Hi, and welcome to my corner of the woods! I'm Lauren, a '27 from Munger, Michigan. I'm excited to be back to taking classes after two "off terms" in a row! Outside of academics, I'm involved in Ledyard Canoe Club, the Dartmouth Organization of Rural Students, and Dartmouth Sports Analytics Club. I'm excited to share stories from my favorite place with all of you!
I took this class as part of Dartmouth's first year writing requirement. We read a pro cyclist's life narrative, discussed research papers on controversial topics in sports, and wrote our own papers on a contentious sports technology of our choice. I really enjoyed this course's emphasis on discussion, and the small class size!
This was my first class in the classics department, which was super exciting as a classical studies major! We learned about the ancient Olympics and the connections between athletics and other aspects of ancient Greek society. I loved the final project in this class, which involved creating an argument about how the ancient pentathlon was scored!
To conclude my language requirement, I took Latin 3! This class was super exciting because we began to read ancient texts and poetry. We also took a class trip to the Rauner Special Collections library so we could physically handle and read some manuscripts. And as an added bonus, Latin counts as a prerequisite for my classical studies major!
As a part of my language study abroad in Italy, I also took a class on Italian history and culture! We went on field trips to the Colosseum and the Roman Forum, participated in walking tours of Rome, and watched a lot of great cinema in this class! I loved it so much that I decided to minor in Italian.
This class, in addition to being a pre-requisite for my major, was super interesting! I loved learning about archaeology through hands-on projects and lectures that felt like TED Talks.
My favorite course on my Italian LSA+ in Rome is focused on Italian literature, which we are studying in a reverse-chronological order! It has been incredibly fun to see different topics and styles evolve over time and to learn from the works of the best writers.
I’m absolutely loving this hands-on introduction to paleography, and the fact that my class meets at Rauner every day! I can’t wait to hear from our guest lecturers, too, and I’ll be sure to share those experiences on the blog. All in all, Latin 10 was a great way to get back into the language after a term away in Rome.
I signed up for this Latin class after the FDOC (first day of class), and I'm so glad I added it to my sophomore summer schedule! Our class is combined with GRK 30.08 History and Structure of the Greek Language, and it has been incredibly interesting to compare the ancient languages and learn a bit of Greek.
FallIvrea, Italy
This term, I'm interning with the Olivetti Leadership Institute in Ivrea, a small town in northern Italy.
WinterHanover, NH
For my second off-term, I'm back on campus! I'm keeping myself busy by working, spending time with friends, and working on my to-be-read list.
I signed up for this course to complete my final distributive requirement for graduation, and it has turned out to be one of my most rewarding classes! It’s been fascinating to explore a region of the world I hadn’t formally studied before. As a bonus, the lectures are incredibly engaging and I always leave class feeling like my perspective has been broadened.
If you're unfamiliar with the concept of "drill" at Dartmouth, I recommend checking out fellow bloggers Brandon or Kalina's posts for some background info before diving into this one! To summarize, drill is a student-led language practice session that focuses on improving speaking and listening skills.
As part of my Italian study at Dartmouth, I've taken two terms of drill (one on-campus, and one abroad in Rome). While I understood its importance as a space dedicated to speaking practice, I didn't always feel like the sessions were designed with my learning style in mind. As a visual learner, I prefer writing things out and having a moment to think before speaking—two things that traditional drill doesn't allow for.
Having drill on my study abroad in Rome was a great way to start the day!
Drill often pushed me out of my comfort zone, which can be a great learning experience. But there were times when it felt more stressful than productive. Instead of remembering the progress I made, I found myself fixating on my mistakes.
That's why I was excited to step into the role of drill instructor for the Italian Department this term. I joined a team of professors, drill instructors, and students (or "drillees," as I like to call them) who are actively reimagining what drill looks like at Dartmouth. The project began last term, and The Dartmouth published a great overview of its goals.
As part of the feedback-collection process, I've spent time during each of my drill sessions this term talking about what worked—and what didn't. I've been really surprised by how engaged my drillees are in this process. I think, like me, they're excited to have more agency in their learning and see their input reflected almost immediately.
One new method I've been trying is writing the topics and goals for each drill session on the whiteboard.
The feedback I've received has been mixed, which only goes to show how different students' needs can be. Some drillees have told me they appreciate the structure of traditional drill, while others have asked for more conversational practice. Almost all of them have agreed that "drill cards" feel outdated. I've taken all of this into consideration and used it to inform my experimentation.
One area I've focused on is making drill more fun—particularly because I teach the 7:45 A.M. section, which I know can be tough to wake up for. I've incorporated games like Kahoot! for vocabulary review and spent a lot of time on fill-in-the-blank activities that allow students to work together and receive immediate feedback.
In this activity, students take turns coming up to the board to fill in the correct preposition.
These methods still involve the speaking and repetition that made traditional drill so helpful, but they feel lower-stakes and more engaging. I've noticed that my drillees are more willing to take risks when speaking, which has been incredible to watch. I've also been told that our drill sections feels more like a community, which meant a lot to me as an instructor.
Looking ahead to the next few weeks, I'm planning to try out new styles of drill that lean even more into collaboration and conversational practice. It's exciting to be a part of a process where my drillees and I have a chance to make a real difference. I can't wait to see how drill continues to evolve!
Curious about how declaring a major works at Dartmouth? Concerned about getting trapped studying something you don't like? No need to worry. Come explore with me how majors and minors work at Dartmouth!
Learn about my first internship at Dartmouth, DSCI's ImpACT Winterim Initiative, and more about internship opportunities, DCSI, and pursuing hands-on experiences at Dartmouth!
My final week in Saigon was nothing short of adventure. Bittersweet, but still jam-packed with activities, come with me as I conclude my time in Vietnam
