But I really can't imagine teaching literature or philosophy by standing at the front of the room and talking for 75 minutes while everyone silently writes down what I say or sleeps. Sometimes I have a pretty clear goal, but the class is a lot more interesting and productive for students when we have days set aside for creative thinking. For Wieland, we did conspiracy theory day: What's your wildest take on why everyone in the novel is like this? The conversation was utterly bizarre.