Timeline for Identifying students' purposes and institutions' purposes
Current License: CC BY-SA 3.0
10 events
| when toggle format | what | by | license | comment | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 23, 2015 at 20:12 | comment | added | Michael Hardy | @smci : BECAUSE that is forbidden to instructors. One is handed an obligatory list of topics and a textbook that was written not for students whose curiosity one should be trying to stimulate, but rather for students who already have a desire to understand the subject. Institutions forbid instructors to be good. | |
| Jun 23, 2015 at 20:05 | comment | added | smci | @MichaelHardy: honestly that would come across as pompous, or threatening, or obsessive, or all of the above... seriously not likely to motivate. This is a great answer. Why not simply accept them as they are, and strive to nurture their curiosity, such as is - without burning out if they don't meet your high standards? What with student loans and grad un(der)employment these days, making sure they get the grade is a very unpleasant reality (much more so than in your time), and you have to accept that for your part, and work with that reality. What is a win scenario, under these conditions? | |
| May 26, 2013 at 16:18 | comment | added | Michael Hardy | My concern here was not mainly to inspire a deep love of the subject (that comes later) but rather to quickly inform those who regard learning the subject as merely a price paid to get a grade, that my obligation to them is to give them an opportunity to do something worthwhile instead. | |
| May 26, 2013 at 14:57 | comment | added | earthling | @FaheemMitha I did misunderstand...should be asleep already. From the graduate level classes I've taught and the teachers I've spoken with....my answers are still the same - it is VERY hard to get all the students motivated, but I do believe it is worth while to continually try to accomplish just that. | |
| May 26, 2013 at 14:54 | comment | added | Faheem Mitha | @earthling I think you misunderstood my question. I quoted the end of your para, which said it was unrealistic to teach a class of highly motivated students etc., and then asked whether even a grad class cannot satisfy those criteria. Good grad students in my experience are highly motivated. | |
| May 26, 2013 at 14:26 | comment | added | earthling | @FaheemMitha So, are you saying we should stop trying? Should we say we are good enough and stop trying to motivate those students who seem unmotivated? | |
| May 26, 2013 at 10:46 | comment | added | Faheem Mitha | "This is simply unrealistic and I have never heard of a teacher who actually achieves that." Not even in grad school courses? | |
| May 26, 2013 at 6:51 | comment | added | earthling | @JeffE Yes, I agree that it is a bit extreme. However, extremity aside, my point is that it is the teacher's responsibility to do what he/she can to motivate the student(s). To the extent we are unsuccessful in our motivational efforts, I think we have failed (at least partially) to fulfill our maximum potential as educators. | |
| May 26, 2013 at 5:09 | comment | added | JeffE | My perspective is that a great teacher has no bad students — This is a little extreme, unless you believe that there are no great teachers. | |
| May 26, 2013 at 4:04 | history | answered | earthling | CC BY-SA 3.0 |