I’m sitting here this morning trying to get a head start on my syllabus and assignment–not to mention fix up my flickr account, which has been largely neglected in the last few weeks. I’m feeling so overwhelmed at this point in the semester–with teaching and taking–and am wondering how it is all going to get done. Urg.

Anyhow, I’m torn today between trying to create something that lasts all semester, or that is broken up into units (like my current course is). I like the idea of units because it offers students a chance (and me) to feel like they have accomplished something, finished it, and can indulge in a rare moment of task-completion euphoria (which is what I do when I check off all of the items on my to-do list). This also seems to help with the mid-semester slump–there’s something new to do, to talk about, to discover. However, if I incorporate a portfolio (which I”m seriously considering), then it would make sense to have a semester long project so that students can look back over their work and draw connections, talk about revision, and discuss process. Sometimes this proves hard in a portfolio class where every assignment is totally different (and distanced) from the one before it. And that distance may account for some of the more formulaic letters of reflection that get included in the portfolio.

Things to consider.