INSIDE DOUGLAS COLLEGE / MAY 16, 1989

 

 

 

 

faculty profiles faculty profiles faculty profiles faculty

 

Inside Profile: Howard Eaton,

 

Howard Eaton has been teach-
ing English at Douglas College
for almost 20 years. But six
years ago, he changed his
method of teaching.

Why the change? Eaton
believed students needed more
intellectual stimulation. Univer-
sity students, he says, live on
campus and enjoy companion-
ship and the exchange of ideas
and concerns with other stu-
dents. Community college
students, however, are often iso-
lated from each other and lack
motivation.

“The college student whistles
in here, takes his class, and has
to hustle off to work or back to
the kids,” he says.

Eaton is particularly con-
cerned about mature women
students - some of whom are
single mothers - who receive lit-
tle or no support at home.

“Family members and friends
say, Homework! What do you
mean homework! Let’s go bowl-
ing.”

The situation in the classroom
does little to alleviate the isola-
tion, says Eaton, and grades are
poor incentive to create motiva-
tion to learn.

“What college instructors
have often done is act like we’re

 

English Instructor

 

 

 

 

 

on TV,” he says. “We’re talking
heads in the front of the room.
That’s largely a waste of time.”

The workshop that changed
Eaton’s teaching approach -
from a “talking head” to a class-
room consultant and technical
expert - was given by brothers
David and Roger Johnson,
authors of Circle of Learning.
The Johnsons spoke about their
work in co-operative learning.

Since then, Eaton’s interest in
co-operative learning principles
has grown enormously and he
uses the method in his literature
and composition classes.

Co-operative learning
provides an alternative to the
traditional classroom situation
where the teacher lectures and

 

the students listen and take notes.

Students work together in
small groups of three to ac-
complish shared goals. Each
student is responsible for learn-
ing the assigned material and
helping the other members of
the group learn. The instructor is
both a consultant who ensures
the groups function effectively,
and a technical expert on the
learning material.

Eaton says co-operative learn-
ing requires a great deal of
preparation time by instructors
and regular homework for stu-
dents.

But the work pays off.

continued on page 4

 

Next year, Douglas College
reaches an important milestone -
it’s 20th anniversary.

Plans for the “20 Years of
Making a Difference” celebra-
tion are already underway.

Today, Inside begins the first
of a series of profiles on faculty
members and administrators
who have been with Douglas
College since the beginning,
September, 1970.

Through their dedication
and committment over the past
20 years, this exceptional group
of professionals have helped
shape and mold Douglas Col-
lege into what it is today.