tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post450175300969609946..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Harris in Houston Asks A Big Thirsty For the Modern Age: What Does It Mean to "Meet Them Where They Are?" Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger33125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-77130040128123300872014-11-23T22:12:24.874-05:002014-11-23T22:12:24.874-05:00Cassandra, I love that you included the Allentown/...Cassandra, I love that you included the Allentown/Bethlehem/Easton region in this discussion, because it reminded me of a road trip of about 20 years ago. (My recollection that Allentown is actually farther from New York than is Bethlehem may have dislodged the memory.) My trip was from approximately South Bend to approximately Newark, which is approximately Chicago to New York. Because I had Ogre Proctor Hephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428431147495287413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-84573862712740579722014-11-21T17:36:16.581-05:002014-11-21T17:36:16.581-05:00Unfortunately, one's colleagues are often at f...Unfortunately, one's colleagues are often at fault. I taught a number of courses that were the next or close to the last in a series.<br /><br />Those colleagues that taught the prerequisites frequently got away with presenting only part of the needed material. ("So what if I didn't teach everything I needed to cover? What I taught, I taught *well* and that's what counts. LookQuarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-77765585600508909842014-11-21T14:49:39.934-05:002014-11-21T14:49:39.934-05:00I'm with JaneB,Reina, R &/or G (bravo!), O...I'm with JaneB,Reina, R &/or G (bravo!), Ogre (and probably a couple of others I missed): I don't really object to the idea of meeting them (i.e. starting) where they are, but the destination *does* matter, as does a realistic picture of how long it will take to get there given the realities of available time, abilities of the participants, etc., etc. <br /><br />I teach writing in Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-59191634833202900372014-11-21T14:35:54.684-05:002014-11-21T14:35:54.684-05:00Indeed.Indeed.Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-86235080110183311392014-11-21T10:55:33.201-05:002014-11-21T10:55:33.201-05:00R &or G this is great.R &or G this is great.Academic Charlotte Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06617435890922621735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-52930059864196167312014-11-21T10:53:33.113-05:002014-11-21T10:53:33.113-05:00The problem is that "where they are" is ...The problem is that "where they are" is further and further away from where they should be. I can only teach so much in 14 weeks. I can't do remedial English, basic writing, basic math, study skills, etiquette, and everything else they need to know AND the whole of Hamsterology. Academic Charlotte Annehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06617435890922621735noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-66641041335874093182014-11-21T10:24:54.954-05:002014-11-21T10:24:54.954-05:00R+/*G has encapsulated a lot of my ideas on this m...R+/*G has encapsulated a lot of my ideas on this matter in the Chicago-Pittsburgh-NYC scenario. <br /><br />I think that, as with many things, this concept has been lifted from its original context and applied to more situations than is reasonable. At first, I think it was just a name for something found to be useful in sessions with individual students, or perhaps small groups, as described in <Ogre Proctor Hephttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17428431147495287413noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-26236023703772640752014-11-21T08:28:38.765-05:002014-11-21T08:28:38.765-05:00I came across this item today:
http://www.gocomic...I came across this item today:<br /><br />http://www.gocomics.com/doonesbury/2011/08/14<br />Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-88164542374832397792014-11-21T04:38:22.973-05:002014-11-21T04:38:22.973-05:00THIS! SAid much better than I couldTHIS! SAid much better than I couldGrumpy Academichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02896982515031823267noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-32945684424232616212014-11-21T03:39:17.580-05:002014-11-21T03:39:17.580-05:00It means, "hey, we're not asking you to s...It means, "hey, we're not asking you to spin straw into gold. We're just asking you to take this label that says GOLD and stick it onto this bale of straw."Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15711314415244801354noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-17096401636398708892014-11-20T22:01:26.297-05:002014-11-20T22:01:26.297-05:00That's because they are just "bad test ta...That's because they are just "bad test takers.". I've noticed that bad students are quite often bad test takers.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-74050918964059152792014-11-20T19:56:37.808-05:002014-11-20T19:56:37.808-05:00The job description for an instructor at the insti...The job description for an instructor at the institution there i used to each should have been: sow's ear -> silk purse.<br />Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-45109341222402097122014-11-20T18:31:23.766-05:002014-11-20T18:31:23.766-05:00THIS!THIS!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02906546940408742913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-22914020704340948012014-11-20T18:29:59.592-05:002014-11-20T18:29:59.592-05:00Me too. Recently a bunch of them made the same mis...Me too. Recently a bunch of them made the same mistakes. Nine percent have a genetic condition. They wrote ".9". Take the square root. They wrote ".03". Subtract from 1.0. They wrote ".07". <br /><br />Apostrophes. Their / there / they're. Due / do. <br /><br />Yep. Doo-doo.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02906546940408742913noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-76826065448191766192014-11-20T17:45:29.087-05:002014-11-20T17:45:29.087-05:00Meet them where they are probably started out as a...Meet them where they are probably started out as a good idea. But like all good ideas, adminflakes glommed on to it, and sucked any wisdom or goodness out of it, and turned it into a vapid catchphrase masquerading as a cure-all.<br /><br />It's like this. If you need a ride to New York, and you're in Chicago, it's no good me trying to pick you up in Pittsburgh. (translation, I can&Rosencrantz Andor Guildensternhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05095512139776536635noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-9080479694787169662014-11-20T17:42:12.918-05:002014-11-20T17:42:12.918-05:00Of course. Those who claimed they knew that mater...Of course. Those who claimed they knew that material during the lectures seldom demonstrated that knowledge on their exams.<br />Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-20963647291186847722014-11-20T17:40:21.343-05:002014-11-20T17:40:21.343-05:00EMH:
I didn't reduce the difficulty level on ...EMH:<br /><br />I didn't reduce the difficulty level on my own--it was forced on me in order to produce acceptable graduation rates, though that was largely due to my last department head's institutional ambitions.<br /><br />When I started teaching, it was not uncommon to have closed-book exams. There were some things that students were expected to know without even thinking about it, Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-33959999859392942452014-11-20T16:35:04.524-05:002014-11-20T16:35:04.524-05:00Of course. Otherwise we would have to close all t...Of course. Otherwise we would have to close all the county hospitals.Emergency Mathematical Hologramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15873569623797587860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-83901309782114688822014-11-20T16:33:36.267-05:002014-11-20T16:33:36.267-05:00I taught Geometry a couple of times. Had students...I taught Geometry a couple of times. Had students tell me "This is stuff we learned about in 7th grade. Why are you teaching it to us? This is supposed to be college level!" Those same students were also failing.Emergency Mathematical Hologramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15873569623797587860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-23724313576708961422014-11-20T16:28:25.061-05:002014-11-20T16:28:25.061-05:00Just keep dividing the difficulty level by two. Y...Just keep dividing the difficulty level by two. You'll never get to zero but will always keep getting obscenely closer, which is about as close to intercourse in public as one can get without taking their clothes off.Emergency Mathematical Hologramhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15873569623797587860noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-81175431519143688232014-11-20T16:06:55.414-05:002014-11-20T16:06:55.414-05:00I remember when I was an undergrad, I saw material...I remember when I was an undergrad, I saw material that I was expected to master by the time I finished my degree. It was filled with all sorts of equations: integrals, exponents, and summation signs all over the place. My thought was: "You've got to be kidding!" When I was finished, and looked back, that changed to: "I had no idea I could ever do that sort of thing!"Quarter Wave Verticalhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03173446011323023116noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-757442139150941572014-11-20T15:29:15.436-05:002014-11-20T15:29:15.436-05:00_I_ thought the point of 'meeting the students..._I_ thought the point of 'meeting the students where they are' was to start where they are and then drag them kicking and screaming up to where they ought to be, rather than starting over their heads so they have no chance to get on board?<br /><br />A surprisingly large number of people seem to think it means 'settle down with them where they are' rather than _start_ where they JaneBhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17779448611795379774noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-25020862820003215592014-11-20T15:26:40.968-05:002014-11-20T15:26:40.968-05:00We all meet the students where they are. The probl...We all meet the students where they are. The problem is that they don't want to go anywhere else.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13635502687662919820noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-38802178724188746022014-11-20T14:44:32.942-05:002014-11-20T14:44:32.942-05:00Oh, I thought "meeting my students where they...Oh, I thought "meeting my students where they are" was a nicer way of saying "see you in Hell." That changes my pep talk that I give to the new faculty.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-50149434251821597802014-11-20T13:05:16.008-05:002014-11-20T13:05:16.008-05:00Yeah I want my doctors, nurses, engineers, etc to ...Yeah I want my doctors, nurses, engineers, etc to have a rigorous training! I am sure I also "dumb" down some of my material, but some of my students get to class having no clue about Hamsterology. At worst feel like half of what I am supposed to teach to my majors is high school material and those that excelled in high school have had the material before but then their are others...<Frennahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17126693773120200776noreply@blogger.com