Posted on 07/04/2010 12:00:53 PM PDT by billorites
In my classes, we use the old saw, "You don't have to be faster than the fastest lion. You just have to be faster than the slowest antelope." In classes where I allow slower antelopes to hang around, the top students still perform, but the average students pace themselves just ahead of the bad students. When I cut the bad students, the mid-range student performance improves.
Expect this to pick up. Many states are changing their funding formulas for state colleges to "completers" rather than funding based on people attempting classes. This will create significantly more pressure on teachers to pass students.
There's already a lot of pressure in this direction. If a low performer is a "protected class" flunking them can put an instructor in a Dean or Vice President's office explaining themselves. Additionally, sites like Rate My Professor grade instructors, and give advice on which instructor to take. If an instructor has fifteen openings in each of his course sections while other instructors have all their sections filled, they will end up with problems from the administration.
I DID flunk out of college - went into the military, then returned to school and 4.0'd - it's more a maturity thing than anything else - I wasn't "ready" for college on the intellectual side. I did however (regrettably) EXCEL at the social side of college.
College is like a game. Also some professors and teachers are just horrible at teaching as well. Learning should also be a joy as well as a discipline but some of these universities chew up the students and take their money.
Of course if the student like to party too much and is slack with studying they are mostly to blame. For those going to school fulltime and working a job with too many hours then studying time will suffer.
I remember back when I was in college, I would attend the first lecture to get the syllabus, and to see if the exams were going to be taken entirely from the book. If so, the only other times you’d see me in the class was for the exams.
Big difference between love of learning and finding school boring. I love to learn and many things I teach myself I will never have a degree for. The problem is that many times textbooks and many teachers squeeze all the life out of learning. My best friend was reading a history book to me for her class and it was one of the most boring texts of all time. (my favorite subject) History is supposed to be something that was lived. Stories of the past. The way this book is written it would be a wonder anyone was awake to be part of history if it was as boring as written.
That's pretty sad. 1965-67 my wife's first (and only) husband tried not studying while at Georgia Tech. It worked OK until about 5th quarter calculus... He could not work the math fast enough to finish his physics exams in the allotted time.
He quickly learned that National Merit Finalist, Honor Society in high school and 1416 SAT really don't cut it by themselves unless you STUDY!
13 years, a wife and 3 kids later, he did study while working & going to school for his Airframe & Powerplant mechanics license. Hindsight - 20/20!
Agree with you 100% re History. Good authors make it come alive and make it relevant. Being an adult and having adult frames of reference and experiences help enormously too.
Well why study? After all, if you know how to put a condom on a cucumber, realize that republicans are bad, democrats good, understand that the United States is an evil country, believe that Islam is the “religion of peace” and know the way to your local welfare office, you’ve mastered the sum total of everything taught in today’s union run school system. In short, you’re ready to become the ideal government dependent and democrat voter.
Well why study? After all, if you know how to put a condom on a cucumber, realize that republicans are bad, democrats good, understand that the United States is an evil country, believe that Islam is the “religion of peace” and know the way to your local welfare office, you’ve mastered the sum total of everything taught in today’s union run school system. In short, you’re ready to become the ideal government dependent and democrat voter.
...but get turned away to make room for the poor, oppressed, disadvantaged minorities who need remedial everything just to find their subsidized dorm rooms.
Yep. There is a huge difference between finding an answer and truly understanding why its the answer. Schools may be passing on information but are failing to teach one how to think.
I am finding it difficult to find competent young folk in my industry who exhibit good judgement, but will definitely argue that they are following instructions.
Read Victor Davis Hanson:
On the matter of racial profiling: No one wishes to harass citizens by race or gender, but, again unfortunately, we already profile constantly. When I had top classics students, I quite bluntly explained to graduating seniors that those who were Mexican-American and African-American had very good chances of entering Ivy League or other top graduate schools from Fresno, those who were women and Asians so-so chances, and those who were white males with CSUF B.A.s very little chance, despite straight A's and top GRE scores. The students themselves knew all that better than I — and, except the latter category, had packaged and self-profiled themselves for years in applying for grants, admissions, fellowships, and awards. I can remember being told by a dean in 1989 exactly the gender and racial profile of the person I was to hire before the search had even started, and not even to "waste my time" by interviewing a white male candidate. Again, the modern university works on the principle that faculty, staff, and students are constantly identified by racial and gender status. These were not minor matters, but questions that affected hundreds of lives for many decades to come. (As a postscript I can also remember calling frantically to an Ivy League chair to explain that our top student that he had accepted had just confessed to me that in fact he was an illegal alien, and remember him "being delighted" at the news, as if it were an added bonus.)
NO cheers, unfortunately.
When I was teaching HS (and I stopped 6 years ago) the kids thought it was MY job to prepare them for tests, not their job to take the material I had given them and study. In other words, they expected to be spoon fed everything. I suspect that has only gotten worse.
Oh, exactly. Everything is supposed to entertain us, night and day. Sheesh.
What will happen to the collegiate sports heroes who are dumber than a bag of rocks and cannot learn at the college level?
The second great elephant in the faculty lounge which was ignored by this half-assed piece, is massive waves of cheating. Surveys reveal that large proportions of students readily admit to cheating.
Why labor away at writing a paper when you can go to termpapers.com/ and buy one. Or sit in class during exams and have your buddy text you the answers from the next row over.
Faculty members are well aware of this epidemic but attempts to police it are time-intensive, risky, and entail major hassles. Furthermore, they cannot count on being backed up by their Dean or Department Chair, especially if the perp is a privileged minority.
Funny that the Globe would miss these two major factors, especially given their proximity to so many well-known diploma mills.
i don’tmind those fools going to college, i would just like to not have to pay for it.
eliminate student loans and that would be a huge step in the right direction.
I do agree that lots of kids are not ready straight out of HS. I wasn’t. I went one year, did pass, but didn’t do that well (had a lot of fun). Got married, had 3 kids, went back and graduated with honors. Amazing what a few years difference made.
They’ve dumbed down the classes.
Make the classes challenging, some will study, the rest will fail. Once properly sorted, the college education will once again be a useful tool for employers looking for sharp, motivated applicants.
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