Well it's almost the end of the first week of classes. (Labor day is, it will come as no surprise, not celebrated here.)
I have to say, it's been interesting. In a normal quarter or semester in the US, the first day of class you get a syllabus, go over it, and maybe even take a stab at discussing the readings that were assigned for the day, but really only one or two people actually read because, come on, it's the first day of class.
Here, things are set up differently. At least for my program, the first week has basically consisted of one extremely complex and difficult to understand introduction to a lecture series on "the philosophy of science"(relationship to urban planning: unknown at this time) which was bright and early Monday morning, and the rest has been more of a "learning how to learn" type of deal. It is an introduction to the teaching approach at Aalborg University, which they call PBL, or Problem Based Learning, and apparently they consider it to be one of the most complex subjects in the history of this great planet.
As it turns out, PBL really just means "Doing a large research project, with a problem or question as its focus, in a group".
We've probably spent about 20 hours now "brainstorming" on various topics (various may not be the correct word because in fact the topics have been almost identical to each other) with some brief lectures on "how to brainstorm" interspersed throughout the day.
Maybe I'm just a bit tired from 7 nearly consecutive hours of brainstorming, or maybe some of the class has in fact been quite boring and unnecessary. I don't want to seem too negative, because in the end the people in the program are great, and the project itself will be a wonderful and challenging experience. All this to say that after feeling a bit frustrated at the end of today, I found my mental health easily restored by hopping on one of the free City Bikes located on campus, riding through the countryside to the center city where I live, enjoying the fresh fall air, and even a bit of sun(!!) It is so cool to see so many people out riding bikes (even more than in Portland!) and to let my inner transportation-planning-nerd soak up the details of the bicycle infrastructure here. (Pictures and a post on that to come at some point.)
So, bike wins.
I have to say, it's been interesting. In a normal quarter or semester in the US, the first day of class you get a syllabus, go over it, and maybe even take a stab at discussing the readings that were assigned for the day, but really only one or two people actually read because, come on, it's the first day of class.
Here, things are set up differently. At least for my program, the first week has basically consisted of one extremely complex and difficult to understand introduction to a lecture series on "the philosophy of science"(relationship to urban planning: unknown at this time) which was bright and early Monday morning, and the rest has been more of a "learning how to learn" type of deal. It is an introduction to the teaching approach at Aalborg University, which they call PBL, or Problem Based Learning, and apparently they consider it to be one of the most complex subjects in the history of this great planet.
As it turns out, PBL really just means "Doing a large research project, with a problem or question as its focus, in a group".
We've probably spent about 20 hours now "brainstorming" on various topics (various may not be the correct word because in fact the topics have been almost identical to each other) with some brief lectures on "how to brainstorm" interspersed throughout the day.
Maybe I'm just a bit tired from 7 nearly consecutive hours of brainstorming, or maybe some of the class has in fact been quite boring and unnecessary. I don't want to seem too negative, because in the end the people in the program are great, and the project itself will be a wonderful and challenging experience. All this to say that after feeling a bit frustrated at the end of today, I found my mental health easily restored by hopping on one of the free City Bikes located on campus, riding through the countryside to the center city where I live, enjoying the fresh fall air, and even a bit of sun(!!) It is so cool to see so many people out riding bikes (even more than in Portland!) and to let my inner transportation-planning-nerd soak up the details of the bicycle infrastructure here. (Pictures and a post on that to come at some point.)
So, bike wins.
I'm so glad you're able to turn the brainstorming OFF with some country-side biking! Lucky girl. Biking in seattle is a different story; on Sunday I casually biked down to greenlake to go swimming and decided (as always) to bike the "wrong way" around the lake since it was faster to my swim spot. MISTAKE. 3 minutes into my crowded obstacle course a Lance Armstrong ran smack into my front tire. We both managed to stay on and not say anything.
ReplyDeleteI didn't look back since it was my bad. Needless to say countryside fresh air biking>urban biking. Any day.
Hi Bree,
ReplyDeleteSounds a lot like the facillitated planning process we used to go through every year or so when I worked for Metro and the county... there were benefits, but there was also a lot of bs... try to be one of the ones asking which are the important questions and which won't really matter... many folks seem not to differentiate much... we are on our boast, NAGA, in Pender Harbor, BC headed north and , wonder of wonders it is 85 degrees here... Pender harbour is several little towns around a series of interlocking bays, surrounded by steep (think fjord) hills and the main modes of transport are inflatable dingy and walking ...
phil & Penny
Thanks so much for taking the time to do the blog. It's really a great way to get a sense of what you are seeing and doing - all of which we care about a great deal. Clearly, the time you spend there will bring many new experiences and perspectives - always a GOOD thing (even if some of them are negative!)
ReplyDeleteLove from the home front
Thanks, Bree,
ReplyDeletefor the photos and the posts. Love your honesty and the Viking beer! Best of luck with the group process, good training, I imagine. Keep hopping on those bikes, sounds like you will maintain your sanity in lots of ways. What do you think about the election today?
Stacy
Hi Bree!! Your photos are lovely. Your temporary home doesn't go in much for front yards, does it?
ReplyDeleteI bet I'm not the only one who's noticed that you haven't posted anything in, like, many days! No pressure, you may have other things to do, so don't worry about those of us back here state-side who have nothing to do except wait for an update.