Margaret Dahlberg—Self Evaluation November 2000
1. Teaching Skills:
a. Mastery of Course Content.
The two courses I am teaching this semester, Shakespeare and English Lit Survey I, were
the focus of most of my graduate studies and therefore very familiar. Student comments
indicate that my background expertise is clear in class presentations/discussions.
What I have learned about this semester is the incredible wealth of material available on
the web for both these courses. I have tried to help my students sort through this material
intelligently, identifying what may be useful for research, for teaching, or for just plain
fun…like “Green Eggs and Hamlet.” In English Lit. we are using the web as partial
textbook—this allows for broader coverage/exposure than we would get with many
textbooks, and lets me select what I consider “the best” instead of settling for some
editor’s choice.
b. Appropriateness of Course Objectives.
The course objectives reflect the departmental course outlines and English major abilities
assigned to each course.
The English major ability to be met in Shakespeare is Competent Researcher, so I have
designed a number of smaller activities that expose students to web searches and site
evaluation, library searches, primary sources (one of our textbooks contains a number of
these) and online databases. Their major essay asks them to use these skills they have
been refining in a series of smaller activities in a larger task, and this assignment is the
project that indicates their ability to collect resources and use them effectively.
The objectives in English Literature I focus on
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the development of literary form and style over time
literature in its historical context
a thoughtful and informed reader response
For one project, students create an illuminated manuscript which helps demonstrate their
ability to interact aesthetically with Chaucer’s text and develop a thoughtful, informed
response. A second project focuses on another medieval text in its historical context;
both projects may be used to meet English major abilities (global awareness and aesthetic
engagement).
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c. Course Content and Organization.
The Shakespeare course is organized chronologically, except for the opening work
(Macbeth) which I start with because it is short and many students have already read it—
to ease them it, so to speak. The course looks at the breadth of Shakespeare’s work. As
an overview, it includes at least one of each type of play Shakespeare wrote. I have tried
to include plays students have not already read, and use group work to expose them to
even more. Some student resist the pace, but the limitations of one semester (and the fact
that they are in a 400 level course) demand both that we cover considerable ground and
that they be responsible for their learning. Since we spend time on the Sonnets in English
Lit I, I do not include them in the Shakespeare course.
Because we are also concerned with the historical context of literary works, I have
students present individual and group projects that discuss Shakespeare’s life and times.
The English survey course is organized chronologically (as implied by its title); we are
concerned (as the objectives state) with the development of form and style over time, so
the works selected are those that most clearly show the patterns from one period to the
next, as well as those that are most familiar to well-read individuals. We read Skelton’s
Bowge of Courte, for example, in order to discuss its roots in medieval dream narrative
and parade of vices, while recognizing the “modern” attention to individualization of
character, detail of setting, and dramatic interaction of character.
e. Appropriate Course Materials.
In English Literature I chose to have the students purchase separate paperback texts rather
than an anthology; we use etexts on the web to supplement the purchased texts. This was
primarily at student request from previous years, because they prefer the individual
paperbacks. The resources on the Web are plentiful, and I now prefer this approach
because it gives me wider range for selecting the literature we study. Because of the
popular interest in medieval studies, one can find an enormous amount of cultural
information on the Web, detailed enough for members of the Society for Creative
Anachronism to use in their hobby. Students can learn how to make mead, what to wear
if they are farmers in 976, how their village would have been arranged in 620, and what
kind of armor to have made for the next joust.
In Shakespeare, I required two play editions with critical essays, and two texts with
historical/cultural information. Students were free to locate the other plays we read
online, in anthologies, or in inexpensive paperback editions. Sparknotes.com provides
the equivalent of Cliffnotes, and Tales from Shakespeare (by Charles and Mary Lamb)
online provides an overview of each play…Additional critical essays for each play come
from online resources, the materials from my bookshelf, and the library. The diversity of
resources has added much to our class discussion.
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f. Appropriate Evaluation Criteria.
For each major assignment I provide grading criteria. Students complete a variety of
activities in my courses, including group work, short writing assignments, powerpoint
slides and presentations, long papers, web pages/sites, quizzes, and tests. This variety
allows students to take risks and develop some understanding of what one can do with
various formats. I need to start using the rubrics from the Abilities booklet with the
projects, so I can evaluate them more accurately for the Portfolio CD.
g. Appropriate Methodology.
I prefer, whenever possible, to use small groups to explore ideas and generate information
for the class. I find the use of PowerPoint quickly generates teacher-centered
presentations, so I consciously and frequently ask myself, “What can the students do?” to
maximize their opportunities for hands-one, student directed learning.
On the other hand, I have the sense some days that students have had enough group work
and presentations. This semester I deliberately chose not to have them present their most
recent group project to the class—they completed peer reviews in pairs of each project,
instead, and took a single class period instead of the three we would have used for the
presentations. We have also turned to “old fashioned” teacher directed, line by line close
readings on occasion to take a break from the inevitable group work—and students seem
to enjoy the variety. Clearly too much of any method can surfeit.
I use technology in my classroom as a communication tool (email, syllabus on the web),
an instructional tool (presentation of material on a monitor), and as a research tool
(internet searches). It has also provided the course text for about half of English Lit I this
semester.
I am ever conscious that most of my students will someday be English teachers, so I try to
model as many different, good teaching techniques as I can.
h. Concern for Student Learning:
I continue to seek ways to involve my students in active, hands-on learning activities. I
try to be flexible, and take the time necessary for students to master a skill. I use plenty
of examples, both my own and student generated ones, to assist those who have
problems. I try to be available to answer questions and answer email promptly.
I know I take overlong to return papers, but I am doing better this semester. The various
demands of my workload this year often push their written work to the bottom of my “to
do” pile. If I responded more quickly, I believe they would learn more effectively. Or at
least, those who are doing poorly might feel more motivated to work harder.
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i. Support of Departmental Instructional Efforts:
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Developed new projects for General Education courses in Communication Arts
department; established common texts for Composition courses.
Implemented the program review activities for the English program and wrote the
English program review
Syllabi for all my courses are posted and the Web on my home page and I use them
refer to them regularly in class.
Advisor, Sigma Tau Delta (English honor society)
2. Professional Growth and Standing:
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Co-coordinator for NCA Self Study
VCSU Student Senate Teacher of the Year, May 2000
Bush Assessment Grant, 2000-01 for developing evaluation tools for English
abilities/program
 Communication Arts department chair
 State 4 yr college chair of the Common Course Numbering English division.
 Who’s Who among America’s Teachers, 2000-2001 edition
3. Professional activities:
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NCA Convention April 2000; Self Study in process.
Currently in process: "The Life of Sir Thomas More" by Wm. Roper, for Renascence
Editions (online etext)
4. Service to the University, Community, and State:
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Chair, Curriculum committee
Currently writing/collating the NCA Self-study materials
Organized the Abilities, Skills, and Levels materials from the Abilities groups (Spring
2000) into the current booklet (approved April 2000)
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Member, VCSU Community School of the Arts chamber orchestra
Teach string lessons for the Community School of the Arts.
Quartet, trio, solo performances for community activities, including Madrigal Dinner,
weddings, VC Ministerial Committee’s Christmas Memorial Service, church services.
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Judge for Forensics contests, occasionally
Sunday school teacher (5th and 6th grade)
Soccer coach (2nd grade)
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5. Student Rapport:
The best part of this job is the close contact with students on a regular basis. I learn a lot
from listening to their ideas, because I often gain new sensitivities and perspectives
(especially about literature) from their perceptive comments.
In general, I think students in my classes feel comfortable. They seem willing, most of
the time, to express their opinions about literature, including negative reactions. I work
hard at listening carefully and validating their ideas. I attempt to make connections
between their comments and interweave what they say with the ideas of the discussion,
including backtracking to reference particular student positions and comments, even offthe-wall comments that turn out to be more pertinent than expected. Students talk freely
and ask good questions, so my impression is that they feel respected and empowered in
my classes. I enjoy working with students in independent study activities, too (despite the
low pay!). And I try not to talk too much.
6. Professional Goals:
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Complete my edition of Roper's "Life of Sir Thomas More"—just 120 pages left to
proofread
Complete the NCA Self study report
Use the Bush grant to develop pre and post evaluation procedures for Composition
(through the Composition committee) that allow us to assess both the students and the
quality of instruction.
Develop appropriate tools to evaluate our senior English major portfolios
Revise the English dept. course rotation
Write project descriptions (complete with rubrics) for the required English major
courses…and evaluate them against the State standards (benchmarks) for English
education.
Still a fantasy: research Isabelle Allende's shifts in pronoun (from I to S/he) within a
single paragraph and write something for publication.