Published Monday, March 01, 2004
Desperate to Drop?
With the add/drop deadline approaching, HGSE students share their best classes
By Alissa Farber
APPIAN STAFF WRITER

You’re panicking. One of your classes is not what you expected. You didn’t shop anything else two weeks ago. With the add/drop deadline looming, you’re looking for an alternative to save your semester. We’ve polled some masters candidates to come to the rescue.

Higher Education student Becca Shapiro recommends Mike Nakkula’s “Adolescent Development,” H-236. “Professor Nakkula does a good job intengrating theory and practice,” she says. “He’s engaging and includes personal anecdotes which create rapport amongst the class.” Shapiro cautions that there’s a lot of reading for the class, but “it brings in a lot of different perspectives.” She thinks it would be easy for students to join at this point in the semester, as there’s only been one written, ungraded assignment.

Want “work that makes sense?” Language and Literacy’s Jason Anklowitz recommends H-870, Nonie Leseaux’s “Reading Comprehension.” “I feel as though reading comprehension is one of the most single most important instructional aspects any teacher faces,” says Anklowitz. “The class not only is practical for classroom instruction, but it’s rooted in the theories behind it.” Anklowitz appreciates Professor Leseaux’s ability to involve the class in the lectures and develop practical classroom assignments. He cautions that it would be difficult to join the class at this point, but worth the effort.

Sarah Trabucchi, a student in the Specialized program, is “constantly learning something new” in H-502, Mica Pollock’s “Youth Culture: Building Difference, Breaking it Down.” “The class in incredibly global,” she says, “we go from hip hop to teenagers in Bangkok to the Masai tribe in Africa.” Trabucchi notes that the class will be easy to join, as it just started and has an unlimited enrollment. “The work seems like it will be really fun” and offers students the opportunity to engage in their own fieldwork.

Sean Hunley, a masters student in Learning and Teaching, uses the Goldilocks barometer to measure the amount of reading in T-560, David Rose’s “The Universal Design for Learning.” “It’s neither too hot nor too cold,” Hunley explained, “it’s just right.” It’s his favorite class this semester, and one that he’d recommend to any HGSE student seeking respite from the Big Bad Wolf of unsatisfactory courses.

Hunley thinks T-560 is the perfect class to jump in on because “we are still really getting started on content.” He believes the class gives an excellent theoretical background, but has practical applications for the classroom. “Plus,” Henley notes, Professor Rose is “interesting, fun, and humorous.” (In the interest of full disclosure: this reporter is enrolled in this class, too, but is not recommending it simply to win brownie points with the professor.)

The add/drop deadline for HGSE is March 5, so if you’re looking for a change, take a deep breath, check out some of these classes, and get ready to catch up on some serious reading.

Alissa Farber, an Ed.M. candidate in Human Development and Psychology, is a member of the Appian Board of Editors.