From a didactic point of view
As my classmates have already reflected on the seminar topics I want to talk about the good method with which Mr. Miller motivated us to become more critical, productive, curious and creative:
MOTIVATION
To be honest, when I first heard of the blog posts that we had to write I did not feel motivated at all. I never published something on the internet before, not even on Twitter or Facebook. I also did not know about which topic I should write or how I could structure a post. But during the course of the semester I slowly felt more comfortable with the task.
CURIOSITY
Thank you for arousing my curiosity. I even found myself reading posts which had nothing to do with the British Empire at all. I really like this app because you can us use a filter tool and find posts according to your personal interests.
PRODUCTIVITY
I think that it can be quite hard to animate students to get productive if they only have to fulfill the “aktive-Teilnahme” requirement. Writing a post demands you to reflect upon certain issues and to go deeper. You not only have to read the articles provided by the lecturer but you also have to search for an interesting topic. This gives you the opportunity to read more authentic English material but also to be well informed and to stay up to date. Although it takes time to write a post, it is definitely a better method than “just” reading a text and taking notes. If you have to write something down you simultaneously get a deeper understanding of the text you are writing about.
CREATIVITY
It might seem funny to you but I sometimes felt like a novice journalist who tries to make his work as much appealing and interesting as possible. For this purpose you have to be creative — and being creative is hard work. But, as we were not asked to write academic posts, it was much easier to simply start writing about something that interests you. In a way this boosted my creativity.
APPRECIATION
It was also a great idea to choose a platform like Medium. It is not only a good writing tool (I especially like that you can save and edit your drafts and add photos or videos that easily) but also great for receiving constructive criticism. It is not like a scientific term paper that probably gets all covered with dust and spider webs in a lecturer’s filing cabinet. Your post is most certainly read by your fellow students and your lecturer. By using this platform you give your students the opportunity to show and discuss their articles. In my didactic classes we are always told “Do not ask your students to be productive, if you won’t let them present their products” and this is an important issue. You definitely have to give feedback. It does not only show that you appreciate the work of your students but it also shows that you take them serious and that you are actually interested in their opinion.
