Peter, This is useful advice. No point to worry about being condescending. michael Peter Dorman wrote: > > I know there's a political side to this issue, but I would like to > mention a useful technocratic device: fairly continuous classroom > assessment. I was converted to this approach many years ago, and I > think it makes a huge difference. The basic idea is not to wait until > exams and term papers to find out *exactly* what students are getting > from the course. Every day or so there should be some sort of > information-gathering device: quick-writes in class, mini-papers, small > group discussions that you listen in on as you circulate. The idea is > to know as much as possible about what the students (all of them) are > learning (or think they're learning) and how they're responding to > it--in real time. This won't eliminate appalling instances of > ignorance, but it will bring them to the surface in time for you to > address them in your teaching. For me it's like I had been driving in > the dark for years, and had just been introduced to headlights. > > I don't mean this to be condescending. You may be a veteran of these > techniques, but there may be other teachers out there unfamiliar with > them, as I was. > > Peter Dorman > > Michael Yates wrote: > > > > Friends, > > > > I have been a teacher for 30 years and by most accounts a good one. In > > teaching economics and labor-oriented subjects I have developed hundreds > > of concrete analyses, stories, etc. to make the material clear. Now I > > know we have discussed on these lists the state of education, the nature > > of today's students, etc. But I have to say that the level of > > illiteracy and general stupidity seems to be rising among students. the > > most basic words are unknown to them, and they never bother to look them > > up. I have to continually check myself when I am about to use a word I > > know that they should understand but do not. > > > > On a recent quiz someone said that the name of Adam Smith's famous book > > was "Rivethead."!! this after at least a dozen mentions of "The Wealth > > of Nations." They hear a word or remember a snippet of something I said > > and put this down as an answer, no matter how preposterous. Last year I > > had a simple fill-in on a quiz:_____!,_______!,_______!, That is Moses > > and the Prophets. I had said the correct answer at least 20 times in > > the preceding two weeks and explained why Marx said it and how neat of a > > statement it is. However, because I have arthritic hands, it is hard > > for me to write on the board. So to save effort, after I had written out > > the word "accumulation" several times, I started just writing > > A_____,A____,A____ and saying the word "accumulation." Sure enough on > > the quiz at least a half dozen persons put "A,A,A" as the answer. One > > student said that that is what she had in her notes!!! Today a friend > > told me that a student in an anthropology class had written the > > following on an exam,"The Africans used Native American slaves to build > > their railraod system." Another, after reading the book about Guatemala > > by the Rigoberto Menchu wrote in a paper about the "Finca" tribe of > > Indians. > > > > I really can't take too much more of this. I mean I still take this > > stuff seriously. Any advice? My advice to myself is to retire, and > > soon. If it were not for the working people I teach, I do believe that > > I would have an emotional collapse more serious than the ones I have > > already had. To make matters worse, students without a clue or any > > desire to learn whatever will be bitching about their grades. > > > > I have always tried not to an elitist academic. I seldom lose my temper > > and I always treat students with respect. I am not telling you these > > things as a joke or to make fun of students. But it seems to me that > > capitalism has succeeded rather well in preparing young people to > > believe just about anything and not to know how to analyze anything. > > > > michael yates
