Experiential Teaching in Anthropology

Nancy at Savage Minds wrote a terrific post yesterday about the value of experiential teaching in anthropology. Here’s a quotation which resonants with me and the goals I strive for as a teacher of anthropology:

With experimentation, I have found that my students already know much of what I’m there to teach them. By asking them questions such as “What do you think are some functions of religion?” and seeing that they explained most of what I was about to tell them, I saw that, in fact, all I was doing was giving them tools with which to discuss what they already know from an anthropological perspective. By posing questions that require them to think about prior knowledge in a new light and by providing them with tools that will help them to do it more effectively, I am providing scaffolding for them in their construction of anthropological knowledge rather then simply filling their brains and notebooks with knowledge that comes from outside of them.

I have been blogging a little (here and here) about my ‘15 minute observation’ assignment where I try and get students to view their own community with the eye of an anthropologist. I believe this assignment is consistent with Nancy’s goals.

As I move into the classes on economy and exchange I have tinkered with the Prisoner’s Dilemma game to encourage students to figure out the advantages of different kinds of exchanges — and why we exchange at all. (Sounds again like Nancy’s teaching strategies.)

I’d be interested in hearing more about the ways in which people teach introductory anthropology in ways that are consistent with Nancy’s outlook … and I am more than willing to keep sharing too.

Thank you, Nancy, for your intersting ideas and experiences.

Share This