by Gretchen Lytle
Introduction
LLI presenters come from a wide variety of work backgrounds. They might be performing or visual artists, scientists, lawyers, tech people, doctors, journalists, business people, or teachers. Some of the LLI teachers are former teachers of undergraduates, and they have chosen to teach their own age cohort at LLI now. Why is that? Former college professors John Ferguson, Peter Scheckner, and Mark Lytle talked about why they enjoy teaching LLI students.
Engaged Learners
These three teachers shared their observations. LLI members have a wealth of experience to bring to class. Students give their perspectives, raising questions reflecting different life experiences, other disciplines, and a range of work backgrounds. Presenters find LLI students friendly and inquisitive, often well-informed with interesting ideas. The maturity in perspective that LLI students bring generally reflects an understanding of the difference between opinion and fact.
The LLI classroom is definitely a two-way street. Teachers and students learn from each other. While everyone has followed their own path through life, we all have been living through the same time period. Having lived through a similar past means that presenters have more in common with LLI students than they had when teaching undergraduates. That makes it easier to find a useful analogy to explicate an idea when the class has a shared cultural milieu.
A Generative Environment
Historian Mark Lytle noted that the LLI generation has a more developed sense of irony than undergraduates. He considers irony the coin of the realm for historians. In terms of student motivation, John Ferguson suggested that undergraduates are in college classes because their mothers wanted them to go to college. However, LLI students seldom have their mothers pushing them towards college at this stage in life (!). He also noted that LLI students are more likely to show up for class and arrive on time, and are less likely to leave early. Who knows who stays awake throughout an entire class, regardless of age? This may be a relevant question for both students and presenters! LLI students deserve kudos for refraining from texting in class. The bottom line is a strong sense of personal engagement in an LLI class, which makes for a lively teaching and learning environment.
The former college teachers acknowledge that it had been exciting to work with younger students who are just getting going. Students had their lives ahead of them, while as teachers and mentors, professors enjoyed actively engaging with their curious minds as they dealt with all the options in front of them. Undergraduates came to understand that a PhD in biology does not make one an MD. It could be that John Ferguson’s teaching about tetanus actually did get some students to take care of themselves and go to an MD when necessary. But professional life as a college teacher takes more time than LLI teaching. College teachers read and grade student work, spend time on department and larger college politics and responsibilities, and are also digging deeply into their scholarship pursuits. Teaching at LLI allows one to focus on the stimulating fun of teaching within a group.
Dig Deeper (If You Wish)
In an undergraduate college course, more work and deeper engagement are expected on the part of both professor and student. Assigned readings, writing, and all the other ways undergraduates engage directly with material are less central when taking an LLI course. Suggested shorter readings of articles, essays, or poetry are often available for students who choose to read in advance or to pursue questions after class. Presenters make good use of other media, too, to provide students with rich context for their courses. Films and videos can broaden student understanding without requiring an extended amount of time and effort.
As with any class one takes, one can always get more out of it the more one puts into it. Attending class is just one step. Presenters who provide additional resources allow students to go deeper with their thinking and understanding of subject matter. Students who bring their questions and observations back to class extend learning for everyone.
Rewarding Preparation
Class time is the culminating step when teaching through LLI. Ahead of time, presenters spend extended periods of time preparing lectures. This is often a rewarding aspect of the experience. Many presenters build on courses they had taught to undergraduates in the past, and they can make good use of a framework they’ve previously developed. They dig into their background knowledge and scholarship, update primary and secondary sources, and create new lectures and/or seminar experiences for LLI. It is much easier these days to access materials via the Internet as well as share them out.
Presenters seem to relish the constructive aspects of a fresh lecture, often using narrative to draw people into the bigger ideas. Biologist John Ferguson used to teach non-majors courses on human disease, which he has now morphed into LLI courses on inherited diseases and infectious diseases. Our generation has quite naturally become well aware of disease over the course of lifetimes, and there seems to be a keen interest in understanding these human experiences.
LLI also provides the opportunity for college teachers to go in new directions and develop brand-new classes. Some take the opportunity to engage with overarching issues of the day, social justice, war and climate. Historian Mark Lytle just taught a course on Populism, in part spurred on by recent political trends in the US. Literature professor Peter Scheckner is currently developing his upcoming fall class on immigration through the lenses of poetry and film. These experienced lecturers have the past several decades of experience creating lectures and presentations and know how to organize the new learning they do. They also appreciate that a course that lasts six or seven weeks is less demanding than one that lasts an entire college semester.
In the Classroom Together
Former undergraduate teachers seem to thrive on in-person presentations. Many college teachers see themselves as performers who love the dynamics of a group presentation. They are at their best in person. There they read their live audience to gauge understanding. Mystified faces are telling. Penetrating questions make them stop and think. Different thoughts run through their minds. Hey, they didn’t get my joke. Or, I wasn’t clear on the point I wanted to make. Or… What an interesting perspective. Let’s dive deeper. Or… Good question. Let’s address that one down the road a bit after we create more context for the whole class. It is much harder to read people’s reactions when teaching virtually. Fortunately these presenters can think quickly on their feet and adapt and redirect in the moment. They seem to feed on the energy of their students.
A Collaborative Experience
Presenters appreciate that LLI is a notably well-run organization. Class producers help navigate the proposal system with the Curriculum Committee. The Curriculum Committee arranges a space and time, so teachers don’t have to deal with those details. Class managers are equipped to handle communications with LLI students and deal with attendance, as needed. Fortunately, tech support is also handy for making sure presenters can share visual and auditory content with students. Working within LLI gives one the feeling that we are all in it together. Presenters appreciate the support that LLI volunteers provide so that they can focus on the business at hand, teaching a class.
How long will we in LLI benefit from having a retired college teacher as a presenter? John Ferguson suggested that, not unlike Biden, those ultimately in power will have to tell him when to hang it up. He’s ready to go the distance.
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