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9:02 Prioritize Categories: The groups discuss and decide upon Which top 3 categories of questions do

we want answered? The leaders come to the whiteboard and write a #1, #2 and #3 by their top 3categories.

9:05 Listening to Info about the Questions: I answer their top 3 categories of questions. (Questions

Category #1: Which singer (both Chinese and American) do you like best? How about your most

unforgettable memory in China? (going to my students very rural hometown, drew how I got there, many

buses, walking on the mountain, very far away in Sichuan, rice terraces, they caught fish for us, we saw all

their corn and other vegetables, beautiful nature, that it changed my life. They listen intently.) Whatsyour phone #? (I give my email.) You look fashionable, how do you make yourself look more beautiful?

I laugh at myself, saying Ive got on my white elephant Om pants (which they dont know the Om symbol

or sound), and my clothes are usually a bit dirty and I dont brush my hair. Category #2: What is the mostfamous in your country? NYC, I say. Please introduce your hometown. I talk about the mountains and

desert of Pueblo, Colorado and that I also love Chicago, Illinois. Category #3: Which country [place] do

you like best in China? I say, All of it! and list the provinces Ive been to. Do you think the Chinesemen are handsome? Of course! haha In your eyes, what differences exist between us and your

children? [They dont know I have children, and the question, I learn, means that they want to know about

American university students and themselves, 1st-year university students. Interesting, they viewthemselves as child-like.] I say and point to participatory learning, that in the U.S. we can discuss ideas

and create new things using this. I say that Chinese students have a lot of knowledge, know a lot of things,and copy a lot. I say both ways are good, neither is better, theyre different.

Gave names to the categories: I asked What kinds of questions were these? and wrote down culture,

personal experience of me in China, my life, and philosophical/funny. I said, I hear that you are really

interested in my life as it relates to China, and differences between Chinese and American students. Theseare really interesting questions, not what I expected.

Generated together (I asked leading questions) step-by-step what we did today:

How We Learn Together:

1) teams talked about which questions to ask

2) teams decided which questions to write and wrote them down3) leaders categorized/classified the questions on the board (the backs of the slips had sticky tacky

putty on them)

4) the whole group reclassified the categories of questions as needed

5) teams prioritized and voted which categories were best6) all took a break (resting in-between is important too)

7) students listened as Jane talked, answered the top-prioritized questions

8) reflection (feeling word, journaling about PL and/or content Jane talked about, writing downthese steps of how we learned)

9) Jane synthesis, PL explanation

I synthesized by saying that PL is about all these steps. And that decision-making and listening (toyourself and others) is at the heart of it.

Feeling Word: In 2 of my classes, I get a feeling word reaction from the students. Most use words asexcited, comfortable, happy. Only 1 or 2 feel neutral or bored.

Mini-lecture/synthesis (?) of Participatory Learning(Tuesday 4:00 and Wed. 8:00 classes): I explained thattraditional learning is participatory learning and every culture knows this: villagers would together decide

where to build buildings, in China, the dad will teach his son to grow rice, and the daughter learns how to

cook from her mom. Even some university classes such as architecture can be participatory. This issomething we do when we hang out with friends and learn about each other and ourselves. So we do it in

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this classroom also. The alternative is that I will stand in front of the classroom and make a speech for

some time and hear their questions one-by-one from the group. And we can do that, I can make it funny, Iknow what they want to hear, and they can still participate, but in a more limited way. Today, this way of

participatory learning, we really co-created what content they wanted to hear, I got to know them better as

far as their interests, they had fun, they learned about me, and we still learned and spoke a lot of English.

9:20 Co-create class rules/expectations: I asked them to talk about, in their groups, class rules and

expectations. As #1, I write No cell phones, my pet peeve.

Hunt for the No

In one class, a student muttered she couldnt agree to the rule to participate (that somebody had

suggested). I asked her Why? She said because shes bored. Why? Because shes actually tired.Why? Because she didnt get enough sleep last night. Why? Because she was doing other stuff. So

if you have a job to be a student in my class, how can you do your part so that you can participate? She

agreed to get more rest, make better choices, have her roommate/classmate remind her to be prepared nextweek. It led to us adding to the class rules about being prepared (the night before/ the morning of).

Hunting for the no leads to an ultimately richer agreement and group wisdom surfacing.

Rules/Expectations (Co-Created)

1. No cell phones2. Arrive on time

3. No eating, sleeping in class4. Participate:

a. Listen when anybody talking to the group

b. Be energetic, active5. No copying

6. Be prepared:

a. The night before/morning ofb. Bring what you need to class: I said they all must have a notebook just for this class. And

homework, as assigned.

9:30 Reflection/Journaling : I explained that the course content is created as we go (and I read in Prachas

book that one of the dangers of PL is that students can feel they dont know what they learned if its not

summarized and synthesized well). And, for the purposes of the exam (oral final), they must know what

we talked about today. So, they must write down 1) the steps of learning and 2) all that they rememberabout today. I wrote on the board, Today I learned about Jane that: ________ and Today I learned that

participatory learning is: __________. They spent 5-10 minutes journaling. Wed class: I walked around,

saying in a sort-of meditative, slow voice, Today I talked about what kind of flowers I like, and the storyof my Chinese family, my Chinese name, that Im not mixed-blood but pure-blood Polish but American in

culture, that I took my kids to live in the rest of the world because of my background, the story of how

Dave and I met

Next week: I will bring a drawing summarizing what we did in class. Will draw map of U.S. (just

Colorado and Illinois) and China, etc. Excited to do this!