Hi, Bob!  Recently you wrote in a message to Ardith Hinton:

BA>  Back when I was an under-grad we had a prof who was
BA>  amazing.  Each class met on alternating weekends for
BA>  a total of six sessions, each 8+ hours long.  Mid term
BA>  exam on the middle weekend, term papers and presentations
BA>  due plus the final exam on the last weekend.  On the
BA>  first day we spent an hour or so introducing ourselves -
BA>  and thereafter he had all 30 or so of us and could call
BA>  on any of us by name.  We even changed our seats around
BA>  coming back from lunch and he immediately caught on -
BA>  but he still had us by name.  David Cordova from the
BA>  University of Texas (he part-timed weekends working for
BA>  Southern Illinois University at Carbondale).


        He does sound like a very special person... and his idea sounds
like a good one.  I must confess I never thought of that.  I'm not sure it
would work the same way with a group of junior high school students who
probably know one another better than I know them, however, and who meet
for only one hour three times a week.  With such students I had to spend
the first hour getting across to them who was in charge.  It was easier in
band class than in English class, because band was an elective subject
& most of the students were there because they *wanted* to be there. 
At university level I reckon most people are there for similar reasons
because they're paying for the privilege.  Incidentally, I had not just two
but eight classes with thirty students or so in each....  :-)




--- timEd/386 1.10.y2k+