Sorry, Nancy, but I have to disagree with you concerning the value of the
posting.
It's not that I see it as either totally accurate or a way of defining
differences--rather, I see it as a tool that can help instructors to better
understand and relate to the lives of their students.
Several years ago, I was teaching a Sociology class and used US involvement
in Laos and Cambodia during the Vietnam war as an example of a principle I
was discussing. My class drew a blank on that one--as they pointed out, they
not only didn't know anything ABOUT our involvement then, but they weren't
even ALIVE until well after Vietnam was over!
Similar examples are pretty easy to find--but the simple fact is: if a
substantial number of our students (not all, of course) are unfamiliar with
an event, a style of music, or a lifestyle that was common to those of us
who are older, it's totally pointless to try to use that event as a teaching
example. Instead, by understanding what our students ARE familiar with, we
can use something far more meaningful.
Just an opinion, but one that has served me pretty well in classrooms for
the last 12 years.
Rick Adams
--
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
". . . and the only measure of your worth and your deeds will be the love
you leave behind when you're gone." --Fred Small
