A complicated course

It is Wednesday morning, and for the fourth time, I have just distributed the course outline (syllabus) for Basic Communication Skills II to about fifty students. I have made changes to the outline given to me by the College. Under “Required Textbooks” I deleted all ten book titles listed. It did not make sense to me to require students to buy multiple books that looked very similar--Practicing Communication, Communication Skills, and Basic Communication, etc. Secondly, it made no sense to require nine of the books since they are not in the library nor in the bookstore. (The bookstore clerk spends most of her time photocopying pages rather than selling books.) The book that is available--seven copies for 250 students--did not have contents that matched the prescribed weekly lessons.

In light of the textbook scarcity, I asked students a few weeks ago how they wanted to fulfill the course objectives: prepare and deliver speeches, argue and defend points in debates, write good reports, use the internet. Did they want to debate interpretations of a novel or short stories (which we would photocopy illegally)? Or, I asked, did they want to debate about historical events? Or current issues?

The majority chose current issues. None of them wanted to practice oral skills by performing one-act plays (my preference). They physically shrank in their seats when I suggested the idea. And then when I said they could invite their friends and family for the performances, they slithered to the floor.

The next week I presented on the white board a large plan that entailed group debate teams, group topics, a written speech, a test, the actual spoken debate. I pointed out that this plan fulfilled most of the objectives but not all of them. I asked if they had questions or concerns. They were quiet.

This morning the class is looking at the same course objectives that I have now typed and photocopied 250 times. Are there any questions, I ask? One young man raises his hand. “Why aren’t we doing advertisements? I don’t see any assignments for advertisements.” I explain that I can’t teach advertisements because we don’t have a text book for advertising. Further, not all Basic Communication Skills students are business majors.

One student wants to know why they are not writing memos in this course, or minutes to a meeting, or advertisements. I repeat again: we do not have a textbook that covers memos, minutes, advertisements. I do not tell them, that I am grateful I have been saved from having to read 250 memos and meeting minutes.

A third student raises his hand. “What about advertisements? Why aren’t we learning advertisements?” I wonder to myself whether he didn’t listen to what I said the first and second time, or that he didn’t understand what I said. Understanding is slow because students are translating from English to Kiswahili as I am speaking. They have not gotten to the point of fluency where they do not need to switch back to Kiswahili.

When I give a set of instructions, I have to write them on the board. Then I read them out loud, then I ask whether students want me to repeat again. Yes. Then repeat again. Maybe this student who asked about advertisements for the third time wasn’t concentrating the first two times. Maybe he didn’t like my answer. I repeat again.

Finally, a student has noticed that the course description says the course will focus on the fax, as well as oral skills, reporting, library skills. “Why aren’t we learning how to fax?” he asks. I explain that we don’t have a fax machine to demonstrate it.

I suppose I could take 250 students to visit the secretary to the provost in her office which is barely larger than her desk. She could demonstrate the fax 200 times, but that seems an improper use of time and human resources. Short of several fax machines for teaching purposes, I don’t have a textbook that shows a picture of a fax machine. I tell them they can learn how to use a fax machine on the job in two minutes.

It is the first time I have had students ask why I was covering or not covering something in a course. Unlike my former students in the States, these students take an interest in what will happen. Nevertheless, trying to make an impossible course outline possible given the lack of textbooks, no internet on campus, a library with very few books, and students with little money to spare for photocopying and internet café use take their toll on my energy. So does repeating again.

The same student raises his hand again. “But can’t you teach us the theory of the fax?”