On Oct 26, 9:48 pm, rb608 wrote:

Coincidentally, I recently started teaching a graduate-level course at
a local university, and I've come to the conclusion that either I
really suck as a teacher, or my students are dumber than dirt. I
spent three sessions teaching & reviewing some basic principles, then
dumbed down the test as far as I thought possible. The class average
was still 46. So I reviewed the test in class, gave them written
answers, changed all of the numbers and gave them the same test again
as a two-week take home quiz. A lot of 'em still tanked it.

LOL. Welcome to my world. Regularly I think "God, this kids are
CLUELESS! Someone really ought to teach them somethin...d'Oh!

Its a strange profession. On one hand, people are conditioned to
learn...we're hard-wired to observe and imitate until we internalize
stuff. And if something is inherently interesting, learning takes
place all by itself....just look at the level of mastery kids have of
technology; programming, hacking, using...all without ever having
taken a class or having any formalized instruction.

On the other hand, they can sit there while you show them a dozen ways
to see something; you can get them involved, have them present to each
other, stand and explain, do problems, etc etc, and on the test they
perform as if they have never been there before.

Most of the craft is in making them interested, then getting out of
their way. I think a really good teacher can achieve that 80-90% of
the time...the rest of the time, everyone is just doing what they are
trained to do, with a certain level of forgiveness for each other.
Pretty much all of the professional development I have ever done that
was of value was geared toward how to pique their interest, whereas
all of the training I received in school was about terminology,
content and management...the least useful things of all.


I tell ya, I have to admire guys like you who not only possess the
knowledge, but can successfully impart that knowledge to others. God
knows I can't.


Sometimes I can't either. :-)

Meanwhile, I'm happy to talk with you anytime about ideas, techniques,
etc, if you want. I've been at this for awhile and I tend to get
through to more kids than I lose. Do you have my email address?

--riverman