{"135161":{"#nid":"135161","#data":{"type":"news","title":"Crawford Challenges Students to Take Risks","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019ve seen the replica of Henry David Thoreau\u2019s cabin or the other structures created by Hugh Crawford\u2019s classes that have decorated campus over the years, it\u2019s not hard to believe that he\u2019s not a fan of \u201cpre-packaged\u201d classes.\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cIn my courses, I try to create a situation where students have to take an academic risk, by providing them with a problem and encouraging them, and giving them the freedom to come up with a creative way of solving it,\u201d said Crawford, an associate professor in the School of Literature, Communication and Culture (LCC).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis approach has endeared Crawford to many students. In 2010, Crawford\u2019s class embraced the challenge of building a scale replica of Thoreau\u2019s cabin to the point that they continued working on the project months after the class had ended. Even students who weren\u2019t in Crawford\u2019s class asked to help with the project \u2014 which he welcomed. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis year, Crawford\u2019s classes tackled projects such as replicating three historic structures (including a log cabin model of German naturalist and author Bernd Heinrich\u2019s home) and creating a life-sized skeleton of \u201cMoby Dick\u201d laser-cut from plywood. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOf course, encouraging students to take risks means that Crawford sometimes has to venture out onto a limb himself. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u201cI can remember waking up in a cold sweat just before we began working on the Thoreau replica,\u201d he said. \u201cI didn\u2019t know if we would really be able to cut down trees, haul them and build this house. But I\u2019ve learned that students are capable of doing almost anything if you support them \u2014 so I had faith.\u201d \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERecently, The Whistle had an opportunity to learn more about Crawford and his time at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat did you want to be when you were a child?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003Cbr \/\u003EA veterinarian, but my undergraduate alma mater, Virginia Military Institute (VMI), didn\u2019t offer a program in this area. So I became an English major. After earning my master\u2019s degree, I spent a few years renovating houses \u2014 but was not a successful businessman \u2014 and decided to return to school. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat brought you to Georgia Tech?\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI spent about 10 years teaching at VMI, and when LCC started a degree program in science, technology and culture, I was asked to join the faculty at Tech.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us about your current area of research.\u0026nbsp; \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EMy focus has always been on the cultural studies of science and technology. I look at how humans interact with objects (such as an ax) and the cultural and historical implications of these interactions. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EIn addition to the projects we talked about earlier, what do you do to keep students engaged?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI like to find ways to get students to engage with the community through their coursework. I\u2019ve had students do everything from plant trees on campus to help build homes for the homeless to work in community gardens. I think this approach is important because many Tech students really want to find productive ways to serve their community, and linking service to pedagogy can produce positive results. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhat is your greatest challenge related to teaching, and how do you deal with it?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ETech students are accustomed to receiving clear directions and being told what every project and test is going to be worth. So some students initially have a difficult time adapting to my approach to teaching. However, most eventually accept that that\u2019s not the way I operate. \u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EWhere is your favorite place to have lunch?\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EI\u2019ve got to say Junior\u2019s, even though it\u2019s no longer. I would always order a cheeseburger and spicy fries. Even my kids grew up eating at Junior\u2019s. It\u2019s missed. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ETell us something about yourself that others might not know.\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003EFor seven years, I\u2019ve run a TOPSoccer program for athletes with disabilities, and we play every Sunday. All of my sons played soccer, and I coached when they were little. So this is a way to stay involved at the club and to keep my family involved.\u003C\/p\u003E","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EIf you\u2019ve seen the replica of Henry David Thoreau\u2019s cabin or the other structures created by Hugh Crawford\u2019s classes that have decorated campus over the years, it\u2019s not hard to believe that he\u2019s not a fan of \u201cpre-packaged\u201d classes.\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"If you\u2019ve seen the replica of Henry David Thoreau\u2019s cabin or the other structures created by Hugh Crawford\u2019s classes that have decorated campus over the years, it\u2019s not hard to believe that he\u2019s not a fan of \u201cpre-packaged\u201d classes."}],"uid":"27445","created_gmt":"2012-06-13 13:12:34","changed_gmt":"2016-10-08 03:12:22","author":"Amelia Pavlik","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2012-06-11T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2012-06-11T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"135121":{"id":"135121","type":"image","title":"Hugh Crawford","body":null,"created":"1449178671","gmt_created":"2015-12-03 21:37:51","changed":"1475894763","gmt_changed":"2016-10-08 02:46:03","alt":"Hugh Crawford","file":{"fid":"194783","name":"crawford.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/crawford_0.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/crawford_0.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":204760,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/crawford_0.jpg?itok=CBA0OTu0"}}},"media_ids":["135121"],"groups":[{"id":"1259","name":"Whistle"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"8755","name":"Hugh Crawford"},{"id":"875","name":"LCC"},{"id":"169219","name":"School of Literature Communication and Culture"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:amelia.pavlik@comm.gatech.edu\u0022\u003EAmelia Pavlik\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003ECommunications \u0026amp; Marketing\u003Cbr \/\u003E404-385-4142\u003C\/p\u003E","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}