rind

dress

I got some of that almond butter today and it's very tasty, so thank you Olivia!!

Oh yes, and apologies for moaning in my last post back there, I know we're all in the same boat. :-s

I agree with all the other comments, but will add that if supporting yourself and your family is important right now, it's worth remembering that your earning capacity is severely limited while you're studying due to time constraints, so large financial sacrifices are usually part of the equation too.

Phone them, and at least you'll know what's going on!

fress

Apparently it's 'to eat a lot without restraint'...

wend

I have this problem, but have given up on the idea of getting everyone to speak, as I have groups of 30-35 students and there is a limit to what you can do in a 2 hour slot. It's quite a challenge to avoid just ending up doing a lecture, with no two-way dialogue. I tend to start the whole seminar series off with content that everyone has an opinion on, to engage them and get at least some of them talking - the students are drawn from across various courses, so many do not know each other either. It has to be interesting enough for them to come back the following week, as they are allowed to switch seminars after week 1 if it's a bit dull or they don't like you, or their friend's seminar sounds better.

Dividing them into small groups with a specific question or statement to discuss between them is a way of getting around shyness in large groups, or ludicrous class size problems. Leave them to talk about it for 10 minutes between themselves, then get one from each group to feed back to the class. You can walk around the groups and see how they're getting on with it while they're doing it. It's quite useful to vary the discussion topic/question slightly between groups, as together they all contribute something new to that day's seminar theme.

I also take things in to show them that they can pass around and examine, as it's a material culture seminar. Sometimes they bring their own stuff in, which also stimulates discussion. I've found that on group outings to relevant museums, some of the quiet ones become more talkative away from the classroom situation. Also some talk to me after the class, some quiet ones produce great essays and give good feedback after the seminar has finished, while some carry on to pursue the topic for their final year projects, so talking in class isn't the only indicator of a student getting something positive out of the seminar. I try different things each year though, it's more work for me but it's always worth trying to improve your teaching practice and I'm always open to suggestions!

Hi Armendaf,

It's nice to hear from you :-) I've missed you and Lara, but will be back over here when you are!

I'm glad you've been able to slob around, I wouldn't have expected anything else after your recent marathon! It must be nice to be able to slowly think about sorting yourself out before starting viva prep. I'd definitely carry on slowly if I was you! Make the most of it 8-) It must be odd to have to clear stuff from your office space though, it really is the end of that particular era.

Thanks for asking, I had a cold last week but had to go in to work, as that is the culture there unless you're at death's door. I wasn't as productive as I'd have liked, though it was quite stressful and I must have picked up some other virus or something, so ended up in bed for a few days. All rather boring but quite seasonal I suppose. Am supposed to be working on my intro, methodology and conclusions chapters at the moment, for the Dec 2nd submission of the whole draft. Today I managed to cobble the introduction together from a few old versions, at least it's something to read through tomorrow when hopefully I'll feel a bit healthier again and will spot the virus-induced mistakes!! Have made a list of everything that needs doing for the draft too, it's a bit scarily long but if all else fails, make a list, that's what I was thinking!! Hopefully then I will tick things off, however minor, that might cheer me up a bit and prise me out of this mental quagmire.

Won't do any more now as it will probably be crap, but at least I've made a start, which should hopefully stop me from waking up in the night thinking about it again. I think I'll have dinner, watch some telly and go to bed early again... sooo unexciting, but so very necessary right now, if I'm going to get this thing done in time.

See you soon! :-)

lent

lol at least there was an appropriate smiley!

flesh

tint

plush

pine

blush