I might have told this story but I'm gonna tell it again since I hear all sorts of nonsensical new ideas from education ministries across the country. From "no late" policiies for papers to accepting plagiarized works.
It truly is a paradigm shift - into the fucking abyss.
Years ago, in university, I took a European politics class given by a German professor. If you were looking for someone in academia who didn't get the "politically correct" memo it was him. Oh Lord, the things he said.
Adroit, smug and condescending he had little tolerance for utter stupidty and dumbass questions.
I loved him.
*Wipes tear."
His thoughts? He considered Great Britain "the most influential civilization in history." His view of Italy was that it was a "genius society that contributed much and a first rate civilization." He kept silent on Germany - although he wouldn't have been faulted for singing its praises.
Canada? As he spoke, he looked out of the window, arms crossed behind his back, onto a dreary, wintry day and said, "how can a country with so many advantages - including proximity to the U.S. - still not have its own indigenous car industry? If Sweden, where the Industrial Revolution came late - with 8 million lousy people can have TWO great car manufacturers, why shouldn't Canada have one?"
In one comment, he intimated what he thought of us.
Anyway.
According to him, his class was run like they were in Europe: No coddling. So it came to a shocking surprise to students when they read the syllabus. We were responsible for over 40 books! I looked at it and said to myself, "This is new. Talk about attempting to destroy the self-esteem of the collective pampered whimps of Canadian collegiate students." I shrugged my shoulders and resolved myself to take on the challenge.
Not so for others.
You could see the panic in their eyes. Hands went up immediately. "Excuse me, sir. There are 40 books here."
"And?" he replied.
"Could you tell us what to focus on?"
"Ah" giving off the impression he realized the insanity of his syllabus, he said. He stared at her hard waited just enough for her to feel uncomfortable, "All of them."
Another. Not getting the message. "Which texts should we focus on for the exam?"
Same response. Only this time, his glare suggested no one dare try another one.
You see. The problem was university professors had taken to telling their students which chapters of a book to focus on. Which texts to read. Some even encouraged you bring your books during exams.
Students were babies. Most didn't even belong in a history or political class. Out of a class of 40, maybe five could write according to a few professors I spoke to. I know because I was often complimented on my arguments and prose. To me the praise meant little with little context. So my question would always be, "surely there are greater writers than me?" "Yes, but not many. The majority are terrible." Worse, they would be the first ones in the professor's office demanding a better grade for their crappy, poorly written drivel.
Naturally, when confronted with someone like the good German professor, they spazzed. It was hilarious. I considered dropping the course since his reputation for marking was notoriously twisted and I really couldn't afford a drop in GPA. But I was too lazy to do so and I was intrigued by him. The class had dwindled by at least half by next class. If his goal was to weed out the deadweight he succeeded.
However, he stuck by his guns.
I got an 'A' one paper about Richard Wagner. At the time, I found it weird he asked us to write about Wagner in a political science class but the dude was so contradictory and messed up during an important period in European political history, it made perfect sense. Music and politics often went hand in hand in Europe as it did with Verdi in Italy. It was a tough paper to write since he wanted it all in TWO PAGES.
The exam on the other hand. I was plain a mess when it came to multiple choice. It was like I would pysch myself out. Ended up with a 'C' in the overall course.
No matter to me. I took pride in the writing. Not the exams. It didn't help my GPA in the end but I felt I came away with more.
In a way, I did it for me. For all of us. Canada, Canada, Canada!
It's a shame standards continue to fall in education. With social networking eradicating the need for proper grammar, and reading skills down (achieving 100% literacy is one thing; teaching the ability to critically read is quite another. A pitcher's ERA doesn't tell the entire truth) - among other things - one would think we'd put more pressure on them to challenge themselves with proper rules.
Alas, the theory seems to be design a curriculum and student experience focusing on "the path to least resistance and let's fucking hope it doesn't explode in our faces."
My wife is a university professor and I tutored college writing for two years. I don't think it's the students or the professors, it's the parents and society. I'll try to explain.
ReplyDeleteI don't know about you and your generation, but my generation (born in early 80's, and I notice it with all those born after) was told we had to go to college. Even the dumbest kids I knew growing up had parents who told them they had to go to college to make something of themselves. Basically the entire middle class and higher grew up with expectations of college.
The fact is... most people can't hack it in higher education, but at the same time, society has decided otherwise. Jobs for non-college grads are nearly non-existent, unless you look good in a one-piece jumpsuit (no I don't mean incarceration... though prison is how America has decided to deal with the poor).
Meanwhile, a university's bread and butter income is tuition from people who don't have a chance at graduation. Half of those who start out attending college don't finish, and many of those who do finish only do so while intellectually limping along. In short, most of the people at college are, by the admission of the university officials (and I've heard it said from the mouth of an Ivy League provost) that most college students have no business being in college.
In order to make college what it can be (though I feel never actually was), class sizes need to be much lower. For example, my freshman and sophmore science lectures had about 150-300 students, and this went down to about 30-50 by third and fourth year. And I went to a small school. For many, their college experience was being 1 person lost in a sea of faces, being droned to over a PA system by a guy 400 feet away. That isn't how people learn.
So when you say things are easy... they're easy because professors have routinely had their expectations of students and the whole teaching process shattered. My wife hates teaching undergrads, but she loves her graduate class, because all 8 people in the class are passionate about it.
On another note: I consider myself well read, but I don't like the assignment of reading, especially classic literature. Nothing ruins a great literary work like a deadline looming over your head. I also hate professors who think their class is the only thing you have going on in your life, let alone in your academic life. I think the answer is to pre-assign readings: have people read fall semester works during the summer and spring semester works during winter break. This allows time for proper reading time, because when I was in school, most people just read online summaries because that's all there's time for if you have 6 classes all telling you to read a book within a week.
Unrealistic expectations always amplify the motivation for short cuts, not to mention cheating.
You got me thinking more about some of the other stuff in your post. One in particular is: I don't know if you can teach criticial thinking any more than you can manufacture a genius. Yes you can, given someone of enough natural ability and enough personal instruction.
ReplyDeleteAll I'm sure is, it cannot be done with multiple choice scan-tron exams.
Actually, I think your entire response was quoted for truth. One of your best.
ReplyDeleteIt was the same thing for us. I wrote about it in the past how we were all being forced little cattle into the university system.
A close friend of mine knew when he was 16 he wanted to be an electrician. It's what he liked. He was chastised for thinking that way but he didn't care. He moved to Florida and then North Carolina and is a successful contractor. I admire him more than the asshole who coasted through a degree he never appreciated.
One of the first thing I noticed in my first class was half these people didn't belong.
I mean, I was seeing total jerk offs I went to high school with who owned bars and could care less about intellectualism.
It was a waste of time for all involved.
I ended up goin because my cegep professors said I was one who belonged so I gave it a shot but even then I felt it wasn't exactly challenging. I succeeded despite working at 50-75% capacity. I feel I didn't give it my all.
I like your ideas.
How I agree with you two. My three children went through university. One, my son, was very happy and went on to a Ph.D. and is now an associate dean.
ReplyDeleteThe two girls graduated with honors, but were most unhappy. They now have good jobs in domains unrelated to their B.A.s.
But all three are sweating it out fighting the establishment...as their parents did in their time.
If there's two things I'm knowledgeable about, it's higher education. Lord knows I was higher than anyone during college. Now if only I could remember what the other thing I'm good at is...
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I didn't end up with a Pharm D. By now I would have quit or blown my brains out with the shotgun kept behind the counter to fend off pill heads and angry senior (the Greatest Generation gets pissed off when their boner tablets aren't in on time; the movie starts in 10 minutes and I don't want to miss the opening credits, dag nabbit).
Then I would be one of those people with a degree they'll never use. Thank my lucky stars I majored in Humanities and Science... now that's a vague, wishy-washy degree that will springboard you into undeniable obscurity. Why, now I'm qualified to... make sure... science... is... humane?
I'll be honest: my dream job (besides being a writer who isn't appreciated in his own time and dies before he's too fat to be able to see his own dick... running out of time...) would be a bio-ethicist. It's the closest thing there is to being an atheist bishop, which was my dream job when I was a young Catholic kid and had no idea that as an adult, I wouldn't be attracted to little boys.
Why be a bishop? I like moving diagonally.
I feel like I should be financially compensating you, since usually I'm paying by the hour to tell people this stuff. Shrink or whore, I'll never tell...
Paul, school is just not for everyone as your kids have shown.
ReplyDeleteGinx, I'll send you a cheque.
To be honest, I've gone through the same confused path. My wife, for her part, is solid and stable and always knew what she wanted. Some people seem so uncomplicated.
If Billie Bean could find a niche to fit his world view in an environment like baseball, there's hope for us.
In fact, who will be the Bill James of politics?
I meant, invoice.
ReplyDeleteUgh.
I picked my way through college as an older student, working, married, great grades, no direction until the time came to just do it. I did the first couple of years (and a zillion credits) in community college, but that made going to a really wonderful, small, private university affordable. I look back on that time with a lot of happiness.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I didn't finish my undergrad at a huge party school. I could have been admitted easily, but I would have hated the experience.
I was often challenged and sometimes frustrated for a time by courses or coursework, but I wanted to be there. I remember some young students who seemed truly bored. What a pity.
Yes. A pity. But maybe someone was forcing them there?
ReplyDeleteGinx, you can teach critical thinking. You just have to teach the rules. What's amazing is it was never taught to me. I taught myself (and even then I consider it superficial) about logic and how to spot fallacies.
ReplyDeleteIt's amazing the crap pundits representing various ideologies spew. Either they know critical thinking and are just fucking with us or they're ignorant blow hards talking out of their asses without giving full thought to what they're saying.
Critical thinking is exercising judgement. You don't learn judgement, you have it or you don't. Teaching how to use a tool requires having the limbs to use it.
ReplyDeleteJudgememt is the limb.
Hm. Never thought of critical thinking as judgment.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it would be useful if we define "critical thinking."
What I thought it was, was teaching stuff like false dichotomy and strawman fallacies.
Surely that can be taught, no?
I agree with potsoc. The rules of logical rhetoric only help spot someone who is bad at arguing. If I said the Earth is roundd because when I put a can on it's side in my driveway, it rolls... I am a moron, but the Earth isn't flat.
ReplyDeleteAnd I think pundits talk that way because they know we're mostly idiots. Can you blame them for doing what works?