Assignment 26- Kalin Combs

I did not think reading the writing skills book in class at the beginning of the year was very effective. I also think the atmosphere and general classroom layout stressed me out when I walked in the room. I know it was meant to be a collaborative set-up but I think it just made me feel uncomfortable. I would've liked more hands-on class time as well, and I think that's another reason I disliked reading the Thinking Well book at the beginning of the year. Reading the same book as 20 other people in a silent classroom just doesn't seem like an effective use of classroom time to me. Maybe it would have been more effective if we heard lectures about the concepts in the book instead of reading the same passages silently to ourselves. The visual literacy stuff was fun to make, but I would've liked more guidance on it. I also would've liked more general structure to the class, instead of most project guidelines just being listed online for the students to read ourselves. I liked when we wrote essays and got feedback, but I preferred when we scored in small groups instead of as a whole class. I enjoyed the socratic seminars, but sometimes felt the grading was a bit harsh. I also feel like I would've gotten more out of them if they had been more spread out (like 1-2 days a week, instead of several in a row). It was more engaging when I had more time to prepare between each discussion. I also really liked the discussions about social issues!