Think about these open pedagogy considerations and the following list of elements of an open pedagogy assignment (created by past seminar participants from DeRosa & Jhangiani reading):
- Addresses broader audience than instructor (e.g., peers, future students, public)
- Positions students as knowledge creators in some way
- Shares power with students
- Social justice oriented (see CSP-UDL cross-pollination)
- incorporates other asset-based pedagogies (CSP, UDL, trauma informed)
- Centers learners and learner experiences
- Choice
- Access, no-cost and different media for material
- Safe/brave space where students can share their learning and ideas freely
- May involve creating OER for future students
- Often involves publicly performing knowledge (e.g., blog posts, videos, audio/podcasts, zines), with options for balancing privacy and openness
In the comments below, reflect on:
- Which of the above considerations and elements might you include in your open pedagogy assignment?
- Would you change or add anything to the two lists?
- Which of the considerations and elements might cause challenges or discomfort for your students? How could you address those challenges/discomforts?
18 thoughts on “Elements of an Open Pedagogy Assignment”
As I walk into the open pedagogy space, I am drawn to a few things. They seem the easiest to incorporate into my existing syllabus. Perhaps I should try to push out of my comfort zone, but for now, here is where I see starting.
Performance – I love this idea. One of the things I hate is reading essays where the students assumes the reader already knows about the subject. I find myself giving instructions and comments along the lines of “I know I am the one who assigned this paper, but please do not assume I am your only reader”. By opening up their writing to a broader, more public audience they will need to be clearer and more explanatory about what they are writing.
I also like the idea of the students creating materials that live beyond this semester. By taking part and having public acknowledgement of their contributions, I hope they will be more invested in the course and will remember the materials more personally after the semester concludes.
I am leaning towards two different projects, both of which lean more on writing, but might (I said might) involve recording audio or video….we will see.
The first is the idea of album reviews, which I think could work well as blog posts on the OpenLab site. I think this would be best written, but some students could choose to do a video supplement, where they play a very short excerpt from the album and discuss why this was significant to them.
The other possibility is the idea of the listening anthology. This would be a longer term project my classes could start this semester. Students would write the listening guides to the works —following models of older text books. They could also write, or possibly video blog about the historic significance of the composer, the related history of the time it was written or why it is still a living piece of art today.
I can see some issues. As with current assignments, there are students who simply do not do the work. Or they do it at the last minute. And there are those who would prefer not to have their work made public. Working to respect those boundaries could be challenging for me and for my students.
Ina – a really like!: “By opening up their writing to a broader, more public audience they will need to be clearer and more explanatory about what they are writing.”
I have posted a PDF of a project with “backward design” in mind.
THINKING ABOUT BACKWARD DESIGN Lead-up to Group Demonstration Speech
Thanks for sharing Lisa! This is very helpful and thought provoking.
I definitely intend to include elements of both culturally sustaining and trauma informed pedagogy as those are already frameworks that factor largely into my literature classes. I have found that giving focus to students and their senses of identity and backgrounds leads to greater confidence and motivation with the students. Much of my discussions and scaffolded writing assignments also utilize the idea of a safe space where students can feel free to express themselves and share their experiences.
I have found that sometimes having students do projects outside of traditional essays can cause students confusion and anxiety (especially for our students who do not attend classes). My inclusion of an identity focused poetry assignment has been the one non-traditional approach that my students seemed to feel quite capable about completing (even though a couple of students submitted poems that vastly deviated from the instructions.) I think that creating clear instructions for the students that are clearly listed on Brightspace would help with this issue as would making sure that the technologies used are technologies that students can easily access on their own time from a home computer or a computer lab on campus.
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All of the above considerations are exciting to me, but I’d say I’m most drawn right now to 1 ) the idea of centering the learner experience by allowing them a degree of flexibility/choice and no cost (my course is entirely no cost right now anyway), 2) the public performance of knowledge which ties into addressing a broader audience, and 3) sets students up as knowledge-creators. I love the idea of students creating something that opens up the work we’re looking at in ways that might inspire others to read the original work.
I might add something that came up last week, which was the use of Open Pedagogy as a tool for refinement/revision. I’d like to ask students to consider making a “podcast” rough draft of an assignment that they can then transcribe and, in the process, edit into a revised second draft of this assignment. What the final version of the assignment is, I’m not sure — perhaps a “review” for public consumption; perhaps the podcast would just be scaffolding for a more traditional paper. Would love to discuss.
I imagine some students would bristle at the idea of public writing, depending on their confidence on the page, but publishing anonymously would certainly be an option. Likewise, a zine, which would exist on paper, could also relieve anxiety. I suspect some of the discomfort students might feel around writing for more than just their instructor might also prompt growth and confidence.
Replying to myself here — realized I wasn’t logged in when I posted this! Sorry!
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Which of the above considerations and elements might you include in your open pedagogy assignment?
I am hoping to create an assignment that:
• Positions students as knowledge creators and is a project that creates OER for future students and remains open to additions, change, and transformation.
• Centers learning experiences with choice in terms of subject and theme as well as assignment types and to accommodate learners with different technical competencies.
• Safe/brave space where students can share their learning and ideas freely and helps students work through new concepts.
Would you change or add anything to the two lists?
The lists are very comprehensive and adaptable
Which of the considerations and elements might cause challenges or discomfort for your students? How could you address those challenges/discomforts?
As we have discussed, and as a few of us have reiterated here, there are always students in my class that find it challenging to complete any assignment. I have structured my assignments with intermediate, scaffolded activities and assignments, and there are still students who are not able to pace themselves. One way I have found to address this is to start each stage of the assignment as an in-class activity. This brings other challenges, such as structuring class time to fit everything in. Perhaps designing an assignment with wide choice, in subject as well as format, will enable me to meet my students where they are and inspire them to contribute to the collaborative project in whatever way they can.
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I feel like I’m homing in on what seems like it will be an exciting opportunity for students to both hone their writing and storytelling prowess and learn from other students in the class at hand and beyond. The new logline project will certainly be an opportunity for reusing, retaining, and redistributing students’ work. (Another benefit: a catalog of script summaries is an industry standard. So in a small way it should enhance the experience of the course by giving more of a taste of industry practices.)
In addition, the before and after snapshots of the logline (first draft vs final draft) should highlight one of the main takeaways of the course: that writing is rewriting. And for those students who are either loath to revise their work or cannot see the benefit of revising their own work, having the opportunity to see others’ revisions in progress (or after the fact) should help students become better writers.
The assignment hits a lot of the marks of open pedagogy by, among other things, positioning students as knowledge creators, sharing power with students, and broadening the audience beyond the instructor to both peers and future students.
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When I think back to my experiences with my students, the point of discomfort I hear most is anything dealing with “public space”. Whether it be having students speak in public or have their work shared in a public forum, it is the one point where I will regularly have students come to me asking if they can move into a private space — keep in mind I teach public speaking courses which makes this a difficult request.
Whenever possible, I try to offer alternative options based on their particular anxieties — record something in private and share it publicly, deliver a public presentation with a small class, so on and so forth — but most often I find that the way I deal with this is by creating a comforting environment where students can feel safer to share. I think it makes the space feel more private.
You’re right Katie, it’s tough remembering to log in first!
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In my Introduction to Literature 201 course, I promote elements of open pedagogy by incorporating diverse writers such as Baldwin, Tan, Cisneros, and others. By including a range of voices and perspectives, I aim to give students the power to engage with literature from different cultural backgrounds. This not only enriches their understanding of the texts but also fosters a sense of social justice by highlighting marginalized voices and experiences.
In addition, by incorporating social justice and other asset-based pedagogies, such as trauma-informed pedagogy, I seek to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment. I recognize that students may bring their own lived experiences and traumas to the classroom, and it is important to acknowledge and validate these experiences. Incorporating trauma-informed pedagogy allows me to approach the material in a sensitive and empathetic manner, taking into consideration the potential triggers or challenges students may face.
However, I acknowledge that some students may experience challenges or discomfort in the process. Discussing topics related to social justice and trauma can be emotionally demanding and may trigger personal experiences or emotions. To address these challenges, I would emphasize the importance of self-care and provide resources for mental health support. Additionally, fostering a safe and respectful classroom environment where students feel comfortable expressing their thoughts and emotions is crucial. Open communication channels, regular check-ins, and offering opportunities for individual support can help students navigate any discomfort they may encounter.
In conclusion, incorporating diverse writers and promoting social justice in the Introduction to Literature 201 course through open pedagogy empowers students by giving them the power to engage with different perspectives and experiences. By incorporating asset-based pedagogies like trauma-informed approaches, I aim to create a supportive and inclusive learning environment. However, it is important to acknowledge and address the challenges and discomfort that students may face, providing resources and support to ensure their well-being throughout the course.
I would like to use the following: Shares power with students, centers learners and learning experience is a must for me. I’m also thinking of including a podcast to appeal to a much broader audience.