Thanks for the feedback. I did ask them why they didn't like to read. I jokingly asked them if college made them not like reading and several (5 or so) were nodding their heads in agreement.
Your assessment of teacher ed is on track. My colleague somewhat humorously calls that elem. ed major "advanced scrapbooking." One of the biggest headaches in teaching the child psych course is having the different mindset and level of critical thinking between the psych majors (who mostly 'get' critical thinking and the scientific method) and the ed majors, who don't. If anything, it seems that many of the elem ed majors prefer to stay only slightly above the level of cognitive development of their students. But our majors have to take experimental and stats and two additional research electives, and for the ed majors, methods mean creating lesson plans and practicing teaching, so I guess I shouldn't be surprised. Julie [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: > Geez, no one responded since yesterday. OK, I'll do it. > > First of all, I don't think your experience is NOT very unusual. My youngest > child is a 19-year old college sophomore and I would say that is pretty > typical of him and his group. He wouldn't be caught dead raising his hand, > publicly in class to that one, but he is a "closet" reader! > > Second, I'm not at all surprised to hear that these are ed students. We have > the worst problems in disabusing our ed students of their psychological > misconceptions. They just hang on to them more tenaciously than other > students. They are less critical and scientific thinkers for some reason, as > a group. An ed student is most likely to be in my office telling me that this > one experiment, well, it's only one. But they have heard many people say > (insert favorite misconception) dozens of times, so it must be true: quantity > trumps quality in their minds. > > I think this is something worth researching. > > Anyway, I would have openly called my students on it. I guess I'm older and > can get away with that sort of thing; but I would have said something like, > "So. Hmm. Many of you want to become teachers. Well, imagine yourselves a few > years from now asking YOUR students how many like to read, and NONE raise > their hands.....hmmm, can we revisit this question now?" I don't know, I just > come across as "mom" and can do those things. > > Annette > > Annette Kujawski Taylor, Ph.D. > Professor of Psychology > University of San Diego > 5998 Alcala Park > San Diego, CA 92110 > 619-260-4006 > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > ---- Original message ---- > >> Date: Thu, 30 Aug 2007 22:42:17 GMT >> From: "Julie Osland" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >> Subject: [tips] attitudes toward learning and reading >> To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" >> <[email protected]> >> >> Hi Tipsters >> >> I just had a somewhat worrisome experience in my >> child psychology class today that I need to share. >> We were discussing how the gene-environment >> interaction can change over time (passive, >> evocative, and active). To illustrate, I had used >> an example involving "being athletic." So I asked >> the class to volunteer things they liked to do, so I >> could provide another illustration. After a long >> pause, I asked them "how many of you like to read?" >> No takers. So next I asked "how many of you like to >> learn?" (1/2 of this class of 30 is elem. ed >> majors). No takers. So these students who want to >> teach elementary kids don't like learning and >> reading?!?! Now there's a nightmare (which I didn't >> say out loud to the class). To borrow an expression >> from Paula Deen "Oh my gumdrops!" Are these >> attitudes common in today's students? Or is this >> class of mine just a fluke? >> >> Julie >> >> --- >> To make changes to your subscription go to: >> http://acsun.frostburg.edu/cgi-bin/lyris.pl?enter=tips&text_mode=0&lang=english >> > > --- > -- Dr. Julie A. Osland, M.A., Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Psychology Wheeling Jesuit University 316 Washington Avenue Wheeling, WV 26003 Office: (304) 243-2329 e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ---
