I see piles of term papers like this student's every spring semester. They can't comprehend how one subject fits into another, much less how to support anything they write with, you know, properly-sourced factual information. And numbers? It is to laugh.
But at least I'm not forced to assess my students with multiple-choice exams. That's something.
I remember something like that in one of the last courses I taught. I gave a quiz or an exam and some of the students were whining that I was penalizing them for math errors, even though math wasn't the main subject. Their gripe was along the lines of: "We were already tested on this in another course, so why are we being tested on it again?"
They didn't like my reply. I told them that they may have already demonstrated proficiency in math elsewhere, but my course was where those concepts were being applied. In industry, a math error is just as bad as, say, using the wrong equation when designing something. Somehow, they didn't seem to make the connection.
That sounds just like the whining I get for demanding complete sentences, correct spelling, and non-random capitalization in science essays. My reasoning, of course, is nearly the same as yours.
Brilliant! I don't know enough about the common core standards to know if they are, indeed, the answer, but this describes the problem (especially the frustrations of trying to introduce students who are even halfway through college to a genre with which they are not already familiar) all too well.
Krabby Kathy, this is great. I played it for my high-school-age son, and he knew immediately what "I choose C" meant even before the video started. His teachers have told him the same thing. He also cracked up about the persuasive essay topics.
Hey, Kathy, did you write and set up this video? If so, would you be interested in collaborating on another one? I can write the script but don't have an Xtranormal account or experience. Also, this video went beyond others with gestures like the student's shrug and details like the screen on the laptop.
The dialogue would come straight from a series of facepalm conversations with my biggest drama-queen snowflake of the academic year. It culminated today with -- Wait. I'm saving that for the video.
0:17 She looks like has bloodshot eyes. Probably licked too many toads.
ReplyDeleteI love her slack jaw, too.
DeleteI see piles of term papers like this student's every spring semester. They can't comprehend how one subject fits into another, much less how to support anything they write with, you know, properly-sourced factual information. And numbers? It is to laugh.
ReplyDeleteBut at least I'm not forced to assess my students with multiple-choice exams. That's something.
I remember something like that in one of the last courses I taught. I gave a quiz or an exam and some of the students were whining that I was penalizing them for math errors, even though math wasn't the main subject. Their gripe was along the lines of: "We were already tested on this in another course, so why are we being tested on it again?"
DeleteThey didn't like my reply. I told them that they may have already demonstrated proficiency in math elsewhere, but my course was where those concepts were being applied. In industry, a math error is just as bad as, say, using the wrong equation when designing something. Somehow, they didn't seem to make the connection.
That sounds just like the whining I get for demanding complete sentences, correct spelling, and non-random capitalization in science essays. My reasoning, of course, is nearly the same as yours.
DeleteBrilliant! I don't know enough about the common core standards to know if they are, indeed, the answer, but this describes the problem (especially the frustrations of trying to introduce students who are even halfway through college to a genre with which they are not already familiar) all too well.
ReplyDeleteKrabby Kathy, this is great. I played it for my high-school-age son, and he knew immediately what "I choose C" meant even before the video started. His teachers have told him the same thing. He also cracked up about the persuasive essay topics.
ReplyDeleteI was looking for somebody to think-pair-share with.
ReplyDeleteThat one got me.
Hey, Kathy, did you write and set up this video? If so, would you be interested in collaborating on another one? I can write the script but don't have an Xtranormal account or experience. Also, this video went beyond others with gestures like the student's shrug and details like the screen on the laptop.
ReplyDeleteThe dialogue would come straight from a series of facepalm conversations with my biggest drama-queen snowflake of the academic year. It culminated today with -- Wait. I'm saving that for the video.