Structures are everywhere, but do we notice them? When we walk into a classroom, we walk in at an assigned time—that's a structure. We are "persuaded" by the way the furniture in the room is arranged to sit or gather in a certain way, sometimes depending on our role. All of these structures are based on assumptions. A lecture hall "moves" instructors into lecturing, and the theater-style seating "moves" students into listening and taking notes. A seminar room "asks" us to gather around a table and converse. These structures are so ubiquitous that we forget to question the assumptions behind them. In this short piece, I'd like to focus on the syllabus as structure.
When you think of the word "syllabus," what comes to mind? Perhaps the word contract? Or maybe the first day of class when many of us read over the syllabus with the students? Some of us even have a syllabus quiz or ask students to sign the last page. If we have time on the first day, we might do introductions around the room or an ice breaker. This way of structuring our time, space, and content may serve us well if we go by the assumptions that (a) the first day of class is rather transactional in nature, and (b) the instructor has the authority and the knowledge to design the syllabus, and the students' role is to "buy in."
The problem with buy-in is that it implies students must align themselves to my purpose as instructor. And if you've taught one course or 25, you know that this really doesn't work. Not all students hop on the horse with us and just ride. So, what I'm putting forth here is that the syllabus is actually a crucial structure whereby we can flip our assumptions about purpose. By inviting the students to co-author certain elements such as the purpose, goals, and even assessments, we grant them ownership, which I have found decreases disconnection, absences, and stress and increases:
- Purpose,
- Belonging,
- Accountability, and
- Grade satisfaction (we can say it improves grades, but really, it just helps students be better connected to the work-assessment process).
I am by no means suggesting you go to class without a syllabus on the first day—System policy, but why not make the first day more relational by preparing a "skeleton" of a syllabus with essential information for the first week and fill in the gaps with student input?
You can invite students to collaborate with you on the syllabus in many ways. Here, I offer a string of 3 to 5 liberating structures that can be used in the first few class sessions to set common goals and discuss ways to achieve them. Liberating structures (LS) are design thinking group facilitation techniques that maximize inclusion and creativity (McCandless & Lipmanowicz, 2014; Durá, 2018).
This particular string, which I've used over the last eight years, allows for students to commiserate with their peers on challenges related to our class subject, writing, and ultimately agree upon a list of "local best practices" for success. Employing these structures on the first day or over the first week is a great front-end investment that helps students take ownership of their own goals, which is especially helpful for required courses, and be accountable for their behaviors in achieving them.
| Liberating Structure & What It Makes Possible | Time Distribution | Space & Participant Distribution | Structuring Invitation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Speed Networking - students form loose but powerful connections, work together to shape the work and notice patterns. | 9 minutes: 3 rounds of 3 minutes each (1.5 minutes per person within each round) | Standing (ADA accommodation: sitting), mill around the room | What do YOU want to learn in this class and why? How do you know you will have been successful? |
| TRIZ - students are able to let go of what they know but rarely admit, opening the space for innovation and accountability. | 25-30 minutes: 3 minutes individual brainstorm; 6 minutes in fours; 10 minutes reporting to the whole group | Sitting down, individually, in pairs, and in fours. | Make a list of all of the things you can do on a daily basis to ensure you fail to meet your goal(s) for this class. How can I help you fail? How can your classmates help you fail? How can the institution help you fail? |
| Min Specs - boost performance and responsibility by outlining essential behaviors for working together that foster success moving forward. | 10-20 minutes: In fours, make lists of essential Must Do and Must Not Do behaviors | Based on the TRIZ, what concrete behaviors and practices MUST we engage in? What must we NOT engage in? What are we already doing that we must STOP right now to meet our goals? |
You can collect the data from these sessions electronically (I use Google docs), or you can use butcher paper/giant stickies or the board in the classroom and decide how to integrate into your syllabus. I recommend debriefing during the second class session—What did we do? What did it mean to you? What does it mean for us in terms of next steps? In fact, the debrief structure really helps build learning accountability when used weekly, but that's for another post!
Some final notes...
Since students will be working in small groups, the class can be of any size. I have used LS with groups from 6 to 300. You can, of course, take these structures, use them separately, tweak them, and make them your own! And you can make your own strings by experimenting with other structures.
References
Dura, L. (2018). Leveraging assets through Appreciative Interviews in classrooms and communities for edited collection High Impact Practices in Community Settings, Azuri Gonzalez & Gina Nunez-Mchiri, Eds. Kendall-Hunt Publishing, Ch. 7.
McCandless, K. & Lipmanowicz, H. (2014). The surprising power of Liberating Structures: Simple rules to unleash a culture of innovation. Seattle, WA: Liberating Structures Press.
