Gosh I read this when it came back to me through the list and it doesn't make my point at all! That's what happens when I try to rush through something :-(
I meant to say something like, it sounds like you are doing fine, don't let her (one student) get to you. I understand the concern about getting slammed at evals time but if I know in my heart that what I am doing is "right" and I am doing it "well" then I can't worry about pleasing all of the students all of the time. Some of them can't be pleased. Of course, if you don't have tenure you tend to worry more about such things. But if your evals in general are greate and there are only occasional dissenters, having sat on Rank & Tenure committees, I know that such comments are not taken very seriously. You may or may not be able to ultimately engage this student in your class, but if you don't, I would not carry that burden as a personal comment on your quality or comittment to your craft. There, I think I've said it better. Annette Quoting [EMAIL PROTECTED]: > Hi David: > > Are you tenured? Is there a preponderance of negative comments about > your > teaching style? Are you able to look at yourself in the mirror and know > you are > doing "right"? These are tough questions sometimes and but at the core > of what > we do and how we cope. > > Annette > > Quoting David Campbell <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>: > > > While purchasing a cup of coffee this morning, I came across one of > my > > students from our Senior Seminar (History of Psyc) class. She wanted > to > > talk about the class. > > > > In this class, she tends to sit silently while others do the work of > > reviewing and discussing the assigned material (along with whatever > > tangents we take off upon). I took the opportunity to suggest that > she > > get more involved in the class discussion and described several ways > to > > become a part of the action. Her response was that she did not like > to > > be involved in verbal "fights" and only liked courses where the > > professor lectures the whole time. She had been expecting a lecture > > course reviewing psychology for students intending to take the GRE. > I > > tried to describe class discussion and debate as something other than > a > > competitive "fight" with a winner and loser in each verbal exchange. > > > Rather I said it could be viewed as a win-win situation in which > > participants compare viewpoints with the aim of both coming away as > more > > informed and educated "winners." I also reminded her that the class > was > > described at the outset as a seminar in which active discussion was > an > > important course requirement. > > > > It quickly became clear to me that she wasn't buying any of this. > She > > didn't want to expand her interpersonal skills or get involved in > any > > clash of ideas. Nor was she persuaded by my effort to apply a > positive > > spin on the act of voicing or comparing opinions and experiences. > To > > her, this was all a form of combat--in a world that needs to replace > > combat with peace and harmony. > > > > As I headed off to my 8 o'clock class, I thought about how this > student > > is going to nail me at course evaluation time and there is nothing I > can > > do about it. She simply wants no part of class discussion and > debate, > > sees critical thinking as an undesirable negative mindset, and prefers > a > > world of peace and harmony. > > > > My classes often feature active discussion as a requirement and > there > > are always a few students who refuse to participate, preferring to > sit > > quietly and speaking only when directly addressed by someone else. > I > > was wondering if the TIPS readers have similar problems and ideas > for > > how to deal with these quiet nonparticipants. > > > > --Dave > > ___________________________________________________________________ > > > > David E. Campbell, Ph.D. [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > Department of Psychology Phone: 707-826-3721 > > Humboldt State University FAX: 707-826-4993 > > Arcata, CA 95521-8299 www.humboldt.edu/~campbell/psyc.htm > > > > > > > > > > --- > > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > > > Annette Taylor, Ph.D. > Associate Professor of Psychology > University of San Diego > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > --- > You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe send a blank email to > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Annette Taylor, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychology University of San Diego [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [EMAIL PROTECTED] To unsubscribe send a blank email to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
