THINKING CREATIVELY ABOUT “RETREAT” TIME IN UNIVERSITY CLASSROOMS
Keywords:
Communication, Collaboration, Group Learning, Critical ThinkingAbstract
As a Communication professor and education researcher I spend a significant amount of time studying, practicing and discussing the benefits of collaborative and group learning. Still, when thinking about innovative ways to encourage critical thought and learning I have come to appreciate the value of what might be called retreat time—time to be quiet and to have some access to personal space in the classroom. I have also thought about what retreat time can look like when art-making becomes part of the picture. In this article I present a case for building retreat time into classroom experiences in conjunction with collaborative activities. I draw from existing literature, my own teaching practices, and my educational research in which I engage in arts-related methods that integrate both retreat and collaboration. First, I contemplate the value of silence in learning and strategies educators can use to create room for constructive silence. I then consider the need for personal space in which students can listen, process, and critically reflect upon what they are learning. Finally, I describe an adaptation of an art-making activity that allows for retreat and collaboration in an effort to help students articulate their ideas, questions, and interpretations of theories and concepts they explore in the classroom. Throughout I share personal observations and reflections regarding the implementation of retreat time in my own practices suggesting possible areas of formal teaching and learning research.References
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