unmasking
Heterosexism
with Monty Python
Roy Schwartzman, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Communication
and Basic Course Director
Department of Communication,Theatre,
and Languages
Northwest Missouri State University
Maryville, Missouri
docroy@classicnet.net
Heterosexism is defined as “the assumption
that heterosexuality is the only natural,
normal and moral sexuality. This ideology,
or taken for granted belief, constructs
heterosexual as superior and entitling one
to privileges . . . .” (Bella, 2001, online).
Heterosexism is sustained and expressed
by the terminology people choose to employ.
Despite the dangers of heterosexism,
introductory public speaking textbooks
fail to mention heterosexist language at
all (e.g., Zarefsky, 1999; Lucas, 2001;
Wolvin, Berko, and Wolvin, 1999; McKerrow, Gronbeck, Ehninger, and Monroe,
2000; Osborn and Osborn, 2000) or merely
mention that students should avoid it (e.g.,
DeVito, 2000; Gregory, 2002). This exercise
goes beyond condemning heterosexist
language. It exposes it as a first step in
reforming language habits.
The Activity
Divide the class into groups of 4-6
students. Distribute to each group the
following two items. Allow the groups
ten minutes to brainstorm answers.
Item 1. Your best friend tells you that
s/he wants to introduce you to a lumberjack. Describe how you would expect a
lumberjack to look and act.
Item 2. Suppose you also learn that
the lumberjack recently got married.
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6
Describe how you would expect the lumberjack’s spouse to look.
After the groups have brainstormed,
discuss how each group has chosen to
describe the lumberjack and spouse. Focus
attention on the latent heterosexist assumptions behind some of the descriptions
offered by the groups. Pertinent points
include the following:
• Have certain traditionally masculine
occupations (trucker, lumberjack)
been described as performed by heterosexual males? Have the workers in
these occupations been described as
presumptively heterosexual and male?
• Have group members automatically
assumed that the lumberjack acts in
typically masculine ways?
• Have the groups automatically assumed
the lumberjack’s partner is female? Why?
• Do heterosexist assumptions stigmatize
people who do not fit standard masculine
stereotypes as socially unacceptable?
Consideration of these questions should
generate some impassioned discussion.
When I lead discussions on these topics,
many students are incredulous that anyone
could envision any possibilities other than
a heterosexual relationship, with the male
assuming the more physically active,
dominant role.
To illustrate how heterosexist assumptions can lead to unwarranted conclusions,
show the class a videotape of the British
comedy troupe Monty Python’s “Lumberjack Song” (from the first season of Monty
Python’s Flying Circus). In this brief skit
(the song lasts 2:48), a would-be lumberjack sings the praises of his ideal profession.
With “my best girl by my side,” he lauds
the hard-working life:
Oh, I’m a lumberjack, and I’m okay,
I sleep all night and I work all day.
continued on pg. 9..........
8
Unmasking Heterosexism
continued from pg. 8..........
A chorus of uniformed Mounties
(living symbols of masculine virility)
echoes his words approvingly. As the
song progresses, however, the masculine,
heterosexist assumptions about the lumberjack begin to crumble. He gradually
discloses the following:
I cut down trees, I skip and jump,
I like to press wild flowers.
I put on women’s clothing,
And hang around in bars.
Finally, the macho image disintegrates
with the following admission:
I wish I’d been a girlie
Just like my dear papa.
The Mounties disband in confusion,
their chorus turning to insults. The lumberjack’s “best girl,” reduced to tears, exits
as she laments: “I thought you were so
rugged!”
Although the skit generates roars of
laughter, it carries a serious message.
When heterosexist assumptions break
down, expectations are disrupted. Violations
of heterosexual norms can lead to backlash because difference often gets treated
as deviance. Note that the lumberjack pays
a heavy price for his revelations. The skit
ends with him abandoned by his significant
other, alone, and the butt of ridicule by
his peers.
The lumberjack skit illustrates how
deeply ingrained heterosexist norms can
become. Heterosexism can emerge whenever
ever language pattern use goes unchallenged.
For example, even zoologists are starting
to admit that the supposedly value-neutral
descriptions of animals can employ “biased,
negative, and overtly homophobic (and
heterosexist) language and interpretations”
(Bagemihl, 1999, online). Similarly, social
science research on families focuses on
The Successful Professor™
heterosexual relationships, so the relational
dynamics of homosexuals often escape
attention (Bella, 2001).
Appraisal
Because of the content of the lumberjack skit and the discussion of sexual
preferences, this exercise works best in
classes that have relatively mature students.
Yet, I have used this exercise in introductory
communication courses because it graphically illustrates potentially damaging
communication practices. As the laughter
at the skit subsides, students confront the
sobering thought that their own communication practices might contribute to the
discomfort of others. Overall, the benefits
of frank discussions about heterosexism
probably outweigh the risks. Gay activist
Warren J. Blumenfeld expresses concern
that homophobia and heterosexism often
qualify as taboo topics (Stevenson, 1994).
Unless students increase their awareness
of biased communication, linguistic habits
that contribute to marginalization will
continue unexamined and unimpeded.
When the terminology people choose to
employ defines heterosexuality not only
as the “norm,” but as the only acceptable
orientation, the voices of non-heterosexuals
are discounted. As one editorial stated,
“In a heterosexist culture, language defines
the norm so we can’t articulate our reality”
(First words, 2000, online).
The group setting for this exercise
helps avoid finger-pointing at anyone as
homophobic or heterosexist since the group
as a whole becomes aware of its heterosexist assumptions. For this exercise to
achieve its objective and improve sensitivity to heterosexism, everyone in the class
needs to monitor his or her own language
use. This issue especially holds true for
the instructor, who should set a positive
example by avoiding heterosexist language and exposing it when it occurs
(Barnard, 1993). Greater awareness of
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6
Overall, the benefits of
frank discussions about
heterosexism
probably outweigh
the risks.
heterosexist language should extend
beyond the classroom to the workplace
and social environments. Students may
help educate their co-workers and friends
about the risks of heterosexist language.
Inclusive language that acknowledges
diversity of sexual orientations can foster
a more open academic, professional, and
social environment where everyone feels
welcome.
References
Bagemihl, B. (1999). Why Biological
Exuberance? Author Bruce Bagemihl,
Ph.D, explains the thoughts behind the
book. Available online http://www.
stonewallinn.com/FeaturesBioExEssay.html
Barnard, I. (1993). Anti-homophobic
pedagogy: Some suggestions for teachers.
Feminist Teacher, 7, 3, 50-52.
Bella, L. (2001, June). The Heterosexism
Enquirer: Creating curriculum resources on
the web. Paper presented at the Society for
Teaching and Learning in Higher Education.
St. John’s, Newfoundland. Available online
http://www.mun.ca/the/societyteach.htm
DeVito, J. A. (2000). The elements of public
speaking (7th ed.). New York: Addison Wesley
Longman.
First words: What’s in a name? (2000, Dec.)
The Voice 3.3. Available online http://www.
thevoice.on.ca/
Gregory, H. (2002). Public speaking for college
and career (6th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
continued on pg. 10..........
9
Unmasking Heterosexism
continued from pg. 9..........
Lucas, S. E. (2001). The art of public speaking
(7th ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill.
McKerrow, R. E., Gronbeck, B. E., Ehninger,
D., & Monroe, A. H. (2000). Principles and
types of speech communication (14 th ed.).
New York: Addison Wesley Longman.
Osborn, M., & Osborn, S. (2000). Public
speaking (5th ed.). Boston: Houghton Mifflin.
Stevenson, D. C. (1994, March 11). Homophobia
talk, discussion opens line of communication.
The [MIT] Tech, pp. 1, 7. Available online
http://www-tech.mit.edu/V114/N13/
homophobia.13n.html
Wolvin, A. D., Berko, R. M., & Wolvin, D. R.
(1999). The public speaker/the public listener
(2nd ed.). Los Angeles: Roxbury.
Zarefsky, D. (1999). Public speaking: Strategies
for success (2nd ed.). Boston: Allyn and Bacon.
Resources
The complete script for Monty Python’s
“Lumberjack Song” is available online at
http://www.montypython.net/scripts/
lumberj.php
The video version of the “Lumberjack Song”
is available as part of several sets, including
Monty Python’s Flying Circus, Season 1
(1969) and Monty Python’s Flying Circus,
Set 2, Episodes 7-13 (1969).
The audio version of the “Lumberjack Song”
can be downloaded in .wav format at:
http://lightning.prohosting.com/
~montypy/sounds/LumbSong.wav
•••••••••••••••
The Successful Professor™
Just Humor-Us: A
Simple and Amusing
Assignment
Stan Kajs, Ph.D., Editor
In my Introduction to Humanities course,
I use a simple but effective extra-credit
assignment that encourages students to
express their sense of humor. For all the
students in the class, this sharing of humor
serves as comic relief and allows them to
view works of art from a different and
amusing perspective.
Procedure. Students select a work of
art from chapters in the unit under study
and then analyze it for its potential as
material for humor. The work can be a
mosaic, sculpture, or a painting. They then
write a humorous caption in one statement
for their selected work. They may submit
one work and humorous caption for each
unit, for a total of four, one before each
test.
Content. The caption must suit the
work of art, express good taste, and, of
course, elicit some chuckles or smiles, at
a minimum. Obscene, vulgar, or offensive
captions disqualify a submission.
Format. Students are required to follow
a specific format so their submissions are
clear, consistent, and easy to read. The
picture and printed caption must be on
8 1/2”x 11” white paper. The picture itself
must be no smaller than 5”x7,” with the
caption placed under it. Students find works
of art on the Internet and then print them
to a color printer. Some opt to paste prints
on white paper.
Examples. Students are quite creative
with this assignment, particularly when
they know that their peers will also be
evaluating their work. In one submission,
the work of art is the painting entitled
Judith Slaying Holofernes (c. 1620) by
VOLUME 1 • ISSUE 6
Artemisia Gentileschi. In this work, Judith
with her maid, is slicing off the head of
the Assyrian general in his bed. Assuming
the two are barbers, he states: “What part of
a little off the top did you not understand?”
Another example is The Bride of the Village
(1761) by Jean-Baptiste Greuze. After
giving the dowry to his unenthusiastic
future son-in-law, the exasperated father
extends his arms toward his family. The
caption reads: “Take my daughter . . . Not
enough? Then take them all. But don’t
take the chickens.” And a final painting is
The Declaration of Independence (17871820) by John Trumbull. Delivering their
document to the Assembly, the drafting
committee stand before a table. When
challenged about the Declaration, Ben
Franklin, taken by surprise, comments:
“Don’t look at me. I didn’t write it. It
was the tall, red-haired guy.”
Evaluation. I involve the students
in the evaluation process, though I make
the final decision and award points. After
I collect all the submissions, I pass them
around the class for the students to enjoy
and evaluate. After all the students have
seen the submissions, I ask them to vote
with their thumbs: up for a submission that
is humorous and down for one that is not.
While the voting takes place, the comics
close their eyes and await the decision:
either extra-credit points or not. Those who
submit may receive up to three points for
their efforts, added to the score of their
upcoming test.
Conclusion. My students enjoy this
assignment, even those who only sit and
judge. Humor-Us may work well in other
courses besides the humanities. Professors
of business, the sciences, and technology
can adapt this assignment to their course
material and inject extra-credit humor
into their classrooms.
•••••••••••••••
10
Meet the Authors
Larry Head obtained both bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg,
Kansas. Raised on the family dairy farm near Parsons, Kansas, his interest in aviation began in his teens.
After service in the Navy, he worked and began teaching in Wichita, Kansas. He was Director of
Aeronautics at Cowley College in South Central Kansas for many years before he began teaching at
Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. He currently instructs in the Aviation Technologies program
as well as conducts research into Human Factors. He is married and has six children; two are grown and
four still at home.
Mike Atkinson, Ph.D., is an associate professor of psychology at the University of Western Ontario in
London, Ontario, Canada. His work involves the use of multimedia in large class teaching. (At Western, he
teaches a single class with an enrollment of 1220). Recent projects include two introductory psychology texts
and a book of frequently asked questions about psychology. Mike has been featured in numerous media
articles including the APA Monitor, the Toronto Globe and Mail, and Maclean’s Guide to Universities. He is
the four-time winner of Psychology Professor of the Year at Western, Alumni Western’s Award of Teaching
Excellence and is a national 3M Teaching Fellow.
Scott Dillard has a Ph.D. (1996) and an M.S. (1985) in Speech Communication from Southern Illinois
University and a B.A. in Speech Communication from Blackburn College (1984). He has taught at several
universities, including Fort Valley State University and Central Michigan University, and is currently teaching
at Georgia College and State University. His scholarship on performance studies has appeared in the journal
Text and Performance Quarterly. He is also a solo performance artist who has developed and performed
several shows.
Debra Kuhl is a Business Instructor at the University of Arkansas Community College at Hope. She has an
M.B.A. and has been a college instructor for the past 5 years. She is currently working on a doctoral degree
at the University of Arkansas-Fayetteville. She is recognized as a Distance Learning Teaching Scholar and
designer of online courses for the University of Arkansas System. She currently has a Business Law course
online and introduced an Introduction to Computer online course in Spring 2002. In two years, her
success rate for online course work has risen from 50% to 92%.
Roy Schwartzman (Ph.D., University of Iowa) is Associate Professor of Communication and Basic Course
Director at Northwest Missouri State University. He won the National Communication Association
Outstanding Dissertation Award in 1994. He specializes in Holocaust studies and is a 2001 Missouri Campus
Compact service learning grant recipient.
The Successful Professor™
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