Fighting the Slump: Effective Pedagogy for Reinvigorating the Mid-Semester Classroom
Ann Ferren Teaching Conference – 1/9/09
Information collected from Fall College Writing Program courses (Lit 100 and Lit 101); there were 84
responses
On a scale of 0-10, rate your energy level for each month of the semester.
0 = no energy, unenthusiastic, frustrated, distracted
10 = high energy, lots of enthusiasm, focused
Month
September
Rating (0-10)
8.25
[Average]
Examples of Comments:
adjusting
excited
October
6.92
Still fun, but getting lethargic
In the swing
focused
November
5.91
December
5.69
stressed
bored
I started doing work
Lots of work - draining
It’s almost over
Burned out
Ready to leave
Focused but NO energy
In any of your classes, did you notice any changes in classroom atmosphere or
energy levels over the course of the semester? Do any specific incidents or moments
come to mind? Briefly describe.
There was more pressure toward the end of the semester
Many more people seemed tired towards the end of the semester, all the assignments are due at the same time
People get fed up and tired from all the work
Energy would fall greatly when doing group work
By the end of October I was ready for a break. The work became monotonous and I wasn’t as focused
Work became boring
Less energy after midterms
At the end of the semester, I get more tired and less focused, even though I have more work, because there is
less sunlight.
November: more absences
Less and less people showed up to lectures, the lectures seemed to get more boring
One of my teachers missed like 6 classes and I was like “well if she doesn’t care why should I?”
At first everyone is optimistic, then people get lazy
Drastic drop in attendance, especially in larger classes
In my lecture classes, I noticed a lot of people stopped showing up while others stopped doing the work
It’s mostly the students that had a lower energy level; the professors seem just as energized in November and
December
In classes where the people had gotten to know each other, the discussions were better and more interesting
Smaller classes get more comfortable as the semester goes on
Fighting the Slump: Effective Pedagogy for Reinvigorating the Mid-Semester Classroom
Ann Ferren Teaching Conference – 1/9/09
What were some things you noticed your professors doing to address the changes in
energy levels or attitude over the course of the semester? What were some things
that might have better helped you fight your own waning energy level?
Not have everything due at the same time
I do think professors lose energy as the term goes on too
Switched up lessons, did different assignments, group work
Less readings, more discussions
Less information given in class
Group work, some canceled a class
Teachers tried to energize the students by talking with high energy – it didn’t always work
Some professors tried to energize their courses by using group projects and debates
Getting out early sometimes
In one class, we watched a movie to take a break from lecture
In one class, we had more quizzes on material covered in class so people would pay attention more
My professor was really energetic and this helped
More oral presentations and in-class activities
Everyone got excited about debates and activities where everyone had to speak at midsemester
Changes in topics/ concepts / varying conversation topics – not staying on one topic too long
More handouts
Class activities with clear steps
Getting to know the professor
One professor started the class with related political cartoons to try to raise energy levels during class, prepare
for discussion, etc.
A longer fall break to recharge after midterms
Midterms that aren’t so drawn out
Some of the professors tried to be more upbeat, others didn’t seem to care and kept teaching the same way. It
helped me when the professor noticed and talked about the low energy levels
In some of my classes, the professors commented on high energy levels and complimented students; other
times, during lower energy, the professor noticed and expressed unhappiness, which challenged the students to
get more involved
One of my professors brought candy in the middle of the semester
When the students had less energy, the professor had us do more activities that involved moving around
More interactive stuff
One professor started calling on people who hadn’t been talking
Drafts / sections of big assignments due over time
Putting people in groups
Midterm reports helped people realize they had to talk more – seemed like more energy after that
I think there is only so much a professor can do
Professors should give the opportunity for good class discussions but it is really up to the students to take full
advantage of these opportunities
It helped to have workshops at the end of the semester, when the class time was geared to a specific
assignment
Professors sometimes made us get up and stretch so we’d be more awake for the rest of the class
I appreciated the enthusiasm from professors in response to the low energy levels
Good changes when students and teachers get to know each other better
It helped me to have bigger projects in the middle of the semester
I don’t think there’s really anything my professor could have done for my energy level. I really think I just
needed to get more sleep and go to the gym more often
Bringing in a guest speaker really helped mix things up
Asked more questions
Fighting the Slump: Effective Pedagogy for Reinvigorating the Mid-Semester Classroom
Ann Ferren Teaching Conference – 1/9/09
Practical Ways to Address Issues of “Energy”
* many of these ideas came from a College Writing Program workshop called “Beating the Post Mid-Term Slump”
Discussion and Class Interaction:
ask students to bring discussion questions to focus conversations about the reading or a particular
issue (for whole class discussion or to lead smaller group discussion)
allow students to write for 5-7 minutes about particular before discussion, either as a whole class or in
smaller groups (so they have something to draw from if necessary)
break students into groups and have them work on assigned questions; have them report their
findings to the class when they’re done
post discussion questions on Blackboard beforehand so that students have time to prepare, or start
the discussion on Blackboard before class
make a restriction that each student can only speak once until everyone else has spoken
change the format: make discussion questions a debate and have students compete
try a numbered discussion
o assign each student a number – do this strategically – and begin the discussion with a
question or questions you’ve brought about the reading; allow 20-40 minutes)
o allow students to do some writing before the discussion begins (but after they get their
numbers) so they have something to say no matter what
o OR assign tasks for each number [1 and 2 should pose provocative questions, 9 and 10
should refocus the discussion, bring back the question or develop a new question, 14 and 15
should liven things up, 17 and 18 should wrap it up]; you can get as specific with discussion
tasks as you like
try a role discussion
o assign each student a particular job on index cards you hand out at the beginning of the class
(for example: a few cards say “give us a discussion question,” “play devil’s advocate,” “ask a
question your professor would ask,” “remind us why we’re talking about this stuff,” etc)
o everyone must fulfill their role before anyone can speak twice
Assessing Learning:
Revisit the course objectives listed on the syllabus. Evaluate what you’ve done so far by making lists
for each objective (or having students do so on their own) and ask students to explain each point and
to make a list of goals for what’s left
Give a mid-semester progress report
Have a brief discussion about what you’ve covered in the class so far
Revisit work from earlier in the semester (a diagnostic, a statement of goals, a reflection letter,
readings, etc) Ask them to consider: how have their goals changed? Would they present themselves
the same way now as they did then? Why?
Discuss how all the readings and assignments connect to each other and/or the course theme. Could
do in groups, with each group focusing on a reading assignment to show how it builds on the other
texts
Confronting Boredom:
Get students out of the classroom - send them to the library for something, send them outside or to
another building for some reason that touches on an issue or a reading
Get students to teach others something (portions of a text, a skill associated with the course, etc) and
require that they do something interactive with the class to teach it
Have the librarian teach a class or a segment of a class on a particular research skill
Bring in other media – a song or a YouTube clip that relates to a project at hand, for example
If students are getting reluctant to deal with the readings, switch it up by making them bring in
readings. Have groups of students come in with articles relevant to the current essay or topics and
present them to the class for discussion.
Fighting the Slump: Effective Pedagogy for Reinvigorating the Mid-Semester Classroom
Ann Ferren Teaching Conference – 1/9/09
Anthony Ahrens (Tony) is an associate professor of psychology who works at the
interface of social and clinical psychology. He joined the AU faculty in 1987 and has
taught courses ranging in size from 8 to 140 and in level from 100 to 500.
Darrell Hayes is an Assistant Professor in the School of Communication at American
University where he primarily teaches public communication campaign courses for
graduate students or theory and rhetoric classes for undergrads. He is a specialist in crisis
communication and has been at the University for 8 years.
Alex Hodges is Assistant Director for Library Instruction within the AU Library, where
he has been a faculty member for the last 4.5 years. He also teaches a graduate-level
educational technology course within the School of Education, Teaching & Health.
Michael Keynes is the director of undergraduate studies in the department of math and
statistics. He has been working on reforming the service level curriculum in the Math
department and has created three courses at AU, including Great Ideas in Mathematics, a
freshmen-level reform-oriented mathematics course focusing on conceptual rather than
computational issues.
Jocelyn McCarthy is a Writing Instructor in the Department of Literature. She received
her MFA in Creative Writing from AU in 2004, and has been teaching full-time at AU
since the fall of 2005. She teaches College Writing – mostly to incoming freshman – and
some creative writing.
Alison Thomas is a Writing Instructor in the Department of Literature, and is a graduate
of AU’s MFA program in Creative Writing. In the College Writing Program, she teaches
Lit 100 and Lit 101. She writes fiction and creative non-fiction.