Is it just me?

[kittywithastripe]

I've been in my current position (small state college, open enrollment, English department) for 12 years. For most of those years, I've had lots of lively discussion in the classroom in the upper-level majors courses. Last year I noticed a change, and this year it's even worse. Students won't discuss, and much of the time, they won't even answer the questions I pose. I don't think most of them are doing the reading, either, so I had to start giving reading quizzes. First time I've ever had to do that.

This is making me really dread going to class. I think I might have to just resort to straight lecture, because nobody will say anything. Anyone else experiencing this?

[spork]

No. In response to your thread title.

[Hegemony]

Yes, happening in my classes too.

[Deacon_blues]

Alas, mine too....

[kittywithastripe]

Well...glad to know I'm not alone, but sorry that this seems to be a trend.

This is my 12th year in my present position but my 28th year of teaching, and I've never had such dead classes.

I'm actually getting better participation in my gen ed lit class, and trust me, that isn't saying much.

How do you deal with it? Have you gone to straight lecture?

[Parasaurolophus]

Me too, although I assume it's mostly just my students (first years, international, ESL, first time operating in English, used to completely different institutional norms), and partly just my crappy teaching skills. I do  at least know that my colleagues are struggling too.

It's really bad, though. I'm pulling so many teeth that I'm starting to loathe the class where it's worst. I need to have yet another rethink of my classroom approach for the next semester, because this just won't do.

[spork]

Well...glad to know I'm not alone, but sorry that this seems to be a trend.

This is my 12th year in my present position but my 28th year of teaching, and I've never had such dead classes.

I'm actually getting better participation in my gen ed lit class, and trust me, that isn't saying much.

How do you deal with it? Have you gone to straight lecture?

Students won't do anything unless they see an incentive. For many, if not most, the incentive is the course grade. I'm not going to stand in a room and summarize what they were supposed to have read for 50 minutes just so that they can regurgitate it on some kind of exam and walk out with an A at the end of the semester. There is a graded writing assignment and/or autograded LMS quiz for every single writing assignment, before discussion of the reading assignment even happens in class.

[mythbuster]

     My 10th year, and I noticed something very similar starting about 2 years ago. My uni is the cheapest tuition of the compass points in the state, so I wonder if we were getting better students during the recession? Or these are all now later millennials who only communicate via text? Or No Child left behind really stunted these kids? I'm in a state where all these assessment exams were/are dictating all K-12 curriculum.
      I don't think my teaching has change that much, but I have started making more statements about how and why you need to use the textbook outside of class.  I don't have an explanation, but yes, the observation is real. I'd love to hear form folks at more competitive schools to see if its a generational thing, or a function of poor preparation.

[LibbyG]

I'm at a regional public, and I'm seeing this more too. Though I always did reading quizzes.

Two tricks that work for me: (1) "Good morning, everyone! Today I have a list of your names in random order, generated by the LMS. My goal is to call on everyone by the end of class today." Then I lob a lot of softball questions that they can't get wrong exactly, "What comes to mind when you hear this term?" Rather than "What does this term mean?" They fall all over themselves to volunteer on Qs to avoid getting a stumper, and it sometimes jump-starts discussion mode again in the next few classes.

(2) Some preparatory assignment in which students develop discussion questions and then pose them (sometimes to a small group). Sometimes they're really good, and even if they are sort of lackluster, they can help reveal where students are at with the material.

[chemigal]

I'm at a regional public, and I'm seeing this more too. Though I always did reading quizzes.

Two tricks that work for me: (1) "Good morning, everyone! Today I have a list of your names in random order, generated by the LMS. My goal is to call on everyone by the end of class today." Then I lob a lot of softball questions that they can't get wrong exactly, "What comes to mind when you hear this term?" Rather than "What does this term mean?" They fall all over themselves to volunteer on Qs to avoid getting a stumper, and it sometimes jump-starts discussion mode again in the next few classes.

(2) Some preparatory assignment in which students develop discussion questions and then pose them (sometimes to a small group). Sometimes they're really good, and even if they are sort of lackluster, they can help reveal where students are at with the material.

This belongs on the Jedi mind tricks thread.  I'm so stealing this!

[fourhats]

I've been hearing this two, at our R1. Someone recently showed us statistics that new and future students identify a lack of social skills as one of their biggest obstacles in college and in life. If they don't talk to each other outside of class, they are even more reluctant to speak up in class in front of others, for fear of putting themselves out there.