Modeling instead of “teaching”

I read on Stephen Downes’ blog today, on a completely different subject, the phrase:

I have argued in many places that ‘to teach’ is ‘to model and to demonstrate’.

It fits right in with the new approach I’m considering for next semester, based partly on the exegesis of text. In this case, it would be holy text, but rather historical documents.

My classes thus far have been organized around:

• lectures — in class or online with audio/text/images
• textbook — a secondary source for getting the historical narrative and the interpretation of historians
• primary sources — to use as support or evidence for historical theses
• discussion — based on “ticklers” designed to elicit response, then analysis, and
• assessments — both self-assessments for participation and quizzes for content and analysis

Although my lectures may “model” what historians do in the sense of producing an interpretation, it is not apparent how I develop such a lecture. Nor am I modeling any kind of analysis of text myself, expecially in the classroom.

So I’m thinking of a new approach next semester, first in the classroom and then possibly online. I am considering spending substantial class time with the primary sources. Instead of giving each one to a group for analysis (and approach I’ve used before with limited success) my “lecture” will be me taking them through the document, commenting as I create my own analysis. It will be primarily extemporaneous (I may use some margin notes). It should “show” students how historians work.

Still thinking on this one….