Plunge Taken

Here's what I wrote in January, 2011, as I embarked upon TBL in the classroom:

Walking into my ENGL 1311 class today, I felt as if I were entering uncharted territory. I knew what my students would do in class today and next time, and I had a pretty clear idea of what they would do next week. The week after next is still just a rough sketch, and even though I have a plan laid out on a week-by-week outline, I can only dimly see the remainder of the semester.
Of course every semester is different, an evolution and refinement of the last. But this semester is more of a revolution for me. Every class period will be completely different. I'll have to come up with new activities, new ways of tackling reading assignments, new handouts, etc. I might even need new jokes.
So today when the clock in the lower right-hand corner of my computer screen said that it was time for class, I stopped trying to plan next week's classes and went to meet my new students. I didn't do the things I did on the first day of class last semester, instead doing new things.
One thing I did was tell my students about team-based learning. They listened politely, nodding occasionally. I told them I wouldn't just talk at them like this much anymore after today. When I was finished, I asked them what they thought of team-based learning. "It sounds good," someone said hopefully, and most of them nodded agreeably.
There's no backing out now.