I agree we want them to be engaged, for sure. It's just that the methods
we're expected to employ to do so aren't always befitting adults...seems
like they've got to be entertained all the time. I know my students know I
really care about them, but I'm starting to question my quest to always be
"on"...an entertainer!
----- Original Message -----
From: "Andi Stepnick" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Cc: <[email protected]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 2:54 PM
Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: Many Going to College Are Not Ready
Ack! Agreed! I got something in the mail suggesting I buy
their "workbook" with crosswords and such. It was shocking! I almost
took it in to class so students to suggest that student should be
*happy* about reading, thinking, writing, etc. We have *got* to keep
standards high...aim for sophisticated analysis and higher order
thinking. In the end, most students are happy and proud doing good,
hard work.
As for wanting to grab their attention, that's personal. The more we
show that we care, get them excited, and teach them well, the better
chance we have of turning this crazy world around. Plus, if we can get
them excited then they don't sit like lumps in class. ;-) Too painful
for me!
Andi
--------------
Every object, every being,
Is a jar of delight.
Be a connoisseur.
~Rumi~
Life is raw material. We are artisans. We can sculpt our existence into
something beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It's in our hands.
~Cathy Better~
Things which matter most should never be at the mercy of things which
matter least.
~Johann von Goethe~
Dr. Andi Stepnick
Associate Professor and Chair of Sociology
300-C Wheeler Humanities Building
Belmont University
Nashville TN 37212-3757
Direct Line: (615) 460-6249
Office Manager: (615) 460-5505
Sociology Fax: (615) 460-6997
----- Original Message -----
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Date: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 1:45 pm
Subject: TEACHSOC: Re: Many Going to College Are Not Ready
I had students suggest to me that I make up cross-word puzzles or
other games
like that to help memorize terms from class. Seeing as the last
time I was in
a class that did that was about 2nd grade, I couldn't bring myself
to do it.
And I too find myself continually frustrated by the things I feel
compelled to
entice students to do the work.
Adair
Quoting Sarah Murray <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>:
>
> I'm so relieved to hear I'm not going crazy! I'm new to
adjuncting, and
> when I told my husband some of the activities I had planned for
an upper
> level elective he asked "Isn't that a little babyish?" We
graduated college
> in '79, and things were definitely different then -- I don't
think any profs
> were too worried about "grabbing our attention" the first day,
so we
> wouldn't be upset about the impending workload!
> Sarah
> William Paterson U of NJ
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "GIMENEZ MARTHA E" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> To: "Teach Soc Listserv (E-mail)" <[email protected]>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 17, 2005 1:20 PM
> Subject: TEACHSOC: Many Going to College Are Not Ready
>
>
> >
> > From the NYTimes:
> >
> >
>
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/17/education/17scores.html?
hp&ex=1124337600&en=858619efb7b39590&ei=5094&partner=homepage
> >
> > Many Going to College Are Not Ready, Report Says
> >
> > By TAMAR LEWIN
> > Published: August 17, 2005
> >
> > Only about half of this year's high school graduates have the
reading> > skills they need to succeed in college, and even fewer
are prepared for
> > college-level science and math courses, according to a yearly
report from
> > ACT, which produces one of the nation's leading college
admissions tests.
> >
> > The report, based on scores of the 2005 high school graduates
who took the
> > he report, based on scores of the 2005 high school graduates
who took the
> > exam, some 1.2 million students in all, also found that fewer
than one in
> > four met the college-readiness benchmarks in all four subjects
tested:> > reading comprehension, English, math and science.
> > ....................
> >
> > This is nothing new for us, right? This is why, especially in
lower> > division but, at all levels, teachers must use techniques
more appropriate
> > in elementary school to entice students to learn. Sigh.....
> >
> > I argued in a paper published in Teaching Sociology in 1989
that in this
> > country, real university education starts at the graduate
level and since
> > then I haven't had reasons to change my view.
> >
> >
> > Martha
> >
> >
> >
>
>
