Narrative Assessment

In last night’s CT class, I had the students write out the L5 narrative competence assessment. A few items are bobbling around in my head from that exercise that I wanted to share:

The materials, especially Tarnas, are not always pleasant for some students to read. (God forbid they have a dictionary at hand when reading!) However, they usually come around after the first section or two. I specifically wanted to share this line from the narrative assessment: “. . .I really liked the Tarnas book. I like things that talk to me as if I am smart. I think too many classes dumb down the material and I appreciated that it was college level.”

Another, quiet student wrote: “I learned that the way I think is the way that many people have thought before. I am reinforced and inspired to be my own seeker. It surprised me how advanced the thinkers of the past were.”

Yet another:
“My initial expectations of this class was basically that of an intro to logic. My initial expectation was thwarted when on the first night of class we were asked, “ What do you know and how do you know it? . . .that provoked me to open my mind.”

Finally, “It will remain active, as the basis for a liberal arts education is to better understand the world. Without exercising this competence, one cannot succeed in the liberal arts.”

Did I mention that I love teaching?

:)