Fundamentals (or: The Medium and the Message)

On the first day of this term, I went into class and told the students about the wiki project. I was excited, but it seemed hard for them to share that excitement.
Now, having almost got to the end of the term (last day is today), I think we're all proud of what we've done, but as I've said, I also think there are some reservations over the approach we've used.

When I look back to the classes I taught at this time last year, there was a far greater sense of togetherness amongst the students - a stronger dynamic.

What I began to realise about this recently was that I may have slightly neglected the fundamentals in class - a case of forgetting the message and relying on the medium - i.e. the wiki.

I'm not going to get into much detail about what those fundamentals are - I'm sure the fundamental principles of teaching are different for everyone. But for me, I think that I need to put more dedicated effort into the dynamics, and into the personal connection between myself and all of the students.