tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post8055434204557943085..comments2023-10-15T04:23:50.187-04:00Comments on College Misery: Midterm MadnessUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-67962930352396069412011-02-27T21:16:49.185-05:002011-02-27T21:16:49.185-05:00I'd be really, really tempted to tell them tha...I'd be really, really tempted to tell them that, since 200-level lit classes teach skills as well as content, the midterm would be a close reading of a passage from a work that they explicitly *haven't" seen, but that bears some key similarities to (and differences from) the ones they have seen. I might even give them a choice of two or three passages (and, of course, no points for Contingent Cassandrahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08161652083031423415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-5130701901002474872011-02-26T04:34:03.600-05:002011-02-26T04:34:03.600-05:00@Pat from Peoria - I put some wording to this eff...@Pat from Peoria - I put some wording to this effect on my study guides. "No guarantees are expressed or implied regarding the use of this study guide. I have attempted to include all possible terms and concepts, but I am not guaranteeing that I have."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-84716667829180478502011-02-26T02:01:22.682-05:002011-02-26T02:01:22.682-05:00Good one, Frod! I can only hope she's at least...Good one, Frod! I can only hope she's at least getting some mileage out of being that dumb (pronoun deliberately vague).<br /><br />The first thing I thought when I watched the trailer was: "I want to be her." The second thing I thought was, "An American audience wouldn't find it as amusing if she were 50 pounds heavier and 30 years older."The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-662120175718317842011-02-25T21:27:23.761-05:002011-02-25T21:27:23.761-05:00> She's now teaching k-12 & makes more ...> She's now teaching k-12 & makes more than I do. <br /><br />Let me guess: her name is Cameron Diaz?<br /><br />Sometimes life just hands you material.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-206680864552662482011-02-25T17:28:13.781-05:002011-02-25T17:28:13.781-05:00Greta: this is great! Reminds me one Educ pedagogy...Greta: this is great! Reminds me one Educ pedagogy class where, in exasperation, I snarkily emoted: what else can I possibly do to make this any easier?! All you have to do is read the chapter!! How hard is that?!!<br /><br />One student responded: you could send us summaries of the chapters so we don't have to read them! <br /><br />Her classmates all nodded heartily. <br /><br />She's The Contemplative Cynichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02088570661592922436noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-49419239966071346412011-02-25T17:20:56.213-05:002011-02-25T17:20:56.213-05:00Flake: "Are we going to have a review for th...Flake: "Are we going to have a review for the exam?"<br /><br />Me: "What do you think we've been doing in class for the last month?"Southern Bubba, Ph.D.https://www.blogger.com/profile/12050992903794385204noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-39984677240829012502011-02-25T17:18:52.830-05:002011-02-25T17:18:52.830-05:00@BlackDog: that sounds about right. Thank god my s...@BlackDog: that sounds about right. Thank god my students aren't the last enclave of lazy stupidity. I can deal with dumb, but when it's lazy dumb, I get mad! My favorite was:<br />Student: could you tell me how to answer this question on redhar der brugel?<br />Me: I don't teach that. I don't even know what that is. <br />Student: So you won't help me?<br />Me: NO, that'sAck-ademichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07662600560663571219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-58374284518934532172011-02-25T15:57:35.912-05:002011-02-25T15:57:35.912-05:00My survey classes get a study guide. I take the in...My survey classes get a study guide. I take the instructor's guide from my textbook and copy n paste every part of the "when the student finishes reading the chapter they should..." section. Then I add in a long list of names, places, events, things, etc, that I mention in lecture or are on the ppt outline, or in the text. <br /><br />For non survey classes I simply tell them that Middle-Aged and Morosehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09058963404500281265noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-49871168810105309322011-02-25T15:43:21.661-05:002011-02-25T15:43:21.661-05:00Honest curiosity from a student: is it more work t...Honest curiosity from a student: is it more work to put together a study guide or another quiz?<br /><br />I'd personally prefer quizzes since they give you feedback and a peek at how the instructor writes questions. Perhaps I'm a minority among my fellow conglomerations of crystalline water, though.SchmittyRKDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06813236338090309452noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-19721281577772658692011-02-25T14:22:34.956-05:002011-02-25T14:22:34.956-05:00Best midterm question so far:
"Prof, I don&#...Best midterm question so far:<br /><br />"Prof, I don't understand what you mean about Dr Social Disease's interpretation of the collapse of the Berlin Wall."<br /><br />"Well, it's in the chapter."<br /><br />"Oh, right! I hadn't read that far when I emailed you."<br /><br />In other words, I emailed you a question about a reading covered on the cmthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03814447289455034068noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-10370493426693749682011-02-25T12:28:16.145-05:002011-02-25T12:28:16.145-05:00Study guide? I've handed my students a list of...Study guide? I've handed my students a list of questions from which I will be taking a few for the exam and I've received complaints: It's not fair, there's too much to prepare, how can I remember all this? One class actually went to my chair to complain about how unrealistic I was being. So I said, fine, no questions in advance. Good luck on your exam. <br /><br />The questions Sherbygirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14644610022357709939noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-27054058266625376242011-02-25T12:18:28.759-05:002011-02-25T12:18:28.759-05:00I have a stock answer to "Are you going to gi...I have a stock answer to "Are you going to give a study guide?" I smile, say, "Of course," take the textbook and hold it in front of them.French Professeurhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08062264385792788503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-4763803847857222052011-02-25T11:52:28.062-05:002011-02-25T11:52:28.062-05:00@overductd
don't you mean, "do any well?...@overductd<br /><br />don't you mean, "do any well?"W.T. Pfefferlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07522687306482305195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-14050104840812393772011-02-25T11:10:19.629-05:002011-02-25T11:10:19.629-05:00Do notes taken by illiterates do any good?Do notes taken by illiterates do any good?Ovreductdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13961540854552566493noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-15517528595404574792011-02-25T10:38:30.531-05:002011-02-25T10:38:30.531-05:00Wait, yours take notes? In class?Wait, yours take notes? In class?Ack-ademichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07662600560663571219noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-87912322434554129662011-02-25T10:20:45.162-05:002011-02-25T10:20:45.162-05:00Ah Greta. I love your posts, as they so often mir...Ah Greta. I love your posts, as they so often mirror my own similar experiences, but in a more entertaining way than I would be able illustrate them. <br /><br />I have been mentioning the exam (which is next Thursday) at the beginning of each class. The only problem is, other than a delightful core group of 5 students (for whom I am very grateful and to whom I dedicate my energy each class), Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-72499842244221313852011-02-25T09:36:49.869-05:002011-02-25T09:36:49.869-05:00I stopped offering "study guides" as a g...I stopped offering "study guides" as a grad student, after the first "But that wasn't on the study guide. Why was it on the test? Waaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhh."Pat from Peoriahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15000391060452089151noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-14491626866447817332011-02-25T09:27:23.105-05:002011-02-25T09:27:23.105-05:00I'm with Clarissa both times.
Anything will...I'm with Clarissa both times. <br /><br />Anything will work as long as it has "study guide" on top. You can even use it to wrap fish. My study guide is just a list of the course objectives/sub-objectives and key terms. I always get praised in my comments for having a study guide and no complaints. Every once in awhile a student will email me with a question -- but the Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-63168605309102798082011-02-25T08:38:44.525-05:002011-02-25T08:38:44.525-05:00Alas, it's not just you. I teach 200-level lit...Alas, it's not just you. I teach 200-level lit every semester (along with 3 sections of comp) and it's like this every single semester. <br /><br />Last semester for my early American lit midterm, I acceded to the request for a study guide. I handed out a list of terms I'd used in class (which were available online in the few lectures I have in PowerPoint). I dutifully included the BurntChromehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06055976331443607569noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-75123796664545810702011-02-25T06:27:16.639-05:002011-02-25T06:27:16.639-05:00Frod hits it right on the head. Greta's studen...Frod hits it right on the head. Greta's students are just like mine, and I've had this same class.<br /><br />I try to shake them out of it, try to show them that the responsibility is theirs.<br /><br />But it works less and less each year.W.T. Pfefferlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07522687306482305195noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-32193729457240705842011-02-25T02:55:24.832-05:002011-02-25T02:55:24.832-05:00My students copy diligently every single word I sa...My students copy diligently every single word I say or write on the board. I once said, "This is really stupid" apropos of something. And observed with horror how they patiently wrote it down verbatim.<br /><br />"Stop copying!" I sometimes want to scream. "And start thinking!"Clarissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11027134365260069910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-24571666931711879932011-02-25T02:47:10.991-05:002011-02-25T02:47:10.991-05:00Every year, they get seeming more, and more, and M...Every year, they get seeming more, and more, and MORE immature. It's what we get when a generation is raised with every moment scheduled and supervised: dull, unimaginative, CHILDREN with no initiative. Ever notice how few of them even take notes in class? And of course none of them ever come to office hours.<br /><br />God help us when these kids enter the workforce. I've so far beenAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2883226237165701608.post-69143391615531264192011-02-25T02:29:46.976-05:002011-02-25T02:29:46.976-05:00No study guide? My students would have organized a...No study guide? My students would have organized an uprising if I dared not to offer a study guide.<br /><br />I discovered, however, that any old bunch of handouts thrown together at the last minute is enough to serve as a study guide and allay their anxieties as to having no study guide to prepare.<br /><br />It's not like they actually look at the study guide. It's the comforting Clarissahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11027134365260069910noreply@blogger.com