It used to be that one would read slashdot for iformation from highly intelligent peers, anymore tho it feel like I should be taking off my shoes and socks as if I am going for a drive through Alabama instead.
I really have to take exception. Your comment is no more acceptable than any other prejudicial remark.
I'm not positive, but I think whether you have insurance (and the quality of insurance) can affect the prices of certain things.
For example, I think that people without insurance get charged more for prescriptions than those with insurance do (even taking into account the insurance payments). So, if I have insurance, the total cost of a particular drug might be $40, yet someone without insurance might pay more than that.
It seems terribly unfair (and is unfair, IMO), but big insurance companies can negotiate discounts that individuals can't get. I'm betting that something similar might be happening here as well.
You're right. Not all students want to learn, and some seem to take a perverse delight in keeping others from learning as well. I know that's not a politically correct thing to say, but it's the truth. People would rather believe that all students can be turned into good students if someone -- the teacher -- just puts in enough effort. I wish that were the case, but it isn't.
I taught college freshmen for several years, and I know from experience that you do occasionally run across a student who actively resists learning the material. Sometimes they don't want to be in the class (maybe it's required, or their parents made them take it). Other times, they're showing off for friends, or they already have a very definite idea about their career and they "know" they won't need this material. Regardless, they often sabotage themselves and any students who choose to ride their coattails.
No one should say teaching is easy unless they've taught, and I doubt that any teacher would declare the job easy. People shouldn't be so quick to blame teachers for the problems in education. They do bear a lot of responsiblity, but there's plenty to go around. Don't forget to allot the fair share to students as well.
Re:You don't drill them, you test them.
on
Improving Education?
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· Score: 2, Interesting
I think you've hit on something here.
I taught for several years, and the reality is that teachers have a required amount of material to cover. If I didn't cover it, then I've in effect cheated my students.
The problem arises when you have students of widely varying abilities in the same class. If I teach to the middle-of-the-road students, then I can cover everything with little or no time left over. That works fine for them, but the faster students get bored. They could easily cover more material, but I can't hurry the rest of the class.
It's even worse for the slower students. Even going at a moderate pace is too fast for them. Many times they're left behind, frustrated that they're moved along before getting a chance to master anything.
Yes, teachers could do more to keep students occupied and to help those who struggle, but there is only so much time in the day, for teachers and students.
I think the ideal solution would be to break the classes by ability, not by age. I know that's not a popular idea, but it makes sense to put students together based on how quickly they can cover the material. As students master it, they can move on, regardless of their age or what time of the year it is.
Yes, it's a radical change to how we look at education, but isn't the idea for students to actually learn what's being taught?
My husband has worked for a state university for almost eight years, and there are definitely some benefits.
Pay tends to be lower than what you make in the corporate world, but the benefits (retirement, medical, dental, vacation, etc.) are great. For example, he gets about 7 weeks (paid!) off per year, including vacation, sick, holidays, etc.
Another great benefit is that he gets to do a lot more than he would in a corporate environment. He's officially a dba, but he programs, does project management, manages his own servers, and helps make decisions about what technology the college will use and how they'll approach problems. Most corporations would never offer him that level of freedom.
It's a lower stress position than many corporate jobs, and it offers him lots of chances for creativity and to expand his skills. Not to mention that he gets to work with a diverse population of staff, faculty and students.
One last thing. The smaller schools do tend to offer a great sense of community. My husband knows virtually all staff and many faculty who works there.
This class may be beneficial, but maybe not in the way the prof intended.
I suspect that students on both sides of the project will learn that outsourcing isn't as easy (or as cheap) as they might have suspected. By the time you factor in the communications costs, delays, reworking, and sheer aggravation, these students may just learn that sending work outside the company isn't the quick fix many see it to be.
You can't teach everything they need to know, and certainly not in that time period.
Give them a good list of resources for Linux help. Man pages are great, but beginners may need a little more hand-holding than that.
Good forums can be incredibly helpful. Don't forget an introduction to the shell and basic linux terminology. Nothing is worse than needing to know HOW to do something but having no clue waht to google for!
In middle school one of my English teachers told the class that guys shouldn't worry if they're not good at language, and girls shouldn't worry if they're not good at math and science. Not only did she give everyone permission to slack off in some of their subjects, but she made those of us who were actually good at what we weren't "supposed" to be good at feel pretty abnormal.
As a woman in the tech industry, I don't want people to assume I'm a "quota employee" because I'm female. I'm good at what I do, and that's why I'm here. On the other hand, I don't want to get a job or promotion because they need to put a woman there. If I'm not the best qualified, then don't hire me.
I'm not saying all teachers are perfect. You have lousy teachers, just like you have people who are bad at whatever they do. The point is, you also have lousy students sometimes.
Have you ever taught? Some students walk into a classroom with absolutely no motivation to learn. Asking a teacher to be able to motivate each and every student is unrealistic. Is you doctor a bad doctor because he/she can't get you to lose weight, quit smoking, etc.? Well, obviously yes! A good doctor could motivate patients to do what's best for them.
I spent almost ten years in the classroom, and I wasn't one of those sadistic teachers who made passing as difficult as possible. I made every effort to help my students learn -- and pass. What I wouldn't do is give grades away. When I sign off on a grade, I'm certifying that student knows the material. I won't pass off a student who doesn't to the next instuctor or to an unsuspecting employer. It's unfair to them, and it's unfair to the student.
One particular student comes to mind. She turned in an absolutely hideous essay as her first assignment. If there were a grade lower than F, I would have given it to her. I asked her to rewrite it, and she proceeded to explain that she was dyslexic and therefore couldn't be expected to write. I reminded her that she was, in fact, in an English class and writing was mandatory. After several conversations, she redid the essay. She ended up writing every essay more than once, and some three or four times. She came to me at the end of the semester and thanked me because I was the first teacher to expect her to do the same work AND believe that she could do it. I've never seen a student so proud of her accomplishment.
Had I passed her on the first essay, she would never had felt that pride in her achievement, and I would have sent her to an unsuspecting employer.
Yes, you have bad teachers, but you have good ones too. Don't lay the blame for every unmotivated student on the instructors.
I think you have a lot of good points, and having taught for almost ten years (mostly college freshmen), I've used some of the techniques you mention.
However, let me play devil's advocate here. I was an instructor for four different schools during my teaching career, and two of those schools would never have supported me in calling my students on the carpet in this manner. Why? Money, of course.
In one instance, I was asked to pass a foreign student who couldn't speak English. Since I was teaching basic grammar, I had a small problem with that and refused to give him the C he needed. Guess who wasn't asked to renew her teaching contract.... At this particular college, foreign students were considered "gravy;" they were brought there and virtually guaranteed a pass because they were paying obscene amounts of money. So much for academic integrity.
In another case, I was told to let a person retest because she didn't like her grade. Never mind that she just didn't study. She wanted an A, and she was determined to keep testing until she got it. My immediate supervisor accused me of not being a good teacher because I didn't want her to "succeed." Yes, I guess success means getting the grade you want, whether you've done the work to deserve it or not. That time, I turned in my resignation.
I realize there are a lot of teachers out there who just don't care any more, but remember that often administrators push teachers into giving away grades, overlooking cheating, etc. There are a lot of problems in the education system and no easy fixes that I can see.
Slashdot Mirror
It used to be that one would read slashdot for iformation from highly intelligent peers, anymore tho it feel like I should be taking off my shoes and socks as if I am going for a drive through Alabama instead.
I really have to take exception. Your comment is no more acceptable than any other prejudicial remark.
I'm not positive, but I think whether you have insurance (and the quality of insurance) can affect the prices of certain things.
For example, I think that people without insurance get charged more for prescriptions than those with insurance do (even taking into account the insurance payments). So, if I have insurance, the total cost of a particular drug might be $40, yet someone without insurance might pay more than that.
It seems terribly unfair (and is unfair, IMO), but big insurance companies can negotiate discounts that individuals can't get. I'm betting that something similar might be happening here as well.
Here's a link that give a few details. http://www.medicoverage.com/more/A35_0_1_0_M/You're right. Not all students want to learn, and some seem to take a perverse delight in keeping others from learning as well. I know that's not a politically correct thing to say, but it's the truth. People would rather believe that all students can be turned into good students if someone -- the teacher -- just puts in enough effort. I wish that were the case, but it isn't.
I taught college freshmen for several years, and I know from experience that you do occasionally run across a student who actively resists learning the material. Sometimes they don't want to be in the class (maybe it's required, or their parents made them take it). Other times, they're showing off for friends, or they already have a very definite idea about their career and they "know" they won't need this material. Regardless, they often sabotage themselves and any students who choose to ride their coattails.
No one should say teaching is easy unless they've taught, and I doubt that any teacher would declare the job easy. People shouldn't be so quick to blame teachers for the problems in education. They do bear a lot of responsiblity, but there's plenty to go around. Don't forget to allot the fair share to students as well.
I think you've hit on something here.
I taught for several years, and the reality is that teachers have a required amount of material to cover. If I didn't cover it, then I've in effect cheated my students.
The problem arises when you have students of widely varying abilities in the same class. If I teach to the middle-of-the-road students, then I can cover everything with little or no time left over. That works fine for them, but the faster students get bored. They could easily cover more material, but I can't hurry the rest of the class.
It's even worse for the slower students. Even going at a moderate pace is too fast for them. Many times they're left behind, frustrated that they're moved along before getting a chance to master anything.
Yes, teachers could do more to keep students occupied and to help those who struggle, but there is only so much time in the day, for teachers and students.
I think the ideal solution would be to break the classes by ability, not by age. I know that's not a popular idea, but it makes sense to put students together based on how quickly they can cover the material. As students master it, they can move on, regardless of their age or what time of the year it is.
Yes, it's a radical change to how we look at education, but isn't the idea for students to actually learn what's being taught?
Shouldn't a government employee know of such dominations?
I'm not sure his sex life has much to do with this.
My husband has worked for a state university for almost eight years, and there are definitely some benefits.
Pay tends to be lower than what you make in the corporate world, but the benefits (retirement, medical, dental, vacation, etc.) are great. For example, he gets about 7 weeks (paid!) off per year, including vacation, sick, holidays, etc.
Another great benefit is that he gets to do a lot more than he would in a corporate environment. He's officially a dba, but he programs, does project management, manages his own servers, and helps make decisions about what technology the college will use and how they'll approach problems. Most corporations would never offer him that level of freedom.
It's a lower stress position than many corporate jobs, and it offers him lots of chances for creativity and to expand his skills. Not to mention that he gets to work with a diverse population of staff, faculty and students.
One last thing. The smaller schools do tend to offer a great sense of community. My husband knows virtually all staff and many faculty who works there.
Good luck in your search.
This class may be beneficial, but maybe not in the way the prof intended.
I suspect that students on both sides of the project will learn that outsourcing isn't as easy (or as cheap) as they might have suspected. By the time you factor in the communications costs, delays, reworking, and sheer aggravation, these students may just learn that sending work outside the company isn't the quick fix many see it to be.
Absolutely!
You can't teach everything they need to know, and certainly not in that time period.
Give them a good list of resources for Linux help. Man pages are great, but beginners may need a little more hand-holding than that.
Good forums can be incredibly helpful. Don't forget an introduction to the shell and basic linux terminology. Nothing is worse than needing to know HOW to do something but having no clue waht to google for!
In middle school one of my English teachers told the class that guys shouldn't worry if they're not good at language, and girls shouldn't worry if they're not good at math and science. Not only did she give everyone permission to slack off in some of their subjects, but she made those of us who were actually good at what we weren't "supposed" to be good at feel pretty abnormal. As a woman in the tech industry, I don't want people to assume I'm a "quota employee" because I'm female. I'm good at what I do, and that's why I'm here. On the other hand, I don't want to get a job or promotion because they need to put a woman there. If I'm not the best qualified, then don't hire me.
I'm not saying all teachers are perfect. You have lousy teachers, just like you have people who are bad at whatever they do. The point is, you also have lousy students sometimes.
Have you ever taught? Some students walk into a classroom with absolutely no motivation to learn. Asking a teacher to be able to motivate each and every student is unrealistic. Is you doctor a bad doctor because he/she can't get you to lose weight, quit smoking, etc.? Well, obviously yes! A good doctor could motivate patients to do what's best for them.
I spent almost ten years in the classroom, and I wasn't one of those sadistic teachers who made passing as difficult as possible. I made every effort to help my students learn -- and pass. What I wouldn't do is give grades away. When I sign off on a grade, I'm certifying that student knows the material. I won't pass off a student who doesn't to the next instuctor or to an unsuspecting employer. It's unfair to them, and it's unfair to the student.
One particular student comes to mind. She turned in an absolutely hideous essay as her first assignment. If there were a grade lower than F, I would have given it to her. I asked her to rewrite it, and she proceeded to explain that she was dyslexic and therefore couldn't be expected to write. I reminded her that she was, in fact, in an English class and writing was mandatory. After several conversations, she redid the essay. She ended up writing every essay more than once, and some three or four times. She came to me at the end of the semester and thanked me because I was the first teacher to expect her to do the same work AND believe that she could do it. I've never seen a student so proud of her accomplishment.
Had I passed her on the first essay, she would never had felt that pride in her achievement, and I would have sent her to an unsuspecting employer.
Yes, you have bad teachers, but you have good ones too. Don't lay the blame for every unmotivated student on the instructors.
I think you have a lot of good points, and having taught for almost ten years (mostly college freshmen), I've used some of the techniques you mention.
However, let me play devil's advocate here. I was an instructor for four different schools during my teaching career, and two of those schools would never have supported me in calling my students on the carpet in this manner. Why? Money, of course.
In one instance, I was asked to pass a foreign student who couldn't speak English. Since I was teaching basic grammar, I had a small problem with that and refused to give him the C he needed. Guess who wasn't asked to renew her teaching contract.... At this particular college, foreign students were considered "gravy;" they were brought there and virtually guaranteed a pass because they were paying obscene amounts of money. So much for academic integrity.
In another case, I was told to let a person retest because she didn't like her grade. Never mind that she just didn't study. She wanted an A, and she was determined to keep testing until she got it. My immediate supervisor accused me of not being a good teacher because I didn't want her to "succeed." Yes, I guess success means getting the grade you want, whether you've done the work to deserve it or not. That time, I turned in my resignation.
I realize there are a lot of teachers out there who just don't care any more, but remember that often administrators push teachers into giving away grades, overlooking cheating, etc. There are a lot of problems in the education system and no easy fixes that I can see.
I wonder what corporate speak has done to us then?!