Lesson Plans for Octogenarians

Last week was a disaster. My first class as lead teacher started with a game meant to help students understand the class demographic concerning religion. Students complained about moving around, some just sat down, and some stood in the same place no matter what question was asked. The class ended with a heated political debate between two students. My discussion questions were met with blank stares; my lecture was interrupted by students correcting my presentation. The 90 minutes couldn’t end too soon.

I’d like to blame the bombed class on the fact that five of the 20 students are over 60 (the rest are college students). The course I constructed with two other 4th year religion majors was tapped to be a test class for inter-generational learning. As part of Duke’s House Course program, we organized a syllabus and determined requirements for projects and papers; somewhere in this process, someone thought—hey, let’s add some over-60’s and stir. In theory, the idea is brilliant—it adds another level of diversity to a discussion-based religion course—but in practice, the senior citizens are intimidating to the undergraduates (us teachers included); they aren’t afraid to share and vehemently defend their views—a teacher’s dream—if only they didn’t tell the undergraduates that time would cure our idealism.

I happened to be meet with a former Teach for America Corps member a few days after the disastrous class. She reminded me that students are students—they need a teacher not only to help them understand material, but to organize and facilitate discussion. She told me about a simple tool she used to equalize the discussion in her high school English class. Each student received two playing cards, symbolizing their two opportunities to speak during class. At first, the students snickered at the system that seemed insulting elementary, but it kept the discussion from becoming one-sided and made sure that the quiet student had an opportunity to share.

This week I made a number of changes. I realized that my class was not the type of group to engage in a meaningful and extended discussion—they just didn’t have enough background on the field of comparative religion to take a thought and run with it. I meticulously prepared an extensive lecture (one senior citizen still used her two cards to correct nuances in my presentation) punctuated with fact-questions and a few discussion points. The lecture and related discussion easily filled the hour and a half. I explained the purpose of the playing cards at the beginning of class; most students stuck to the system—some of the over-60 crowd bartered for cards from their neighbors by the end of class but the group did not devolve into a verbal fire fight—I think it was a successful class.

I learned the value of talking with other teachers. It’s important not only to read about new teaching methods and use activities you remember fondly from your school years, but also to incorporate ideas colleagues have found helpful. Another important lesson: a student is a student is a student. Whether 65 or six, students are people, people that need a facilitator make sure everyone gets to contribute to the learning experience.

My next challenge: how to squelch the black market on playing cards before Monday.