Hi Adair With all due respect, I think this a more fundamental issue than whether or not students are adults. The purpose of education is not simply assessing knowledge. The purpose of education is to educate. What occurs in the formal setting cannot be reproduced independent of others. Education is about creating knowledge, not memorizing information.
Students who wish to take an independent study can do so. But these are still supervised. And they are rare. Students who wish to learn on-line may do so. But these experiences are still supervised. If I want a student to understand sociology, I am compelled to teach it. My employer is not paying me to certify people as having read a book and learned definitions and facts. My employer is paying me to create a learning environment in which people learn more about the discipline than can be known by simply reading a book. I am also teaching people how to learn, more generally. And when that diploma is issued, it certifies that as a personal member of the faculty, I certify the individual as worthy of representing our university to any potential employer. It says something about "all the rights and privileges" associated with having participated in our model of education. Even further, the classroom experiences is a learning experience. We all contribute to it, and we all learn from it. Further, we all learn from each other. People who do not participate in that learning process, are not entitled to my certification that they are knowledgeable and capable of participating in the creation of new knowledge. Personally, I do not struggle with any of this, however. Again, if a student desires to take an independent study, this option is available on a limited basis. And if they wish to receive certification for having learned without having to attend classes, correspondence courses have been around for decades. However, if they want my signature, then they play by my rules. THere are other faculty with other rules if mine are not acceptable (which is why we give syllabi, and have a generous drop policy). Best to all Robert Quoting Adair Crosley <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > This back and forth, as with many on this listserv, seems to go back to a > fundamental question we all seem to be struggling with (or maybe I'm just > struggling with it and managing to then filter everything through this?). > Are > our students adults who are responsible for their own education and > achievements or are they not-quite-adults who still need some pushing and > prodding and hand-holding from us? Am I way off base on this? > > I want to believe that my classroom offers something more than that they can > get > out of the textbook and helps bring things together and transfer and create > knowledge in a way that they are not going to get if they don't come to > class. > Therefore, I want my students--for their own success--to attend class. I > count > attendance and participation toward final grades and reserve the right to > introduce pop quizzes if I feel that attendance or participation isn't what > it > should be as a means of encouraging attendance and participation. Even as a > grad student who was theoretically more motivated than the average undegrad, > some structure and accountability somtimes provided an extra push that made > a > difference for me and I imagine that's the case for some of my students as > well. > > Best, > > Adair > > > Quoting Sarah Murray <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > > > I'm not sure what hypotheses you have, but I think everyone in the class > > benefits from a more enriching experience when every member is a full > > participant. I know when I was a student, I was keenly disappointed by > the > > lack of enthusiasm displayed by some classmates, and that those who rarely > > showed up, left early or came in late detracted from the overall > experience > > of everyone else. Enthusiasm can't be imposed or regulated, but > attendance > > standards at least send the message that everyone's presence has value -- > > not just to themselves, but for the class as a whole. Nowadays, students > > who don't like sitting in a classroom can take on-line courses. > > ----- Original Message ----- > > From: "Brett Magill" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > To: <[email protected]> > > Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 4:02 PM > > Subject: TEACHSOC: 6-week absence: Confusing process with learning > > > > > > > > > > Why the strong reaction against students who choose > > > not to come to class? I have a few hypotheses that I > > > will withhold. > > > > > > These are college students. They are responsible for > > > their own learning. Why not simply respond, "you may > > > choose to come to class or not, but the standards of > > > evaluation are the same for you as for any other > > > student." > > > > > > If the student can master the material without the > > > benefit of your lectures and participation in the > > > hands-on classroom exercises, then what difference > > > does attendance make? Why make college students jump > > > through hoops? If the student chooses not to attend > > > and fails, that too is their responsibility. > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > Robert J. Hironimus-Wendt, Ph.D. Sociology and Anthropology Morgan Hall 421 1 University Circle Macomb, IL 61455-1390 phone: (309) 298-1081 fax: (309) 298-1857 email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] "Do all the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as ever you can." -- John Wesley --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Teaching Sociology" group. To post to this group, send email to [email protected] To unsubscribe from this group, send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/teachsoc -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---
