Interteaching Online and Face-to-Face

Roopika RisamSalem State University

Origins of Interteaching

Multi-component method of instruction (Anderson and Krathwohl 22)

Roots in B. F. Skinner’s operant psychology theories on overt behavior (acting) and covert behavior (thinking and feeling) (Boyce and Hineline 216)

Goals of Interteaching

Reorient classroom practices with an eye towards affecting how students act, think, and feel (Arntzen and Hoium 156)

Position students at the center of the learning process as a practice of active learning (Boyce and Hineline 215)

Interteaching Face-to-Face

For Fridays, students prepare responses to 6-10 questions on the reading

In class, student group or instructor presents biographical information on author and background on text

Students discuss answers in small groups that change weekly

Instructor visits groups, answers questions, guides discussions

Interteaching Face-to-Face

Students record changes to answers in a different color

If questions pose problems for students or new questions emerge, discuss in larger group

Students submit revised responses by Monday, 7pm for content/writing assessment

Interteaching Online

Students submit answers to reading guide by Wednesday, 7pm

In online discussion groups of 10, students discuss responses by Saturday, 7pm

Students record changes in a different color font and submit revised responses for content/writing assessment by Sunday, 7pm

Sample Interteaching Questions

Who are Olaudah Equiano and Gustavus Vassa? Why is each name significant?

What different forms of slavery are described in the story? How is slavery in Africa different from slavery in the Americas?

What role does religion play in Equiano’s narrative? How does Christianity influence his life as a slave and life while free?

According to recent evidence, Equiano may not have been born in West Africa. Records suggest he may have been born in South Carolina. How does this information change the way we read Equiano’s story?

Face-to-Face Assessment

5% Homework: 5 points for bringing completed questions to class, 0 points for no questions or absence

5% Participation in discussions

40% Interteaching Questions: 20 points possible for each assignment, covering content, examples, explanations, grammar and style

Online Interteaching Assessment

5% Homework: 5 points for completion by Wednesday, 7pm

15% Discussion: 5 points for participation in discussion by Saturday, 7pm

40% Revised Interteaching Questions: 20 points possible, covering content, examples, explanations, grammar and style

Rubric for Assessing Revised Responses

F2F Student, Week 1

“In African American Literature I would Imagine African American writers signifying in the following ways. one example of signifying I would expect to see in African American Literature is innuendoes and parodies in order to subtly address critical issues without drawing much attention to the author or the piece of literature. Another example of signifying that I would expect to see in African American Literature is a sense of competition towards white people. Stating basically that anything you can do we can do better or just as well.”

Same Student, Week 12

““Lift Every Voice and Sing” is similar to the gospel song, “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” as they convey a similar message about the importance of faith for African Americans. “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” is a plea for God to rescue the weary soul of an unfortunate slave who is tired of fighting and lead them to heaven. This is evident from the line, “Through the storm, through the night lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious lord, lead me home,” (23) which pleads with God for guidance. In “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” Johnson uses a very similar phrase in the fourth verse when he says, “Thou who hast brought us thus far on the way; thou who hast by Thy might, led us into the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray” (794). Johnson is essentially saying that God has brought African Americans a long way since slavery and that they aspire to stay on the path in which he has brought them to. Both of these readings show how enduring African Americans had to be during these times and sometimes it was extremely difficult not to give up, but their faith in God kept them optimistic.”

Online Student Response, Week 1

“In Wheatley’s poems she seems to be explaining how the slaves are taken from their native land and taken into a foreign land where they no longer hear familiar words or see familiar places and sites. As horrible as it is to even say this, some slaves I’m sure would much rather have died than be forced into slavery and oppression. Coming to a completely new land, they didn’t know what to expect, especially considering they’ve never seen a land other than their own. Wheatley’s poems are a testament to the fact the slaves might rather die than be forced into slavery.”

Same Student, Week 12

“Olunde both challenges and confirms Jane’s assumptions that all the Yoruba people are savage in that they embrace ritual suicide within their culture. Upon seeing Olunde for the first time in years, Jane says, “What a fine young man you’ve become” (Soyinka 40). Here, Mrs. Pilkings gives the impression that because Olunde had left his home in order to study medicine, he is more of a man, or perhaps even more of a human. Considering that he left his native land for a more culturally modern society to study medicine seems to challenge Jane’s assumptions that all Yoruban people are savages. Later in the conversation, Olunde tells Jane, “You forget that I have now spent four years among your people. I discovered that you have no respect for what you do no understand” (Soyinka 41). Here, Olunde calls Jane out for wearing the ancestral mask in a blasphemous fashion and further points out her, and Mr. Pilkings lack of respect toward a culture they do not understand. He even attempts to explain the importance of the ritual to Jane, who says, “However you try to put it, it is still a barbaric custom” (Soyinka 43). Just because they do not understand the culture, Mr. and Mrs. Pilkings show a lack of respect for something they consider barbaric. When Olunde notices the difference in the beating drum, he exclaims, “Yes, Mrs. Pilkings, my father is dead. His will-power has always been enormous; I know he is dead” (Soyinka 45). He doesn’t appear to show any grief, which appears to confirm Jane’s assumptions as she says, “You announce your father’s own death like a surgeon looking down on some strange… stranger’s body! You’re just savage like all the rest” (Soyinka 45). Because Olunde doesn’t mourn over the loss of Elesin, Jane uses this as a confirmation for her assumptions that all Yoruba people are savage. Despite her comments earlier, Jane views Olunde as a barbarian, as well, through his embrace of the culture.”

Challenges of Interteaching

Students unable to meet attendance and participation requirements easily fail

Front-loads instructor workload (guide prep, thorough responses to student writing)

Students may not expect to take on significant roles in the classroom

Benefits of Interteaching

Promotes active learning, attendance, and student engagement

Requires students to take ownership of the classroom and their learning

Provides students with strong background for summative assessment on midterm and final exams

Possible Changes Next Semester

Develop student self-assessment questionnaire to submit with revised responses

Add comments to sample response indicating required components (quotations, explanations)

Remove first round of question submission from online course; students will submit initial responses directly into discussion by offering formal response to one question and responding to all other formal responses

Works Cited

Anderson, Lorin and David Krathwohl. A Taxonomy for Learning, Teaching, and Assessing: A Revision of Bloom’s Taxonomy of Educational Objectives. NY: Longman, 2001.

Arntzen, Erik and Kari Hoium. “On the Effectiveness of Interteaching.” The Behavior Analyst Today 11 (2010): 155-9.

Boyce, Thomas and Philip Hineline. “Interteaching: A Strategy for Enhancing the User-Friendliness of Behavioral Arrangements in the College Classroom.” The Behavior Analyst 25 (2002): 215-26.