Continuing the tradition that seems to have emerged this week, I am going to build off Shane’s blog post and Amy’s blog post about how you can make the most of December—and wrap up the Fall semester with a bow.
A teaching challenge that I have encountered over the years comes from the on-off cycle. I teach a class one semester, but then I do not teach the same class in the next semester—sometimes maybe even for multiple semesters. So, for example, by the time I get around to preparing my Fall semester courses again I have forgotten some of the lessons that didn’t hit the way I wanted them to, or I forgot that I wanted to move things around. And just like we teach our students, the longer the time elapses between learning, the greater the chance of forgetting.
To avoid this lag and set yourself up for success, debrief your Fall semester courses now as you wrap up the semester and do final grading. Debriefing gives you an opportunity to ensure that you do not forget the things that went well or didn’t, and is used formally in military and corporate culture, and even in event planning.
Before I went to law school, I was an event planner and for some of our more major annual events, we would hold a debrief meeting the week or two after the meeting. All key planners, stakeholders, and team participants attended, and we were able to improve the event plan for the next year.
The same principles apply to us as instructors—even if we are a “team of one” when it comes to teaching our courses. Rather than waiting until just before we teach the course again, we can review now the assignments, lessons, notes we made in the margins of our teaching plans, and more to make a clear roadmap for adjustments for future semester. Doing this before the holidays and grading deadlines can also help you better prepare any Spring courses you will be teaching.
As students stop coming for support because they have begun to dive into their own final exams and before bar prep truly “kicks off” for the winter cycle, spend a purposeful hour or two making a short list of things you want to adjust in the classes you just finished teaching. Look at this as a self-reflecting exercise that can be done thoughtfully, but without a ton of pressure. Don’t let it overtake your schedule. But do allow it to take pressure off of future-you’s plate.
If you’re needing a list of helpful things to review in your course debrief, check out Dayna’s previous blog post on this topic.
Happy Wrapping!
(Erica M. Lux)
