Speaking and Listening-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Daily class participation grades: up to eight points per class, sometimes more if you demonstrate good listening, sometimes less if you don’t. You always get up to four class participation points for (1) bringing the books assigned for that day; (2) printouts of that day's section of the website schedule; and (3) one of the next day's section; (4) a printout of your Discussion Board entry from your blog if you made one; and (5), on Tuesdays, a copy of your grades from Blackboard. In other words just for listening and following these instructions you can get 240 points, one-fourth of what you need for an A- in this course.

Half way through the semester you get two additional points for putting next to the total points on the copy of your grades an “=” sign and then the letter grade those points are worth according to the course description as in “= C-“ When you do this you raise your points for Tuesdays to seven or more.

You need to print out your copy of the schedule the day before class so that it includes any late changes.

Speaking of printouts, the way to save the most paper and printer supplies is apparently to copy the relevant pages into Word, then 'select all" and decrease the size of the font and spacing, and then print, specifying black and white only. If possible, print on both sides of the page. Most important of all, use only recycled paper!

Students prepare for class discussion by being on time, by reading the assigned reading and related Discussion Board in advance and by bringing their DB, grades, and schedule printouts, notes, and books to class There will be no attendance or class participation credit for the first late appearance, -5 points for the second, double the penalty for the third, triple for the fourth, etc. AFTER SIX WEEKS HAVE PASSED, THE DOOR WILL BE CLOSED FOR GOOD WHEN CLASS STARTS AND WILL NOT BE OPENED FOR PEOPLE WHO COME LATE. If anyone chooses to open the door for someone who comes late, they will receive the same penalties: no attendance or class participation credit for the first disruption, -5 points for the second, double the penalty for the third, triple for the fourth, etc.

Why? [1] To prepare you for the real world. Employers will not tolerate this kind of behavior. [2] To be courteous and respectful of your colleagues, not interrupting the class to make your tardy entrance. [3] To avoid "enabling," to encourage repeat offenders to learn the lessons they need to learn.

The key sentences in that document for a teacher are: “Maintain adult demands and expect young people to meet them. Accept no excuses, make no exceptions, and attempt no rescues. Listen respectfully and empathetically and do not criticize the young person for not measuring up to what college expected. Encourage learning more responsibility from facing consequences of how one chose to act. And support the courage to keep growing forward in life.”

One of the primary goals of this state university, enshrined in the college seal, is training students to be good citizens of a democracy. A key exercise in that training is learning how to participate in a civilized discussion.

Employers want to know how well the student gets along with others, especially how the student behaves in a group.

Students also prepare by reviewing "Guidelines for Listening" in our anthology. During the discussion they listen attentively -- staying in the present moment, suspending judgment -- and help the organizer generate a meaningful discussion. They focus their sympathetic imaginations on the speaker and concentrate well enough to repeat what the speaker has just said and/or the course of the discussion to that point. (To that end they may take notes, which they may turn in at the end of class for extra credit). After a speaker has finished speaking, anyone may be called on to to repeat what the speaker has just said and/or the course of the discussion to that point. If they can not do this, their class participation grade for that day will suffer.

During the discussion students must focus on the speaker without talking to others, without interrupting, without thinking about they want to say next. If they do have interrupting thoughts, they might well find that writing down a reminder of what they want to contribute will help them get back to concentrating on the discussion.

Students who talk to others while the speaker is talking and/or encourage this rude behavior with a willing ear, will have fifteen points deducted from their class participation/attendance grade for each incident during the class. Egregious behavior such as sleeping in class, writing notes to each other, reading materials other than ours, doing homework for another class or cause, having an earphone plug in your ear, USING YOUR CELLPHONE, IPOD, OR COMPUTER DURING CLASS, acting out, disrupting class, etc. will be subject to the same penalty. Students who insult, threaten, or harass others will have thirty points deducted from their grade for each incident, and be referred to the Dean of Students. Their class participation/attendance grade can thus become a negative grade.

These rules apply to other class activities as well such as meditation and guided imagery.

SPOKEN COMMNICATION IN CLASS

RATIONALE

The Boyer Commission on Educating Undergraduates in the Research University, 1998

Undergraduates Too Often Shortchanged in the Past.....

The failure of research universities seems most serious in conferring degrees upon inarticulate students. Every university graduate should understand that no idea is fully formed until it can be communicated, and that the organization required for writing and speaking is part of the thought process that enables one to understand material fully.... Many students graduate having accumulated whatever number of courses is required, but still lacking a coherent body of knowledge or any inkling as to how one sort of information might relate to others. And all too often they graduate without knowing how to think logically, write clearly, or speak coherently........

AN ACADEMIC BILL OF RIGHTS includes training in the skills necessary for oral and written communication at a level that will serve the student both within the university and in postgraduate professional and personal life.

recommendations: [1] Beginning with the freshman year, students must learn how to convey the results of their work effectively both orally and in writing. [2] Inquiry-based learning, collaborative experience, writing and speaking expectations need to characterize the whole of a research university education......the changes need to include greater expectations of writing and speaking.... [resulting in ] graduates who are proficient in both written and oral communication.

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