Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/470545
MARCH | APRIL 2015 BizEd 57 I will invite questions, and I will push for comments that are more than a regurgi- tation of what I have presented in class or what students have read in a textbook. 12. BE UNSELFISH WITH MY TIME. I will welcome students at my office and make sure my availability there is gen- erous. I will avoid regularly closing my office door. 13. PROPERLY SOURCE THE MATERI- ALS I USE. I will observe copyright laws and not misrepresent whose ideas and insights I am conveying. 14. START AND STOP CLASS PUNCTUALLY. I will not disrespect others' time. 15. AFFIRM, CELEBRATE, AND ENCOURAGE STUDENTS. I will not embarrass, denigrate or discourage students by word or action. THE RECIPROCAL PROMISE Great basketball teams, jazz bands, and dance troupes bring several key ingredients to their accomplished tasks—talent, preparation, commit- ment, and clarity of purpose. Moreover, the members of each group rely on each other to do their respective parts, and when they do, the fluid and flexible blending of parts creates harmonic, elevated outcomes. A classroom is another group enter- prise that performs best when all partici- pants engage with each other in ways they have agreed upon in advance. If my stu- dents and I are to create an effective and enjoyable learning experience, we must all have an active, understood role to play. I believe students benefit from knowing what I expect of them—there should be no ambiguity. The most eager and conscien- tious students will promise to: 1. BE PREPARED—for each class and each graded event. 2. BE SUPPORTIVE AND ENCOURAGE their classmates. 3. OWN THEIR SHARE OF THE LEARNING JOURNEY by exercising initiative and responsibility. 4. BE ON TASK. They should ask purposeful questions and offer suitable examples. 5. BE COURAGEOUS. They should push for understanding, defend a well-rea- soned view, and provide a good-faith response when called on in class. 6. SHOW RESPECT TO CLASSMATES, the institution, and the faculty. 7. DO MORE THAN MEMORIZE FACTS OR THEORIES. They should internalize knowledge, articulate it in their own words, and be prepared to explain what they have learned to others. 8. LOOK FOR CONNECTIONS—to other courses, current events, and prior work experiences. 9. HAVE FAITH IN ME. They should believe that learning will result from my approach and course design. 10. PROVIDE ME WITH CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK. They should conscientiously and professionally let me know what I did well and also what I could do more effectively. 11. LISTEN ATTENTIVELY. Build on the comments and contributions of class- mates. 12. BE REASONABLE in requests for my out-of-class time. 13. REFRAIN FROM CHEATING or violat- ing copyright laws. 14. BE ON TIME. 15. REGULARLY REFLECT on class insights to clarify and cement lessons learned. CREATING THE COVENANT Faculty who like the idea of a classroom covenant but want to create their own versions should first spend some time in individual reflection to crystallize the promises they want to make to, and ask of, their students. They also could actively seek ideas by observing and interacting with other professors in formal and informal settings. For instance, at my school, instruc- tors who teach different sections of the same course frequently hold weekly meetings to share experiences, ex- pectations, and plans. We also visit each others' classrooms often—be- cause we're interested in the topic, because we're interested in new insights, because we're on a sup- portive team-teaching task, or because we're part of a tenure/promotion review process. In addition, we periodically attend schoolwide teaching forums. All of these more formal interactions can provide instructors with ideas about professional norms and shared teaching values, which can be translated into classroom covenants. More informally, small groups of faculty frequently gather for lunch. Naturally, we play Monday-morning quarterback as we discuss what the university's sports team did wrong that weekend, but we also talk about class- room dynamics. Additionally, many of us connect with colleagues at the end of the teaching day to discuss that day's classroom experience. These seemingly mundane encounters often bring subtle points into sharper focus and lead to better ways to engage and interact with students. Thus, they too can provide ideas to be incorporated into a class- room covenant. KEEPING THE PROMISE During a couple hundred course intro- ductions in my 37 years of teaching, I have mentioned many of the points I present in this covenant. Recent reflec- tions, however, lead me to want to make a classroom covenant that is robust, explicit, and based on experience. At the beginning of the next course I teach, I plan to do just that, outlining both my part and the part I hope students will perform. I do not want there to be any ambiguity about the tasks, attitudes, and expectations I want students to embrace during their learning journey in my course. Intentionality, accountability, specificity, and shared commitment— the underpinnings of a well-honed cove- nant—can be extremely beneficial to the teaching/learning exchange. Mark E. Haskins is a professor of business administration at the University of Virgin- ia's Darden Graduate School of Business in Charlottesville.