a No Sut INNOVATION ABSTRACTS r ] we rv Published by the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development 7 With support from the W. K. Kellogg Foundation and Sid W. Richardson Foundation KEEPING THE POSTMAN BUSY: REESTABLISHING THE GROUP IN A WEEKEND COLLEGE CLASS Background This past summer, one of our required English courses was offered in the non-traditional setting of the weekend college: six six-hour sessions on alternating Sundays, "the Super Six." Designed for non-English majors, this survey of literature, organized by genre, centers equally on reading and writing skills. Our intensive format attracts self-directed and energetic adults who range in age from thirty to seventy, who are employed full time, and whose employers reimburse tuition. The special task for a teacher is to deeply involve technical people with literature, an experience quite foreign to them, if not deemed useless by them for their daily endeavor. Speedy Feedback By Mail In addition to establishing individual purpose, it is necessary to maintain group purpose over the two-week interim. I achieved a growing commitment by asking that drafts of papers be mailed to me before the next meeting. I was able to respond to drafts with suggestions for revision, repost papers in time for students to act upon comments and to submit a final draft by our next meeting. On occasion the need arose for a phone or personal conference, usually at the beginning of the term. But only one such conference was needed to clarify course objectives and to enable the student to proceed in a confident manner. Creating Positive Student Attitude The impact of a teacher's personal contact and commitment to students’ progress and success was, indeed, dramatic. Feeling that I was involved, they were involved. Knowing that I cared, they cared. So that these students in technical fields, so unused to literature, made the course their own: they traveled to NYC to see productions of plays we read (from Shakespeare to David Mamet). Some volunteered videotapes of plays for class viewing (Shakespeare and Athol Fugard). Peer group workshops on drafts became open and energetic. We worked, we trusted, and we enjoyed. End-Of-Term Letter To Students After the term’s end, I could not help but write a "letter of appreciation" to each student. But it occurred to me that this final gesture was really an extension of the correspondent format already established. In the letter, I reiterated the goals of the course. Although a student may realize his individual and present achievement, articulating the larger goals enables him to widen his vision and purpose for future courses. I then thanked each of my fifteen students for his or her special contribution—be it offering videotapes, arranging a viewing room, seeing plays, reading drafts to the whole class, or adding a special brand of humor. The letter took on the feeling of a "roasting" but with the following pedagogical and administrative purposes in mind. Objectives of Letter-Writing Strategy _ © articulation of the learning objectives as a final affirmation of our purpose throughout the course ¢ affirmation of commitment not only to the task but to fellow students e realization that learning integrates intellect and emotion * establishment of bonds with the larger college community which, in turn, might encourage greater student retention DOUGLAS COLLEGE Beverly Lynne Aronowitz ARCHIVES Monmouth College For further information, contact the author at Monmouth College, West Long Branch, New Jersey 07764. 40) Community College Leadership Program, The University of Texas at Austin, EDB 348, Austin, Texas 78712