Trying to engage students not used to reading or discussion

 It's been a bit and so I want to collect my thoughts on a handful of things

(a) a class that's not going well.  argh.

(b) class that's going really well. yay.

(c) thoughts on handwriting instead of typing

(d) an idea to turn around class in (a)

(e) Anil Seth's Being You: A New Science of Consciousness

(f) incorporating (i) having students submit introductions to papers prior to papers & (ii) peer feedback for papers.

I probably won't get to all and already I know that it won't go in the order I've just laid out.  In what's below I address (a) & (d)

The class that isn't going well is my AI Ethics class.  This is, probably, the 5th or so time that I've taught this and it's a constant struggle.  At least some of the struggle is due to the fact that the majority of students taking this class are computer science (or CS adjacent) majors and so have few classes that involve reading, discussion or writing. In fact, I asked my class this week how many, of ~25, routinely write for their classes.  Maybe 4 people raised their hands.

I've taught this course a bunch of different ways and it never quite catches in the way I'd like (a quick sidenote: I've realized that I think of classes the way I do campfires -- trying to get them lit, nurturing a flame and then keeping the fire going.  And this class almost always feels like I'm working with lots of wood that isn't sufficiently dry).

This time around I'm using an Oxford anthology on AI and ethics whereas previously I've used books.  The idea this time around was to aim for more breadth and that with many articles there's a greater chance that students will find something interesting.  

I may have made an error in how I've assigned articles since I began with the applied section (which is the last section of the book).  My thinking was that students would get caught up in cases and that would energize them, then we could move to more theory and the theory would connect back to the cases.  And, well, it isn't really working in that getting them to talk is laborious.  I am finally coming to terms with the fact that they just are a group that is going to discuss (in part I blame the room which is horrible).  

However, this means I leave class every single time feeling like yet another class was a bit of a dud.  Not spectacular failures, just duds.

So, I've been reading for this class far ahead of time letting the article marinate hoping that I'd come up with something that could hook them in.  I've had some success but, to return to the fire metaphor above, the spark may lead to a bit of flame, if I'm lucky, but no fire has materialized*.  HOWEVER, I've had an idea this morning which I'm going to try this week.

Here's my idea.  

The class meeting before they do the reading, I'm going to do the following:

a. Just give them the topic of the next article -- the next one is "AI and Migration Mitigation" and ask them to think about the topic and hypothesize (i) how AI might be used with issues of immigration, (ii) what ethical issues might follow from such use and (iii) how to address these issues.  Have them discuss this in their small groups (if I haven't mentioned before, I've become convinced that the ideal size for initial discussion is either pairs or threesomes -- somewhere, long long ago, I read that 5 is the ideal number and stuck with that because someone who presented themselves as an authority said so.  I have finally gained enough confidence to reject their authority).  Then...

(b) have them read the introduction to the essay (and only the introduction) and have them generate questions, thoughts, observations, etc. with them ultimately working, in the group, to hypothesize/anticipate how the article will unfold.  And, of course, to compare what they came up with in (a) with what they are seeing in the introduction.

(c) give them the headings of all the sections and have them, again, discuss, generate questions, make observations, note surprises and revise their hypotheses/anticipation of what the specifics of the article are and make guesses about the specifics in each section

(d) have them read the conclusion and then, again, discuss, generate questions, guess what likely happened in the article they've still not read.

(e) now, read through the body with the intention of answering the questions they've developed.

Now, my guess is that we won't get to (e) in class and that's fine, they'll ideally go home, read with the goal of answering questions and then return the next class to ask any lingering questions.

This feels like something that will work because it's (a) breaking things down into remarkably manageable pieces; (b) does not, I don't think, put anyone in a position where they might feel stupid; (c) is done with support (the folks in their triad); (d) hopefully, demystifies reading; (e) requires independent thinking and some creativity as they have to make predictions about the issues prior to reading the article.

My sense is this will work (and by 'work' I mean, engage the students so that they feel like their time is not being wasted...and if they remain engaged, they will, in fact, learn something).  

Fingers crossed.

* I'm incredibly grateful for the coaching experience I've had and continue to have because it's really put me in a frame of mind that I can do something about this and that I needn't simply curl up in a ball and wait until next semester to try again.  If I think about the metaphor of trying to light a fire, when I try to light a fire in my fire insert I genuinely will not give up.  I may pause, say that I'm going to give up, but I try again, because I really like fires in my fireplace (and I've got nothing to lose, besides matches and kindling, in trying again and again and again).  Historically, if a class hasn't gone well, I've tended to conclude that if something isn't going well it's because of me and if things are still not going well a month into the semester then, well, there's no hope and each meeting of that class is just another data point for me to conclude that I suck. 

But something has changed and this semester I've had an attitude of "okay, well, let's roll up the sleeves and figure out something to do that'll change things. It's got to be because of the coaching I've been doing and the time sitting and working with folks to figure out what outcome they'd prefer, what is currently getting in their way, what might need to shift to get to what they'd prefer. It's seeped in and led me to a place where I've honestly started to believe that things can be improved. I mean, I'd have always said I believed that, but here I am realizing that I really hadn't and now I do.