Seminars

I think back to last week and go through my head on what we have done. Okay so we did a lot of analysis on The Bluest Eye, but one thing comes in mind and that's the seminar we did about the book. I've come to really appreciate these seminars. I recall doing about two seminars in the two years before, so I wasn't really exposed to this type of activity. These seminars are a really nice way to see how deep the analysis can go without a teacher there to edge us closer to the answer. Discussing it and listening to other students' opinions creates this almost informal and a more personal feeling. It's only a circle of students, some of them friends, bouncing back some ideas trying to dig deeper into the mysteries of what Morrison is trying to tell us and not some group of critics waiting for you to say the wrong thing so they can call you out on it.

 I have to say that I'm a pretty shy person when it comes to class participation so a comfy and inviting atmosphere is preferred. I want to say what I think and create discussion or to add on my thoughts. I can do that in these seminars because Ms. Valentino always says before each one (almost), "it's okay to makes mistakes, because that can only [develop] the discussion further". Another thing that provokes me to speak more is the evaluations. This slight pressure of required participation pushes me into forcing myself to crawl of my "I really don't want to talk" shell and contribute to the seminar. This is a productive way to build a part of my social skills that i've been lacking. It's such a nice feeling to figure out what a certain passage really means without a teacher directing us. It's like breathing a brief air of satisfaction. 

But you might ask, what's the difference between seminars and regular in class discussion where the teacher discusses the topic with the students? I keep mentioning how the atmosphere should feel like and really, that's one of the more important differences, well for me anyways. In class discussions are more rigid and there are less opportunities-everybody is participating unlike the seminars- to say something before somebody else says it. Sometimes, Ms. Valentino is looking for a certain answer. In a seminar, the teacher is taken out of that equation so none of the students are trying to figure out that one certain important aspect of information because they don't what it really means at first anyways. So in the end, in my opinion, seminars are a great way for me to learn how to dig deeper in the information and share my thoughts.