Question regarding norming sessions

[Secondhand_Rose]

Everyone, this is so helpful.  It always is great to see the diversity of opinions and it gives me so much to think about. 

Just to clarify, this meeting is not specific to people who are teaching the same course.  As I wrote earlier, as a grad student we had consistent norming sessions and those gave me lessons that I actively use to this day.  But in this situation, we all teach different courses. 

I take to heart those who commented that there has to be consistency in any program.  Unfortunately I do think that there is some attempt at micromanagement going on. 

At the same time there is no reason why I can't adopt a positive attitude and try to use this as a learning experience and to be a good colleague.  My fear is that my own thoughts and approach will be drowned out by others with very different relationships to students and ideas about what is good teaching.  However I have to keep working on adopting a positive frame of mind and not giving into anxiety about everything that can go wrong.  Don't let the present be defined by the past, etc. etc.

[Hibush]

Thanks for getting back with a summary on how the discussion here influenced your thinking about the situation.

While you may be tempering your urge to say "We need to do X" I encourage you to continue voicing the values you hold that make that action appropriate. Perhaps equity for students is the value. That is not some radical notion will cause you to be rejected, and saying it will establish you as having a respected position from which policy proposals are likely to come in the future.

[polly_mer]

Thanks for getting back with a summary on how the discussion here influenced your thinking about the situation.

While you may be tempering your urge to say "We need to do X" I encourage you to continue voicing the values you hold that make that action appropriate. Perhaps equity for students is the value. That is not some radical notion will cause you to be rejected, and saying it will establish you as having a respected position from which policy proposals are likely to come in the future.

I agree, as long as it's not "We need to do X because that's the way we did it at my last institution".  That's problematic for a new faculty member, even if it's true that X is a superior mechanism from the current state in the new place.