|
There was a time when going to college meant that
the student would upgrade himself/herself from the rest of the average working
class American.And that one went to college to seek enlightenment,be educated in
broad areas while securing skills in one's specific targeted professional
area.But my observations are that many students
are in schools because they think that a college
education will land them a good job.Take a survey of students in class and the
majority are majoring in areas likie business,computer technology,criminal
justice, and other similar practical areas.Less than five percent are
probably going into psychology and the other social and behavioral sciences.Also
when parents say that they want their kids to go to college,they are not
thinking of their kids becoming critical thinkers.They are probably thinking of
a class upgrade or conformity pressure to follow a trend.and to get a good
paying job.
One should also keep in mind that
students just want to get a good grade in class.They probably do not care about
critical thinkiing processes,research and scientific
evidence gathering.Admittedly students will
do anything to get a good grade,so they may go along with all the requirements
of the teacher.However just because they present
good research and good critical analyses of topics are not necessarily
indications that the students are turning into critical thinkers.One has
probably heard of the _expression_ what happens in Vegas stays in
Vegas.Similarly,what happens in the classroom and coursework stays
just there.I tell my students to study for life not
for tests.We obviously want students to apply critical thinking skills and
empirical data gathgering to life outside the
classroom. But this would seem to go against one
aspect of American culture which is the social impermeable segmentations.One is
suppose to be college like
only when one is in college or in the educational
surroundings.Outside these surroundings,one's college status could be resented
by others.Desmond Morris refers to the tendency to act in specific ways in
specific situations as ritualized contact and there is lots of that in American
society.There are certain display rules (Ekman) that seem to govern not only how
we emote and also how we should think in the the various areas of social and
public life.
When I went to college,it was textbook
plus.Professors would also have paperbacks as course material.So if I was taking
biology,not only would there be a standardized
text but maybe Rachel Carlsons book Silent Spring
or other paperbacks with biological imports would also be reading materials.Ifr
we are going to help students
to think globally and not locally,professors should
start having additional material to accompany their texts.No wonder
students do not know about Walden Two
or the Electric Kool AiD Test.
Btw,I would like to know what contemporary paper backs or book would be good to
accompany current texts.Anything on the obesity crisis would
probably
be good as as relating and transfering course
material to the real world.
Michael J.Sylvester,PhD
Daytona Beach,Florida
To make changes to your subscription go to: http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english |
