Fifth Tips for Teachers Meeting

This time our Tips for Teachers discussion was based around the article, "Impact of Popular Culture on Communication Skills: A Commentary with Insights for Writing Instruction" by Linda Best and Christopher Lynch, which can be found at http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qa4116/is_200604/ai_n17183359/pg_1 Again we had some teachers from Hackensack High School join us in this amazing discussion. 

Our basic question was to discuss how much popular culture influences the lives and learning patterns of High School and College students. One Rutgers instructor said he thought TV short circuits students’ thoughts, and excessive numbers of activities substitute for deeper thinking as the quest is always looking for something to amuse. He said, for example, how students are often wearing headphones or listening to music on their iPods as they conduct their research. They are, in short, used to multi-tasking, but is this to the detriment of learning and the acquisition of knowledge? Or, to play Devil’s Advocate, is this constant noise and chaos actually realistic training for the workplace, in which it is quite likely that they will not work in complete silence? Maybe the distractions might not deter from learning, especially if students are taught a framework or structure within which to focus and organize their thoughts. 

A High School teacher commented that most students at her school see education as a means to an end, as they have little incentive to learn. She said she asked her class if they ever use an encyclopedia, and students said they would not as they found them frustrating as there is too much information to thumb through, and they might be distracted by an article on another topic, or ultimately distracted by MySpace.

It seems fair to say that students prefer looking for information on the Web, but do they stop at the first piece of information they find, or do they browse further? A High School teacher said she thought that students stop at the first thing, as she asked facetiously why they would want to expand their knowledge! However, possibly the problem is that one can easily feel overwhelmed by excessive amounts of information, which is very typical of the age in which we live. One WP instructor said it would be advantageous to guide students so that they know how to be discriminating about what information to use, and that it should be acknowledged that it can take ages to find the exact information of true value for which one is hunting. 

But how, it was asked, can we encourage students to do this? A High School teacher said she does this by telling students that they will need to know/do this in college, and a Writing Program instructor said that she tells her students they will need to know how to read and write well as it would help enormously when applying for a job. However, do employers care if their employees are not good readers or writers? It seems that some might care, as another WP instructor said that many US firms are offering their employees courses on how to write, and another said how accountants are asked to evaluate their writing frequently, since they often need to write reports. It seems that the answer lies in the fact that writing is a means of communication, so it is essential that everyone understands the same thing in terms of word choice and spelling. 

Should we care that writing is changing, or should we recognize that the rules of language have always changed, a Writing Program instructor asked. After all, all we need do is read a Jane Austen novel to see how many differences there are in the spelling of certain words between then and now. Or should we be like the French, and have committees which strictly monitor word changes and mostly reject them? How far should it go? Some High School teachers said that they see students use “R U going…” instead of “Are you going…”, and one even admitted to having started doing this herself in her text messages. But another High School teacher talked about how cell phones now have predictive texting, and thinks that this might ultimately help students and other users with their spelling. However, in answer to this, one WP instructor said he sees a worsening of spelling in placement tests, and another said that she has a student who must so totally rely on the Spell Check feature on the computer, that he has so many wrong words as to make the overall paper incomprehensible. So it seems that Spell Check, as well as countless misspellings in society (ShopRite, EZ Pass) that bombard us with misspellings, are the ultimate culprits.

A WP instructor went on to say that it is well known that the US is lagging behind many other countries in terms of Math and Science, but what is not said is how it is lagging in terms of reading and writing. 

A High School teacher remarked that most students are simply satisfied when they have written a paper rather than not. They do not seem to have pride in their work. Another from the High School said that all too often students are taught rules of writing, such as five sentences per paragraph, or how the letter [i]should be capitalized, yet are not sufficiently taught about inclusion of content. They might be told, for example, that a paragraph should contain a thought, but many students say they can express that thought in just one sentence. The High School teachers also said that they have to teach a recipe for how to pass the HSPA exams, and this is why they have to emphasise the rules. One teacher said how she had heard that the elementary school in their district had a 90% success rate on standardized tests, and this was because the children were taught a little song to better memorise the rules. 

A WP instructor said that a lot of these changes in reading and writing reflect the incursion of technology at so many levels, and another talked about how many two year olds have a TV in their room, and there are such programs as Baby Einstein. Someone also made the comment about how in Japan some teenagers are writing novels on their cell phones, to which a High School teacher replied that students often bring in their homework on their cell phones!

We discussed how all this technology can lead to increased isolation. In fact one WP instructor asked her class why texting was more prevalent than voice mail, and they uniformly replied that with texting one can hide, be detached, and even lie because of the lack of intimacy. And often, as soon as class is over, students whip out their cell phones. It seems that they already have friends from elsewhere, and lack engagement with what is immediately surrounding them. Another WP instructor mentioned an E.M. Forster novel in which everyone lived underground in separate cells, and all were horrified at the thought of face-to-face contact. Are students currently living this way, he asked, shut in their rooms with their TVs and computers? 

One WP instructor, who has been deeply involved in High School education over a number of years, said that our current discussion reminded him of a discussion they had had in the 1960’s in his school when they were lamenting educational standards. He said that he felt the real problem was not, in fact, isolation, but a lack of reflection. He said that reading, after all, is a completely isolated act, yet one needs to be solitary when reading so as to have a chance to ponder. However, as the article mentions, many students have become afraid of their own thoughts so avoid this isolation. Moreover, as another WP instructor said, in the workplace the emphasis is often on team work rather than individual work, so is isolation good? 

And whether or not isolation is beneficial, we discussed the inherent irony in that we ask Expos students to enter into dialogue with the authors, yet they are increasingly not having dialogue with each other. Another Rutgers instructor talked about her son who is in seventh grade, who is capable of thinking things through, but he does not do this as he is not used to being in dialogue to explain and explore thoughts further. And we talked further about how young children can mend a computer yet are unable to write a coherent, meaningful paper. 

A WP instructor said that given that technology exists, what should our teaching strategies be? He, for example, said that he told his students that he will accept e-mail from them, but will not read them if they are filled with errors instead of using proper language. To this, a High School teacher asked if it really matters if a student is reading Gossip Girl rather than something more scholarly, as it is still reading, and does it matter if a student writes on a Blog rather than writing an assignment paper, as it is still writing. He thought these acts might be beneficial, as he is willing to do all it takes to motivate a student. But another WP instructor said that the content of what students read or write, behind the technology, does matter, as it should be of substance, otherwise there is very little upon which to reflect. A High School teacher answered that students are only interested in what they already see as interesting or relevant to them as individuals, but we discussed how it might ultimately be important, if not glorious, for students to broaden their horizons and move beyond their preconceived ideas and a priori knowledge, to the wonderful discovery of new things. 

Another member from the WP said that a lot of this depends on the teacher establishing trust in the classroom, which will help, if not enable students to accept new things. She said teachers should not only be entertainers and should not only try to be popular, but they should primarily be educators. After all, we all know how great it is to witness that moment when a student is excited by new knowledge and ideas. Furthermore, she said, as teachers we all have a lot to learn from our students, too. And also there are commonalities of activities between High School and College, in terms of peer reviews and group work, but where new activities are carried out in college, such as grammar presentations, it is always a good idea to explain to students why these are important. 

However, some High School teachers thought that there is a big gap between teaching for the HSPA and teaching from the NHR, and that their students would probably find the readings in the NHR to be quite impenetrable. WP instructors answered that the idea of sequencing helps with tough readings, as they are revisited many times, and one commented on the teaching of Expos in the New Brunswick High School, which seems to be well received, and the students are relating some of their Expos readings to other subjects which they are learning in High School. 

Fourth Tips for Teachers Meeting

This Tips for Teachers meeting was a little different in that we were glad to have five teachers and the Principal from Hackensack High School as part of our group. As such, we discussed a topic of interest both to High School teachers and Writing Program instructors; namely, the transition from high school to college, and read and discussed Betsy O. Barefoot’s piece, “The First Year Experience: Are We Making it Any Better?” found at http://www.earlycolleges.org/Downloads/FirstYear.pdf

as well as “How is College Different From High School?” published by SMU, at http://www.smu.edu/alec/whyhighschool.html
.

We started our discussion by asking how many students the High School teachers have, and were told they each have about 120! We then went on to ask about student expectations, and whether students anticipate that college will be a 24 hour party. The Hackensack Principal replied that they do a lot of preparation with the seniors, in terms of asking them to plan what their major will be, and how to be financially responsible. Additionally, they invite back high school graduates to talk to current high school students. They also plan to reform the senior year so that students do not waste time after their APs. However, he said that their efforts were not yet reaching all Black males in terms of helping them to be admitted to community colleges, although there was improvement with the Latino males.

One High School teacher said there was a much smaller amount of required reading in high school than college; sometimes articles would only be about three pages in length, or longer pieces would have pictures and maps, and even then often students would complain or resist doing the reading. It was asked whether this was due to a lack of time – the students do, after all, have six academic subjects a day so they have a lot of work - or a lack of good study skills. Another High School teacher said that often there would be minimum effort on the part of students, who prefer to use Spark notes, or quickly glean some information from the Internet.

We feel better study skills is obviously of much importance, so that students in Expository and other writing classes, do not think that it is sufficient to write their papers the night before (or minutes before!) the class. One member present asked whether it was necessary for a student to fail, to realize that procrastination is not a good modus operandi. A Writing Program instructor said that she has a class in which she asks students to write down what they think are good study skills, and then cross out everything which seems unrealistic. In this way, she says, she lets students know that if they produce good work at 3.00 am, then indeed they should continue doing so.

Another Writing Program instructor said that students complain to her that writing an assignment takes ten hours, because of all the reading, and she said that this is definitely realistic, and should be done, as the essays need to be reread so that critical thinking, which takes time, can occur. She went on to say that critical thinking and making connections is something foreign to them. A High School teacher said that it’s true that the emphasis is more on memorization than critical thinking, as she says they teach for the tests, such as the HSPA’s, and these tests are specifically looking for certain information, so the more that information is included, the higher the grade for the students. In this way, she said, all good student papers look the same, the implication being that there is no room for original thought or analysis. Someone from the Writing Program said that he saw that in High School, students are taught to write very neat, structured papers with five paragraphs, but when they come here, they are encouraged to take risks and make discoveries, which might result in quite a sloppy paper initially, until they learn to structure that.

We asked the question as to whether a rethinking to the pedagogy of exposition and risk-taking comes with maturity, and therefore whether high school students are not yet ready for this approach. The Principal answered that maturity plays a part in this, and that there is a mix of those who are sufficiently mature, and those who are not so mature, but also that there are a multitude of socio’economic factors to take into consideration. He said that, for example, 40% of their student population is not living in the parental home, which was especially true for their Black and Latino students. Last week, he said, he had to deal with a rape case, and a case of a punctured eardrum, and he went on to say that these kinds of incidents are not unusual. He also said that in the same class, there is a huge mixture of student abilities, ranging from those with special learning needs, to those who are going to Harvard. They are starting, he said, to have classes in such non-academic topics as culinary arts and metal shops, to cater to some student needs. But he went on to say that those who will be coming to Rutgers better be ready!

We went on to discuss technology in teaching, and the High School teachers talked of the digital divide brought about by the fact that some students had Internet access in their homes, whereas others did not. However, they are teaching high school freshmen about credit cards and cell phones, and they think that most students throughout the school are tech savvy. There was some difference of opinion amongst the Writing Program instructors present who teach a Hybrid, as to how tech savvy their students are, as some Hybrid teachers thought their students very capable with technology, and others did not, though we wondered whether some of the excuses were the modern day equivalent of “the dog ate my homework”.

Still on the subject of technology, the Hackensack High School teachers said that they think when it comes to research, students turn to the Internet, yet they do not know how to separate between “junk” and scholarly sources. They went on to say that 12% of their students take an online course, as many go on to Bergen Community College, where they are mandated to take one Hybrid course a year. One Writing Program instructor who teaches a Hybrid here, said that she thinks that a Hybrid teaches students to use their time wisely, and that the best students do well online, though the Principal said that he thought that if a student was not a high achiever, he or she would possibly not do well in the traditional class or a hybrid.

We then moved to a discussion of structure, and how in high school, so much structure is given, with teachers writing explicit notes of what to do on the chalk board. The High School teacher went on to say that she thought that students are given much less structure in college, and so she wonders whether in high school they are doing the students a disservice, or whether it is beneficial as it helps students learn how to manage their time. One Writing Program instructor countered this by saying that it might not be time management that is needed to be taught, but the concept of independent learning. She said, for example, she has a class that meets only once a week, and the rest of the week they are given quite a bit of reading, yet the students do not know what to do, as they are unclear about how to work independently.

Still on the topic of structure, one Writing Program instructor asked whether it might be feasible to lessen the amount of structure given in the upper grades of high school, as presumably there was less structure given to these students at home too, and school and home mutually reflect each other. The Principal said that the problem in their school came from the fact that they had such diversity of home backgrounds, and there might especially be problems if an economically disadvantaged minority student clashed with a white middle class teacher. He referred us to a book entitled Unequal Childhoods, by Annette Lareau.

And it is not only structure in terms of time management, but also in terms of writing a paper that can be significant, as a Writing Program instructor said that she thought that however much we say that we are moving away from the structured paper typically written in high school, we still advocate a structured paper (albeit different) in terms of topic paragraphs and quotation sandwiches. It was argued by some that this structure, or format, opens the doors to interpretation and analysis instead of summary and regurgitation, as it juxtaposes two readings, but then others present said this might only be true for the bright students, and those who are less bright might just be following a formula and not making meaningful connections.

Spring '08: Third Tips for Teachers Meeting

In our most recent Tips for Teachers meeting, we discussed, based on the piece, "Academic Integrity at Princeton", which can be found at

http://www.princeton.edu/pr/pub/integrity/pages/discipline.html, the challenging concepts of Plagiarism and Academic Integrity. We started our discussion by stating that The Targum had recently published an article that plagiarism was more rampant than known about, as often it went unreported. Additionally, there is a lack of communication between departments, so that if a student is caught plagiarizing in one department, it might be documented, but generally stays within that department itself.

We then went on to talk about instances of plagiarism we have witnessed or known about. One teacher present talked of a student she had who lifted his paper from a model paper displayed on the website, only making minor adjustments to paragraphs. She happened to have recently looked at that very paper on the website, so recognized it immediately, and when she spoke with the student about it, he apologized, explaining that he was frustrated with the course as he had been working hard, yet only received a C+.

Another case known about was a student who had taken the course before with a different teacher, but one who had used the same first sequence. Although the assignment questions were therefore a little different, the authors were the same, and the student simply handed in papers from the previous semester, without even remembering to change the date! We laughed at how students are often not very good at covering up their tracks.

In yet another case, a student self plagiarized, by using half of what he had written in Paper 5 in Paper 6. He had been doing well up until then, and when confronted with what he had done, he said he was tired and could not redo it, which lowered his course grade, but he did not fail the course.

We also discussed students who are friends in the dorm or from the same class, handing in an almost identical paper, perhaps with the order of paragraphs changed.

A fascinating revelation was the increased scope to plagiarise in the Hybrid course, as it is simple to copy and paste, but what was completely unexpected was the fact that a student plagiarized a response in the Discussion Forum, by pasting in comments from Wikipedia as his own, as he did not acknowledge the source. Even though this is not plagiarism in an essay, which is the usual location of plagiarism, we decided that it was still plagiarism, none-the-less, and as such the student should be asked about it, and should confess.

We talked about whether, if students had to sign an oath that their work was their own, plagiarism would decrease, and one teacher present said it would.

We moved then to the question of the narrow dividing line between collaboration and plagiarism, and looked at, whereas it is clearly not acceptable to use someone else’s words without citing the source, whether it is acceptable to use someone else’s ideas without acknowledgment. Here we were quite divided, as some felt that a class is all about the mutual construction of ideas and knowledge-building, and that ideas function as important exemplars for teaching and learning. Furthermore one teacher thought it would be impossible to police and keep track as to who contributed each idea. But there were others who felt ideas and inspirations should be acknowledged as respect to the individual and independent thinker, and one teacher talked about the analogy with patents. We then started to tie this in to not only prestige of being the originator of an idea, but also wealth associated with invention.

But certainly discussions of plagiarism are not always straight forward. What do we do, for example, with “common knowledge”? Does everyone know it, or is it culture and time dependent, in which case should the source be acknowledged? And what should happen in the instances where a professor perhaps plagiarises from his or her graduate students? Furthermore, what if someone feels she is contributing an original thought, only to find that it has been discovered and discussed before? Are there, in fact, a finite number of ideas, and just many variations on the same theme? Or would it be fair to say that two students might, as a starting point, share similar ideas about a connection or topic, but might, in the execution, write what ultimately looks very different?

Spring 08 - 2nd Tips for teachers Meeting

We read “Diversity and Complexity in the Classroom: Considerations of Race, Ethnicity, and Gender” by Barbara Gross Davis, and started with a discussion about cultural difference by considering the impact of reading Abu-Lughod or Nafisi if we have women wearing head scarves in the class. One teacher present said that she did have a student who wore a head scarf who did not come to class on the day that this reading was being discussed. However, in contrast, another teacher present said that when he did this reading, a woman in a head scarf provided lots of extra information completely voluntarily.

The question then arose as to whether we can ask our students to tell us about cultural differences, or whether we should wait to see if they volunteer. It seemed to us that it depended on the country of origin, as one British person present said she thought nothing of it when her son was in kindergarten and the class was studying England, and the teacher asked her to come in and tell the class about the country.

One teacher suggested that the suitability of asking a minority student about a particular issue perhaps depended on the number of students in that particular group who were in the class, and if there was only one student a direct question should be avoided, but if there was a significant number of the group, such as a fairly large number of Indian students in a 201 class about The Family, then it was fine to ask them questions about arranged marriage.

We talked further about the cultural diversity in our classrooms, and the important difference between using the word ‘tolerate’ (meaning there is still a problem but I’ll put up with it) and ‘accept’, which is a more whole scale embrace. One teacher mentioned how the readings in The New Humanities Reader were not all diverse.

We also discussed how the teacher her or himself might be from a minority group, and we wondered, therefore, how the students read us. It was agreed that successful students adapt to each professor they have, and in general, it is the teacher’s aim to try to establish rapport.

We went on to mention how the act of writing is a very personal one, so that if a paper is criticized, it feels to the student that he or she is the object of criticism. This led to a fruitful discussion about commenting on student papers, and how, since our comments to students are mostly in writing, we have to be exceptionally careful that we are not being misinterpreted.

We also mentioned the importance of not giving an excessive number of comments, as the students might not read them and might feel overwhelmed, and how instead we should perhaps try to identify patterns of error, as well as using pens of different colours (one for mechanical errors and the other for content).

Not only should we be careful with our written comments, but also with comments in class discussion as well. The article discusses how sometimes the best intentioned teachers, if giving special privileges to minority groups, might be interpreted as being demeaning to them. For example, some teachers might unwittingly say, “We Americans treat immigrants well”, and this we/they divide automatically can be problematic. The same could be said to be true for the I/you divide of some teachers, rather than saying 'we’ to encompass everyone in the class, including the teacher.

One teacher also pointed out how she took offense at a student complaining about the course and the particular reading, and said she was going to write back straight away. However, she prevented herself from writing an e-mail while in a ‘hot state’ and allowed some time to pass. Then she wrote asking him to explain his comments, and found to her surprise that he was not meaning to criticize her, but that he had taken a previous course and had not liked it. She realized, therefore, that he was giving a criticism about the reading, and not about her. This shows the importance of really trying to find out about a situation, rather than making assumptions.

Tips for Teachers: Spring 08 – Session 1

We read “Exammanship and the Liberal Arts: A Study in Educational Epistemology”, by William G. Perry, Jr. This led to an interesting discussion about authenticity, in terms not only of exam taking or writing papers, and gaining knowledge, but also of the teacher being able to truly appreciate the work done by the students. One teacher present told some stories of how, as a student, she had ‘got by’ in difficult exams that she knew she did not comprehend (e.g. statistics) by doing something quite unorthodox in terms of the way she answered the question, (she wrote an extended philosophical contemplation of the merits and demerits of the inductive versus deductive methods of reasoning, rather than attempting to engage in the statistical calculations) and received an ‘A’ for it. So, we might ask, do grades truly reflect the level of learning – moreover sustained learning – in any particular subject area?

Another teacher present talked about how she asks her students to do some free writing about a reading, to try to gauge their preliminary understanding of a complex text, and this was likened to Didion’s statement about “How do I know what I think until I see what I write?”

But it was thought in general that much education is geared to test taking with the impact of the No Child Left Behind policy, in which the stakes are elevated. Also there is a concern that students being taught how to write might find it formulaic, which might prevent it from being authentic. On the other hand, though, would following the formula of making connections actually open up the possibility to students of discovering exciting new ideas, which indeed feels very authentic, both in terms of the ideas themselves and the emotional charge that accompanies their discovery?

We asked how we can grade for authenticity, and it was initially thought that this can not be easily measured. However, as the conversation progressed, it was suggested that our grading criteria can indeed measure authenticity by looking at the position that the paper adopts, as stated in the thesis. Also it was thought that all teachers appreciate an authentic paper when they come across it, as it is the sort of paper that flows, and that the teacher does not even realize he or she is reading it. In other words, it is a genuine expression of belief, rather than a mechanically executed homework assignment. Essentially, then, an authentic paper is not only one which demonstrates complete comprehension of the texts it analyses, but also one which is injected with feeling and positive emotion.

Some teachers present suggested that it was easier for a student to demonstrate passion and involvement in a 201 course than in Expos, since students have to take a position in their research, after having debated the research question from different angles. Even so, though, we agreed that there are some 201 students who wear blinkers, and approach their research with a preexisting assumption, and then only read materials which prove that their assumption was correct, as in a student trying to prove that video games lead to violent behaviour. Their assumption therefore remains unchallenged, and a lot of complex layers and counter-arguments ignored. This generally turns into more of a report than a research paper.

We agreed that Perry’s essay was interesting in that the ‘cow’ approach, (as he terms it), which was one only of perfect summary, might lead the previously ‘A’ student down the path to receiving an ‘NP’. The question then becomes one of what do we value? Do we prefer to reward big thinkers, who may be lacking a foundation for their thoughts, simply because they have tried to think originally, and because we are bored with the minutiae of regurgitation? This then leads us to ask, how do we reward at the university; should we be impressed by summary and regurgitation, or do we look for analysis as demonstrating that the student is learning how to think for him or herself?

But is the binary opposition of ‘bull’ (Perry’s other term) versus ‘cow’ (which roughly translates to ‘freedom to think originally’ versus ‘summary’) that Perry sites, an oversimplification? Should we instead be considering discovery of knowledge versus summary? Or summary versus opinions which are not backed up by textual support? We asked, too, if all ‘A’ papers are the same, or are they distinctive in their own manner? It was suggested that all ‘A’ papers have complications, and perhaps surprise us in pleasing ways, but given this they will all be different as they are each from the unique point of view of the student.

We talked a little longer about the ‘A’ paper, and one teacher said she had always thought that the ‘A’ paper should dazzle, but then went on to wonder if she was ‘blinded by the light’, and whether therefore the dazzle could mask the truth. This even led us to question whether Perry’s essay, on which our discussion was based, was itself authentic, and whether the scenario he paints at the start of the work, of a student taking an exam in a class in which he did not belong, was completely fabricated, in which case the rest of the ensuing argument could carry no weight. However, several of us believed in the authenticity of the original scenario.

Conversation swung again to what exactly is meant by authenticity. If it is related to being meaningful and searching for truth, we asked how can we differentiate between truth and bias, as in the concerns about global climate change, or other environmental or political matters? One teacher went on to say how two students could use exactly the same quotes, but interpret them completely differently. And we, as teachers, will also bring our own interpretation along as well, and thus judge students accordingly, which could lead to a divergence as to what grade we think a paper merits.

Certainly we want students to get in touch with what they truly believe when writing their papers, but of course we can’t make them swear that they really believe what they write. This led to a discussion of the advantages of the debate form, and of asking students to play Devil’s Advocate, to stretch them, and take them away from the comfort of only talking about prior beliefs, thereby possibly helping them to discover a new position.

December 07 Tips for Teachers Meeting

In our final Tips for Teachers meeting of the Fall 2007 semester, we watched excerpts from the films, The Paper Chase, and Dead Poets’ Society. What follows are some of the highlights from our discussion of each film.

The Paper Chase: It was agreed that the Socratic method is indeed a good way of teaching and learning and making discoveries, but where Professor Kingsfield was less than adequate was in his tone and attitude of condescension to the students. We did think, though, about context, and since this film was set at Harvard Law School, we thought that perhaps there was more justification for this sort of severity, given the argumentative culture of the law courts, and possibly necessary preparation for it.

One member present, though, said that undergraduates today are so coddled, and are raised to think that they are geniuses. They shy away from challenge, she thought, and if they have any challenge, then they complain about their teacher. She asked if the students would ultimately be better off to be treated more toughly, as a preparation for the real world. She thought that in the past, fear was considered a great motivator, but that now society has turned too much in the opposite direction.

We then discussed whether fear is indeed a good motivator, and one member present said it might make you perform, but it won’t contribute to sustained learning. On the flip side, though, one teacher said if we are only very sweet and kind to our students, where do we draw the boundaries?

Getting back specifically to the Socratic method, we analysed the interesting scene in which one student said he had a photographic memory, and was desperately flipping through the pages of his book in the search for an answer. But Kingsfield humiliated this student by saying he would not find the answer there, as he needed to apply what he had learned to a new context. His message was definitely correct, in that we need to know not only how to find information, but more importantly, how to interpret it and how to use it. What again was wrong, though, in what Kingsfield did, was his unfortunate manner of publicly humiliating this student.

The discussion of Kingsfield’s methods very much reminded us of what Tannen says in her piece about challenge and argument in learning, and how this was true in Medieval universities, and also true in the military today. The fundamental irony, though, it seems, is that Socrates said there should be no emotions in learning, as they get in the way, and students should only be concerned with pure logic, yet the humiliating and frightening learning environment that Kingsfield established resulted in the production of many emotions, many quite negative.

Dead Poets’ Society: One teacher commented on how the Robin Williams teacher was full of poetry and passion, and said she does this in her classes, but wonders if the students comprehend. She said nostalgically that there was more poetry and passion in the 1960’s and 70’s than there is today, as now she feels the students don’t question very much.

To this, another teacher present said he deliberately asks questions he feels students have not heard before, such as asking them the difference between gender and sex. He likes to ask questions which truly challenge their assumptions, even if it makes them somewhat nervous, as this can ultimately be enlightening for them. In this, we said we were reminded of another film we had watched last semester; namely, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, in which she exhibited a lot of passion, thereby possibly igniting some students. We agreed that it is of vital importance to be enthusiastic in our teaching, and also to introduce challenging questions, which really help students to question their prior knowledge, and make new discoveries.

One teacher commented on how Dead Poets’ Society asked if passion has a role in education, as some of the students present said they were going to become engineers or lawyers, and why therefore was this relevant to them? But we thought that passion can be contagious, even if applied to a different discipline.

A question was introduced about the role of the teacher in terms of talking about ideas of freedom. After all, she said, aren’t the parents still in charge of these students’ lives? In Nafisi’s piece, someone pointed out, the book group was devoted to discussions of freedom, yet when one of the girls from the reading group returned to her home, her real (as opposed to idealistic) world was hampered by a restrictive and unfair brother. So we asked, therefore, if a teacher can really give freedom, or is it just an indoctrination of this particular teacher’s ideas?

We then tried to look at these two films in juxtaposition. At the one extreme, we saw Kingsfield, who was very cold and remote, to the extent that, despite the Socratic method and encouragement of dialogue, he still did not know the students’ names after the end of the course. This was in sharp contrast to the Robin Williams character who was very ‘touchy-feely’. Also, it was pointed out how each teacher used space very differently; Kingsfield was remote and took the role of ‘the sage on the stage’, whereas Williams not only walked down the rows between the desks, but even crouched down so that all the students had to huddle around him to be able to see him and hear what he was saying. However, it could be argued that the Williams character had an inflated view of himself, as he said to the students that they could call him “Captain”.

And finally we thought about the impact of teacher behaviour on student behaviour. In Kingsfield’s class, everyone behaved, albeit in a very rigid manner. In Williams’ class there was also good behaviour, but there was amazement, too. One student commented privately that their teacher was weird. And all the students had an initial reaction of horror to Williams’ demand that they rip pages out of their text book.

Teaching on Film

Our last "Tips for Teachers" meeting of the semester will be Monday, December 3rd from 12-1 in MU-305 (Plangere Conference Room). As at our last meeting in the Spring, we will watch two clips from films depicting teachers as a jumping off point for our discussion of good teaching practices. Tisha suggests The Paper Chase and Dead Poets' Society. For those interested, you can actually view all of The Paper Chase online via Google Video, or (especially for those with slower internet connections) check out a three-minute YouTube clip that shows the main character's first encounter with the scary teacher played by John Houseman. A search of Google Videos turns up multiple entries for "Dead Poets' Society," including the great "Carpe Diem" scene. Enjoy.