Studying was not easy, because the young lady of the pair was having difficulty working through her anger at being required to take such a course. The young man was trying to help her, but he had some issues of his own. [Edited to add:] Some random comments overheard included:
Young Lady: I'm really angry that he's going to test us on our knowledge and not what he taught us. (Apparently, the students were required to master some basic material on their own. Oh, the Humanity!)
Young Man: The difference between qualitative and quantitative research is that a qualitative study will talk about "participants" but a quantitative study will talk about "subjects." (Quick -- someone contact the APA Publication Manual!)
Young Lady: I hate her (a competent classmate) because she explains things not because she wants to explain them but because she wants us to know that she can explain them. (I swear that is almost a direct quote.)
Young Man: Locke says -- now, I haven't actually read the papers, I'm just theorizing here -- Locke says... (Cool study strategy, Dude!)
Young Lady: I still don't understand what a case study is. Could you explain that again? It's based on one what, one study? (Brilliant.)
Young Man: Why should I waste my time taking courses like this when I've already decided what I want to do? I want to teach, I don't want to do research. (Guess what, jeen-yus, you decided to get a Ph.D. Maybe you should rethink your plans.)
12 comments:
I've got to be honest: what the hell are these two people talking about? Is the guy talking about this John Locke? How can she not know what a case study is, she is in a doctorate program! Also, if you want to teach (I'm assuming she is talking about teaching children or high school students), why are you in a doctorate program for education?
I believe you are correct in that they were talking about that particular John Locke. So appalled was I that I went back to the course catalog and looked up the course description, and Locke's writings on pedagogy are mentioned. I excerpted only a few of the more outrageous comments that I overhead; the young lady was an embarrassment. When they referred to teaching, I believe they meant teaching at the college level.
Perhaps it is noteworthy that they were Ph.D. students in the Physical Education program? I will refrain from commenting on the graduate curriculum in schools of education. My friends in Education are good instructors and researchers, and they feel discouraged enough already about the quality of their graduate students.
And here I am, not working on a PhD yet, while these yahoos are? There's no justice in this world. Or, perhaps better, I just don't have time yet. *sigh*
I started this life as an education major too. The turning point for me was the required Mathematics for Education Majors class.
I bought the textbook early so that I could work the exercises (a habit of mine). The book fell open to a Venn diagram enclosing sets of trucks and bunnies. I thought to myself, okay, don't panic, this is clearly a methods course. But on the first day of class, the instructor said quite clearly, "I wish to emphasize that this is not a methods course. This course is designed so that you will experience some success at doing math before you enter the classroom."
I politely waited until the end of lecture, and went to my advisor. I requested that I be allowed to take the engineering calculus sequence instead. Guess what! I was not permitted to substitute calculus for trucks and bunnies.
That was the day I changed my major to psychology. I never looked back.
I bought the textbook early so that I could work the exercises (a habit of mine). The book fell open to a Venn diagram enclosing sets of trucks and bunnies.
...
I politely waited until the end of lecture, and went to my advisor. I requested that I be allowed to take the engineering calculus sequence instead. Guess what! I was not permitted to substitute calculus for trucks and bunnies.
That's pretty scary. I can remember when I was in college one of my calculus lectures met in the same lecture hall after a "Math for Business Majors" class. I usually arrived early and I can remember that they spent weeks doing simple algebra and all the stuff I remembered learning in my second year of high school math. It was funny and depressing at the same time.
A few years ago my wife ran a word-processing business catering to graduate students at our nearby university, and I assisted with proofreading and editing issues. The most painful job she had was a Master's thesis for a Phys Ed teacher going for a Master's in education (we called it a "Master's in Gym").
Thereafter she limited her clients to doctoral candidates.
Paul
The art college I went to required everyone, regardless of degree or major to take a handful of foundation classes, including observational and life drawing courses. I have a fond (well not really fond, as it is generally meh) memory of a graphic design major making a big stink about having to draw, at an art college... of art.
I have a Ph.D. and tried getting into teaching k12 two times and both times got frustrated with the moronic content of the "classes". I think this discussion explains why. Education as a discipline should just go away and content majors should be let in to classrooms (after qualifying exams).
Most education classes don't even attempt to give you the necessary skills for that challenging job. The classes I've taken are more concerned in making me feel bad that I didn't grow up in poverty than providing me with essential survival skills.
I am teaching trucks and bunnies.
The mean, median, and mode of the grade distribution has been artificially inflated to a low C by the inclusion of many non-math assignments.
> rudbeckia hirta said...
> I am teaching trucks and bunnies.
I am so sorry. I get angry with my students sometimes, but for the most part I know they aren't completely hopeless. I don't think I could do what you do.
I am teaching trucks and bunnies.
Do you use hand puppets, too? How about little plays were the students can play the bunnies and trucks?
The mean, median, and mode of the grade distribution has been artificially inflated to a low C by the inclusion of many non-math assignments.
Do they get to make dioramas? Making those can be a lot of fun.
I took a Micro Econ class at Awesome Football Team U. The first discussion class taught us how to draw the graph of a line. Can anyone tell us what the slope is? Anyone...? *head desk*
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