Comments on: surface learning http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/ rock out to the apparatus Thu, 21 Aug 2008 21:56:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.3.1 By: Tinka http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-451 Tinka Thu, 18 Apr 2002 17:45:00 +0000 http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-451 I've "fortunate" enough to have experience with both being a student and a teacher of students. And both sides have problems. – Student Side – - Teachers expect you to know things that you cannot possibly know. In my field, this could be an intimate knowledge of Classic philosophy and the Bible. Preferably also a good knowledge of canonical texts not in your mother tongue or English. - Teachers suppose that apart from the required texts, you also read two or three novels (from the canon) every week. You should also keep up with the latest news and attend all guest lectures. - Teachers often forget that students need pick-me-ups or summaries when confronted with new material. – Teacher Side – - Students show up ill-prepared and without having thought about the material they have halfway read. It is a waste of my time and the students' time. - Students expect the teacher to know everything and be able to explain everything - including things that are not in the teacher's chosen field. I'm *so* sorry that I cannot explain a particular phonological problem, but - hey - I teach writing within a literary context! - Students do not let me know if they do not grasp the material or if I move too fast. How am I able to adjust the level of the material if I'm not told this? Often people forget that what is happening in the classroom is a *collaboration*. Teacher and students need to work together and not point fingers at each other. I should add that if I catch some more student painting her nails while in class, said student will be torn apart. If I met one more teacher who is surprised that I haven't read "Don Quixote" - she'll be torn apart too. Final note: balancing being a student *and* teaching classes at undergrad level is bloody hard work. I'm not doing that ever again. I’ve “fortunate” enough to have experience with both being a student and a teacher of students. And both sides have problems.
– Student Side –
- Teachers expect you to know things that you cannot possibly know. In my field, this could be an intimate knowledge of Classic philosophy and the Bible. Preferably also a good knowledge of canonical texts not in your mother tongue or English.
- Teachers suppose that apart from the required texts, you also read two or three novels (from the canon) every week. You should also keep up with the latest news and attend all guest lectures.
- Teachers often forget that students need pick-me-ups or summaries when confronted with new material.
– Teacher Side –
- Students show up ill-prepared and without having thought about the material they have halfway read. It is a waste of my time and the students’ time.
- Students expect the teacher to know everything and be able to explain everything - including things that are not in the teacher’s chosen field. I’m *so* sorry that I cannot explain a particular phonological problem, but - hey - I teach writing within a literary context!
- Students do not let me know if they do not grasp the material or if I move too fast. How am I able to adjust the level of the material if I’m not told this?
Often people forget that what is happening in the classroom is a *collaboration*. Teacher and students need to work together and not point fingers at each other. I should add that if I catch some more student painting her nails while in class, said student will be torn apart. If I met one more teacher who is surprised that I haven’t read “Don Quixote” - she’ll be torn apart too.
Final note: balancing being a student *and* teaching classes at undergrad level is bloody hard work. I’m not doing that ever again.

]]> By: G http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-450 G Thu, 18 Apr 2002 15:48:00 +0000 http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-450 Related: <a href="http://www.drexel.edu/doj/fictions/thingsnextsemester.html" rel="nofollow">Things to do Next Semester</a> (via <a href="http://www.cheesedip.com" rel="nofollow">cheesedip</a>). I should write the math/hard-sci version of this. (Oh, and yes I'm feeling much better after lunch, thanks.) Related: Things to do Next Semester (via cheesedip). I should write the math/hard-sci version of this. (Oh, and yes I’m feeling much better after lunch, thanks.)

]]> By: G http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-449 G Thu, 18 Apr 2002 13:43:00 +0000 http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-449 Just a couple remarks from "the other side", which should not be taken as dissent - in fact I agree completely with every bullet. I would, however, add a few things that may not be specifically relevant to the classes you're talking about, more to College Algebra classes at large Midwestern universities. The newspaper (and, in particular, the crossword) is a lovely thing and I enjoy it too. If you read it in my class, I will deliver unto you the Death of a Thousand Paper Cuts. And newsprint hurts like hell. The above is actually a corollary of a more general principle: it is not my job to make you want to be here. It is my job to teach you the things that you allegedly want to know. If you don't want to be here, I don't want you here. If you're only lukewarm to the idea of being here, that's fine - just sit there and pretend you're getting another fake tan, and let the rest of us do the things we're here to do. Asking questions is the only way to let me know that you're with me. Having your head down writing isn't enough, and I will not take it as evidence of paying attention (see bullet no.1). When you come to me later and insist that you've taken notes every day and you can't imagine why you failed the test, I will nod sadly and walk back to my office. Asking a question for the sole purpose of making yourself look smart never works. I (and everyone else) just think you're an ass. Um. It seems I'm a little more bitter today than most days. Sorry to inflict this on you. Won't happen again (soon). Just a couple remarks from “the other side”, which should not be taken as dissent - in fact I agree completely with every bullet. I would, however, add a few things that may not be specifically relevant to the classes you’re talking about, more to College Algebra classes at large Midwestern universities.

The newspaper (and, in particular, the crossword) is a lovely thing and I enjoy it too. If you read it in my class, I will deliver unto you the Death of a Thousand Paper Cuts. And newsprint hurts like hell.
The above is actually a corollary of a more general principle: it is not my job to make you want to be here. It is my job to teach you the things that you allegedly want to know. If you don’t want to be here, I don’t want you here. If you’re only lukewarm to the idea of being here, that’s fine - just sit there and pretend you’re getting another fake tan, and let the rest of us do the things we’re here to do.
Asking questions is the only way to let me know that you’re with me. Having your head down writing isn’t enough, and I will not take it as evidence of paying attention (see bullet no.1). When you come to me later and insist that you’ve taken notes every day and you can’t imagine why you failed the test, I will nod sadly and walk back to my office.
Asking a question for the sole purpose of making yourself look smart never works. I (and everyone else) just think you’re an ass.

Um. It seems I’m a little more bitter today than most days. Sorry to inflict this on you. Won’t happen again (soon).

]]> By: Rasmus http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-448 Rasmus Thu, 18 Apr 2002 11:55:00 +0000 http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-448 I'm an artist. I never had any professors droning for hours without sufficient examples, so really, I can't relate to this. HOWEVER, I do think, based on your sharp observational skills, witty persona and social nature, you would be an excellent teacher in any class. I’m an artist. I never had any professors droning for hours without sufficient examples, so really, I can’t relate to this. HOWEVER, I do think, based on your sharp observational skills, witty persona and social nature, you would be an excellent teacher in any class.

]]> By: yami http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-447 yami Thu, 18 Apr 2002 06:09:00 +0000 http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-447 Oh, I'm fully aware that teaching is not much of a choice - that's mostly why my socks are knocked off whenever I get a prof who actually *wants* to do it. It's a rare and valuable thing. But on the flip side of things, some of the horror story profs on this campus are department chairs who teach introductory courses because they want them done properly. They're the ones who cram in extra material, fill problem sets with interesting-but-impossible subtleties, and make students cry during oral exams. It's one thing if the tenure-tracked don't want to put much time into teaching... but things like waiting for us to finish writing before moving to the next point don't really require extra time, and that's what really frustrates me. Oh, I’m fully aware that teaching is not much of a choice - that’s mostly why my socks are knocked off whenever I get a prof who actually *wants* to do it. It’s a rare and valuable thing.
But on the flip side of things, some of the horror story profs on this campus are department chairs who teach introductory courses because they want them done properly. They’re the ones who cram in extra material, fill problem sets with interesting-but-impossible subtleties, and make students cry during oral exams.
It’s one thing if the tenure-tracked don’t want to put much time into teaching… but things like waiting for us to finish writing before moving to the next point don’t really require extra time, and that’s what really frustrates me.

]]> By: Dennis http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-446 Dennis Thu, 18 Apr 2002 04:50:00 +0000 http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-446 Cheers, yami; as usual, a sharp distillation of a very widespread problem. If I may, I'd like to add a footnote to the following bit: <i>their drive to present the subject they love so that students can learn to love it too</i> Note that in some (many?) cases, departments foist certain courses (in particular the core, introductory offerings that more senior professors aren't necessarily jumping at teaching) on junior faculty, who are contractually obliged to teach a certain load. So the idea that the teaching of a course is always an <i>elective</i> gig is sometimes not the case, and therein may lie part of the problem. Junior faculty in the sciences are under a simultaneous pressure to do new research and publish, so teaching can be viewed by the young and untenured as a massive speed bump to this goal. This isn't an excuse for poor teaching, just an observation. Cheers, yami; as usual, a sharp distillation of a very widespread problem. If I may, I’d like to add a footnote to the following bit:
their drive to present the subject they love so that students can learn to love it too
Note that in some (many?) cases, departments foist certain courses (in particular the core, introductory offerings that more senior professors aren’t necessarily jumping at teaching) on junior faculty, who are contractually obliged to teach a certain load. So the idea that the teaching of a course is always an elective gig is sometimes not the case, and therein may lie part of the problem. Junior faculty in the sciences are under a simultaneous pressure to do new research and publish, so teaching can be viewed by the young and untenured as a massive speed bump to this goal. This isn’t an excuse for poor teaching, just an observation.

]]> By: yami http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-445 yami Thu, 18 Apr 2002 02:52:00 +0000 http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-445 Nothing to add? The more bad habits I recognize, the more comfortable I am insisting that profs not be so shitty, at least not while I'm in their class... Nothing to add? The more bad habits I recognize, the more comfortable I am insisting that profs not be so shitty, at least not while I’m in their class…

]]> By: Smitha http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-444 Smitha Wed, 17 Apr 2002 23:28:00 +0000 http://greengabbro.net/2002/04/17/surface-learning/#comment-444 *applauds* I'm in total agreement on all points...thanks for putting it so succinctly. I've considered being a teacher as well, partly because of the fulfillment of the job, and partly because of this. *applauds* I’m in total agreement on all points…thanks for putting it so succinctly. I’ve considered being a teacher as well, partly because of the fulfillment of the job, and partly because of this.

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