FYI
on 3/26/03 10:30 AM, Demers, Dr. Nora
> Hello POD
> I am in a quandary.
> A "friend' gets good teaching evaluations, and truly loves the job.
> Many students say how rigorous the classes are that this person
> teaches, and how much they come to learn. Some drop out because the
> expectations are more than they are able to meet (they work outside of
> class, etc). They talk about how during the term they have argued and
> been quite annoyed, even angry with the teacher, but have come to
> understand that they learned more from this person from perhaps any
> other teacher they had in their undergraduate career. (Many recognize
> this before the end of the class.) Now, there occasionally is a
> student who gets upset, and goes to the supervisor. They may be upset
> about a failing grade, or plagiarism, and talk to the supervisor about
> how the teacher made them feel dumb, the teacher was even harsh and
> offensive. The supervisor reprimands the teacher for the events,
> saying it demonstrates a pattern of poor interactions with people, and
> that the teacher must find ways to interact where the students do not
> react in this way.
>From Change, March/April 2003, p. 28 by George Kuh: "The 'disengagement
compact': 'I'll leave you alone if you leave me alone.' That is, I won't
make you work too hard (read a lot, write a lot)..."
George Kuh is not making up a falsehood or even an "anecdote." His
statement is the result of an insightful analysis of the National Survey
for Student Engagement--what is probably the most solid study to date on
institutional cultures that promote student learning. Without blaming
students, teachers, or administrators, let's just accept that this
culture is real and that it exists. In fact, let's accept this until
some reader who objects to this rather brutal reality brings forth a
better review study to show that it doesn't.
This is why it is so dangerous to leap too quickly to label any
instructor as a "bad teacher." It may well be that this person is, in
fact, a social retard who needlessly offends students and "turns them
off" with unacceptable disrespectful comments and behavior. That
happens.
It may also be that this person represents an under-appreciated minority
who is forcing engagement within an institutional culture --consisting
of faculty-students administrators--where acceptance of the
"disengagement compact" is "business as usual" and success is judged by
fitting into that. If so, the members of that culture will be far too
threatened by this possibility to examine their own standards and
practices, and likely will do anything possible to bring that individual
in line with business as usual. In this case, what the individual has
done that is labeled as "bad" is to make a significant amount of that
culture very uncomfortable with their own standards.
The questions: Is learning supposed to be comfortable? Is the ability to
think at higher levels achieved by remaining in one's own zone of
comfort? Does our becoming educated mean we should be free from becoming
upset--free from having our ideas challenged, or free from having to be
inconvenienced by hard work in order to make changes in our own ways of
thinking? If so, then the only people we want on a campus are those who
"keep the customers happy." Being popular in this way can be a veritable
siren call.
Personally, I feel that giving in to such a choice would be like giving
a child the option to eat candy for nourishment and putting away the
toothbrush so he/she won't be "inconvenienced" with any unpleasant
chore. We can go so far in keeping people comfortable that we forget
what we are really supposed to be doing.
> Any suggestions?
Help the person assemble a portfolio with data that documents student
learning to submit along with the inevitable complaints of students. If
learning and high level thinking is documented, quit trying to force
change on this individual in order to produce comfort. Diversity is
good--remember? If achievement in learning can't be documented, the
individual should by then be able to see a need for a change and receive
the help in how to make it.
Best wishes,
Ed
Ed Nuhfer
Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
Museum Building 434, Campus Box 8010
Idaho State University,
Pocatello, ID 83209-8010
Ph (208) 282-4703
FAX (208) 282-5361
nuhfed@isu.edu
------------------------------------------------------------newfaculty-+
You have received this message because you are subscribed to this mailing list. If you wish to be removed from this list, please send an email (in PLAIN TEXT) to:
listproc@lists.wcu.edu
Leave your subject line blank and in the body of the message, type:
unsub NEWFACULTY
Or, you may choose to send an email to (a real human being): listmgr@lists.wcu.edu.
------------------------------------------------------------newfaculty--
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b29 : 03/27/03 EST