Observation (2) 1/3/17
PHIL102, Nussbaum’s Capabilities Approach

Use of Google Doc
One thing I have some thoughts on and want to mention here is the use of Google Docs. Christina used Google Docs for discussion today. The discussion question is, what do we need to flourish? Students were supposed to discuss in groups of 3 to 4, and they would type their answers on a Google Doc. Christina then discussed students’ answers on the Google Doc.

Google Doc seems a good way to encourage in-class participation. Some students may feel intimidated to speak in front of the whole class. If they are asked to present their answers to the whole class, they may be unwilling to volunteer. Or if they are picked on, they may be nervous and not able to express their ideas well, and they will be more discouraged from speaking in class in the future.

However, with Google Docs, where students type their answers on the document rather than presenting them in front of the whole class, students who are not good at public speaking will feel less intimidated and will be more willing to answer questions. They may even answer questions anonymously. This may in turn encourage them to participate more in the future.

Whether or not Susan Cain was right about introversion, it seems commonsensical that some students are, for whatever reason, unwilling to speak publicly in class. I used to think that the courage and skill to speak in public is (i) an expectation in university and (ii) what students should develop in university. Now I have changed my mind. Perhaps not every one likes to communicate with other people in this way. Perhaps not every one needs to the skill to speak in public (in front of 100 people, for instance). Moreover, perhaps expecting all of them to speak in public will be detrimental to the learning progress of those who don’t like public speaking. If I can develop their public speaking skill, then that’s great. But this should not be my priority. My priority is to show them that philosophy is relevant to their lives and to develop their abilities to think critically. So I should prioritize giving my students the opportunity to think about philosophical issues, to express their ideas, and to receive feedback.

Disciplinary Behaviour Development
I was hoping to focus on disciplinary behaviour development. Every discipline has its own disciplinary behaviour, the behaviour that a practitioner in the discipline typically has. The disciplinary behaviour in philosophy includes consistency (writing and arguing consistent), clarity (writing clearly and avoiding ambiguity and vagueness), justifiability (holding beliefs based on justification). One ultimate goal of teaching philosophy is to develop such disciplinary behaviour so that students become a philosopher.

This is no easy task, partly because disciplinary behaviour development is a long-term goal that cannot be achieved with only one or two courses, and partly because of the abstract nature of philosophy’s disciplinary behaviour—the behaviour is not merely behavioural but to a large extent a way of thinking.

This is a very long-winded opening. But in any case, the small group discussion in this lecture was conducive to disciplinary behaviour development. Discussion is a very typical learning activity in philosophy. It is also one good way to develop disciplinary behaviour. In this discussion, students have to think about what they need to flourish—a very important question indeed in moral philosophy. They also need to explain their thoughts to their peers and potentially defend them. This is what (moral) philosophers do all the time. The question is also straightforward and deals with things students (hopefully) care about—their flourishing.