Adding Spice to the Classroom
Let’s talk about adding some spice to the college classroom.
No, I’m not talking about a tasty fall treat, although I’m sure I’ll hear plenty of holiday-themed speeches this semester (and I’d bet money someone might even give a speech about Pumpkin Spice Lattes).
I’m talking about making changes to my Public Speaking course to mix up the usual routine and ensure that classes don’t start to feel monotonous.
Every few years I’ll add a new and exciting activity that appeals to both me and my students. This semester, I finally decided it was time for them to plan and present their very own TED talks.
I’ve been expecting this overwhelming desire to hit me for some time now. I’ve been a huge fan of TED talks for years, watching them in my free time, showing them in the classroom, and even recommending them in my books.
The moment of inspiration finally arrived.
I printed off the TED Commandments (these are typically mailed to actual TED talk presenters), found some good guidelines for the classroom, and even stumbled upon a short 3-minute-long portion of a podcast interview between Tim Ferriss and Brene Brown discussing her experience as a TED speaker.
As I’m sure most teachers can understand, once the idea had struck me, I put all my other work aside for the day and spent the next 6 hours excitedly researching TED style talks for the classroom and planning out how we might go about this.
Unless you happen to be a speech teacher, this probably doesn’t speak to you directly.
But for all you ‘happy’ professors out there, regardless of the course you teach, I’m sure you’ve been in this situation at some point. When was the last time the inspiration struck you to try something new and add some spice to your course?
It’s the (almost) holiday season, Pumpkin Spice Lattes are among us, and some great ideas might just be in the air, too.
I encourage you to do something today that thrills you, and see what you can do to add some magic to your usual classroom routine.
Happy teaching, and happy (almost) holiday season!