86
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
Like others here have indicated, you can reframe the questions to avoid this, but there's another aspect to consider.
It can be really hard to foster an environment where people aren't afraid to speak ...
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34
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
Ask yes or no questions. Then ask why.
Instead of asking what shape a drawing is, ask the students if it’s a square. Then ask why it’s a square.
This lets students know what the right answer is. If ...
- 7,304
33
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
You are asking them to answer a question on the spot. They get flustered, say something stupid, and you don't respond in a very sympathetic way. Then they are upset.
Yes, you are right, log(a*b) is ...
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17
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How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
One key point to consider here that hasn't been brought up is that your job in the class room, as a professor is to teach the student who are actually in front of you, rather than the student you ...
- 30.2k
16
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
There are several ways you could nudge your students to the correct domain, for example:
a : b <=> c : ? question formats, which they may be familiar with from some types of testing. This ...
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15
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
The question conflates a number of different things.
"How to deal with category mistakes and other ontological problems when teaching a concept?" (the example about failing to recognize a ...
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12
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
If you're asking them about something that they were supposed to learn a long time ago, it's possible that they forgot, or maybe they never learned it when they were supposed to. One thing you could ...
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8
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
Are you clear about your aim when asking students such questions? I think that asking such questions when being more or less sure that students will give the correct answer is fake interaction, and ...
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6
votes
Can I offer my students a cash reward?
I find it both lazy and unethical. Lazy because there are other ways to minimize/eliminate cheating, such as making cooperation among students part of the course. Unethical since you would be setting ...
- 258k
6
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
In the example you've cited, it would be more educational to avoid saying "No - wrong answer. It's actually loga + logb."
All students - old as well as young - detest trip-up teaching. ...
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5
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
The only solution I see for this is to just lecture and not encourage participation in class
You would be doing them a disservice.
Now, what you can do depends on how the feedback they provide ...
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5
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
Don't tell people they are wrong. Tell them when they are right.
Let's consider your actual "log(a*b)" question because it's real.
When you ask the question remind them where they would have ...
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4
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
Don't ask questions about prerequisites, only ask questions about the ideas you're teaching.
Just assume the prerequisites are a given and puzzled students will just look it up later. In the unlikely ...
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3
votes
Can I offer my students a cash reward?
(Disclaimer: I understand that this is an idea, not a plan.)
You should be concerned about whether it's unethical, precisely because your institution may well have a policy about "unprofessional ...
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3
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
I'd like to add a few comments to some of the already excellent answers posted here:
Be careful about asking "recall this (potentially basic) fact" type questions. To see an extreme ...
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3
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
Try rewarding good answers. One of my professors used to give treats (like mini chocolate bars) to students who ask good questions or answer well to his questions. This way
You encourage interactions....
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3
votes
Applying to academic positions in UK without teaching experience
Answers to this are going to be very field dependent. In my field (Molecular Biology/Computational Biology), very few people have much in the way of teaching experience when they are appointed to ...
- 30.2k
2
votes
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
First of all, determine whether the students are really dumb or
intelligent.
If they are intelligent, are they giving wrong answers because of
lack of basic or per-requisite knowledge.
If they are ...
- 730
2
votes
Applying to academic positions in UK without teaching experience
Most UK permanent lectureships will require teaching.
An option you could consider is applying for an independent research fellowship. These can be very prestigious (and competitive) and are hosted at ...
- 3,567
2
votes
Accepted
Teaching Vector Calculus for a demo
Line Integral
You can start with Line Integral. Watch some videos like this. Prepare your lecture thoroughly. In a closed room, give your lecture to imaginary audience.
Go through all topics with ...
- 730
1
vote
How can I deal with students that are too sensitive when they are wrong? Particularly when they answer simple questions incorrectly during class?
I see a fair number of purely immediate/tactical answers and not so many structural/architectural ones, so I will try to share some structural things you can do that make this work.
Assumed:
they do ...
- 218
1
vote
Likeliness of getting University posts outside India when you started doing PhD at 35 in Mathematics
The binding factor won't be your age or where you studied. If you have done good work in your doctorate then you are competitive.
However, in many places, the academic market isn't very good at the ...
- 258k
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