Zooze the Horse roams around the pasture near Lamar State College. Zooze thinks about problems in academia. Zhe wants proffies to submit posts (blog posts, not fence posts).
I can't stand it whenever a once-fine mind has become invaded by an alien presence such that it tries to teach MATHEMATICS by sitting in a circle, holding hands, and singing "Kumbaya." Even worse is when that person is the only person in the math department who's teaching that course.
Frod, I have to ask... does "singing Kumbaya" mean fostering a productive classroom climate and employing active learning strategies, rather than raining "math" down on the class?
That’s right, I am making the case for the instructor showing up to class well prepared, with carefully written notes that based on the instructor’s knowing the material well, and giving a clear and organized LECTURE, and for students (or the good ones, at least) to follow it attentively, and copy it carefully, adding their own observations and thoughts, and asking questions, as appropriate.
(This saying is sometimes attributed to Mark Twain, who also said “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” He was wrong about that too—and besides, Benjamin Disraeli probably said it before he did.)
This approach suits MY learning style. Having been one of the very few students who actually made use of what was taught (and not just for the purposes of teaching it), and accounting for “the Matthew effect” (how of all the gifts the gods bestowed upon humans, none are as unequally parceled out as scientific productivity) and recognizing this explains Price’s law (that 75% of the scientists publish 25% of the papers). Indeed, there is nothing inactive about this, if it is done well by the instructor, and by the student. Calling doing otherwise “active” learning is much like postmodernistic literary critics calling what they do “theory”: astrophysical theory would frighten them.
For about 10 years, I have played a minor role in a really good program.
What's on my mind?
My program will triple in size (neither our choice, nor particularly sensible) with no new resources being added. At the same time, our most important professional licence is being revamped & the admin insists on writing the curriculum.
I could call this College Misery, but it stretches the definition of "college" too far for my liking. Got plenty of misery, though.
I can't stand it whenever a once-fine mind has become invaded by an alien presence such that it tries to teach MATHEMATICS by sitting in a circle, holding hands, and singing "Kumbaya." Even worse is when that person is the only person in the math department who's teaching that course.
ReplyDeleteFrod, I have to ask... does "singing Kumbaya" mean fostering a productive classroom climate and employing active learning strategies, rather than raining "math" down on the class?
ReplyDeleteThat’s right, I am making the case for the instructor showing up to class well prepared, with carefully written notes that based on the instructor’s knowing the material well, and giving a clear and organized LECTURE, and for students (or the good ones, at least) to follow it attentively, and copy it carefully, adding their own observations and thoughts, and asking questions, as appropriate.
DeleteIt is simply is NOT true that “the notes of the professor become the notes of the student, without passing through the brains of either.” Every time I have ever had that cliché spouted at me, it presaged a woefully unprepared presentation. Such instructors just don’t want to admit that the act of writing mathematics or anything else intensively symbolic CAN help one learn it. If the student copies it, it can't help but pass through the student's brain at least once, which is a lot more than I can say for students who don't take notes, seemingly ever greater in number always.
(This saying is sometimes attributed to Mark Twain, who also said “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.” He was wrong about that too—and besides, Benjamin Disraeli probably said it before he did.)
This approach suits MY learning style. Having been one of the very few students who actually made use of what was taught (and not just for the purposes of teaching it), and accounting for “the Matthew effect” (how of all the gifts the gods bestowed upon humans, none are as unequally parceled out as scientific productivity) and recognizing this explains Price’s law (that 75% of the scientists publish 25% of the papers). Indeed, there is nothing inactive about this, if it is done well by the instructor, and by the student. Calling doing otherwise “active” learning is much like postmodernistic literary critics calling what they do “theory”: astrophysical theory would frighten them.
For about 10 years, I have played a minor role in a really good program.
ReplyDeleteWhat's on my mind?
My program will triple in size (neither our choice, nor particularly sensible) with no new resources being added.
At the same time, our most important professional licence is being revamped & the admin insists on writing the curriculum.
I could call this College Misery, but it stretches the definition of "college" too far for my liking. Got plenty of misery, though.