Appendix C
"DON'T!"
What Not To Do When Teaching Cases
Clyde Freeman Herreid
http://ublib.buffalo.edu/libraries/projects/cases/teaching/dont.html
The following is a synopsis of Dr. Herreid's article
Don't fail to prepare - Some teachers never adequately prepare, they won't have prepared the students or themselves for this major break from the traditional lecture format. They are under the illusion that a good discussion will just happen
Don't start a discussion with a closed-ended question - The first question that the teacher asks is crucial. The primary criterion is to get students to talk, preferably thoughtfully. If you start with a question that is too obtuse, too formidable, or looks like a trick question, no one will answer. But there is another way to start off on the wrong foot. It is by asking a question that has a definite answer. Most students will be afraid of answering this even if they think they know it.
The best opening questions are open-ended, where there are multiple reasonable answers. Let's say that the case is about a scene is at a dinner table where a family argument is in full swing. Now, a non-threatening beginning might be to ask the students to identify the family members and indicate what their positions on the topic seem to be.
Don't deal with controversial emotional material until you have analyzed the facts - The safest way to discuss a case is to be sure that everyone has a clear understanding of the facts. If students are confused on these, it will be rough sledding ahead. It is best to get all the facts straight at the outset. For instance, by getting the names of all of the participants and their positions established.
If you do give tests, your use of the blackboard will help save the day. Before you go into class, develop a blackboard plan. Decide how to organize the case. One common strategy is to write the facts of the case on the left side of the board as they emerge in the discussion. In the center of the board you might group the major issues of the case as they are analyzed. Finally, if you are dealing with a dilemma case where the protagonists have to make a decision, their possible choices and consequences could be enumerated on the right side of the board.
Don't expect to have a great discussion until the students know one another - It is not enough to have their names; you must use them on every possible occasion. It won't be long before everyone in the room knows everyone else's name and this will greatly facilitate discussion.
Don't forget to call on different people - I think it is essential to try to get everyone into the act, to get diversity into the discussion. One way is to simply keep your eyes open and watch student body language: are they leaning forward, nodding their head, frowning, opening their mouths as if beginning to speak? We all have these so-called "intention movements" when we have something to say. Watch and call on these people.
Don't forget to listen to the students and respond to them - Speaking and listening are social arts—they go together. Good discussion requires the participants do more than simply wait their turn to speak; they need to connect their ideas with the others.
For the teacher, it means that he should periodically try to paraphrase students' points. The moderator must connect one student's ideas with another. He should ask John how his ideas square with Claudia's earlier point. To do this he must listen.
The instructor should operate at several levels during the discussion. At the first level he must be aware of the case material and how to get the content out. At the second level he must be aware of the process, thinking about whom to call on next to spread the discussion about, how to resolve the conflict that has just exploded, how to stop the private conversation in the corner, how to move to engage the bored student sitting to his right, when to shift tempo.
And on the third level he is thinking of the bigger picture, how these people are doing in the course and how this case fits into the overall curriculum. He will be thinking how asking a particular question might affect a particular student; how to be encouraging to Jennifer and yet skeptical of Philip.
Don't fret if the discussion isn't enthralling - It takes time to get good at anything. This goes for case teaching. The students need practice and so do you. Trust me, you'll get better.
Here is an important point: instructors often believe that the easiest way to break into case teaching is to try one each semester. No, the only way that you will have cases taken seriously and to get that enthralling discussion is to run several cases during the semester; then everyone will be comfortable with the method.
Don't just have students discuss things, have them produce a product - Discussions can often leave students and instructors with an unsatisfied feeling. Both may wonder what they really did accomplish. Board work isn't always enough. Giving the students a follow-up assignment usually does the trick. Have them write up a summary of the case, write a letter to their congressman, or develop a strategic plan. These are all good homework exercises. You don't have to have each student hand in a paper for each case. They might write up something for say half or a third of the cases. This approach makes the workload more manageable for everyone.
This brings you to the point where you should be ready to take the plunge into case teaching. Caution is needed, yes, but only so much can be done ahead of time. It is necessary to get some field experience as this anonymous rhyme highlights:
Mother may I go out to swim? Yes, my darling daughter. Hang your clothes on a hickory limb And don't go near the water.Enough caution. Aspiring swimmers and case teachers have to dive in sometime. Make it soon, but just remember a final "don't":
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