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From: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach)
Newsgroups: comp.edu,sci.math,sci.physics
Subject: Re: Student preparedness
Message-ID: <5237@pdn.UUCP>
Date: 29 Dec 88 11:23:45 GMT
References: <4893@phoenix.Princeton.EDU> <6435@killer.DALLAS.TX.US> <605@ucrmath.EDU> <2141@faline.bellcore.com>
Reply-To: reggie@pdn.UUCP (George W. Leach)
Organization: Paradyne Corporation,   Largo FL
Lines: 47

In article <2141@faline.bellcore.com> dph@faline.bellcore.com (Daniel P. Heyman) writes:

     [several examples of attempts to end "xeroxing" a lecture by
      students in their notes deleted]

>The results were about the same. My theory is that students got
>used to taking notes, got good grades by doing so, and won't change
>something they don't regard as broke. Another aspect is: copying is
>easy, thinking about what's going on is hard, and one takes the path
>of least resistance.

      Good point!  Many of the study habits and methods of learning
are established by the time a student reaches the collegiate level.
Unfortunately, I doubt there are very many secondary and elementary
schools where why is stressed over how or the study of facts.


      I can recall my first semester of freshman calculous, where the
instructor would spend 45 minutes in the lecture doing nothing but
writing on the board and the class would do nothing but copy that
information down on their notebooks.  The guy never once turned  
around and faced the class to discuss something.  He never let up
with the chalk, filling one blackboard after another.  The joke
going around was that the TA sitting in the back of the room should
have been following him along the black boards that covered the wall
with an eraser, so that we could "learn" more in less time!



       I only recall experiencing extreme pain in my hand after that
lecture every time.  Fortunately, the person we had in the smaller
group sessions tried hard to explain things.


       I think that the only way to discourage straight "xeroxing" of
information is to try to encourage discussion and questions in the class.
Just don't lecture, but try to establish a dialogue with the class.  This
is much more difficult for an instructor who can look bad if a question
can not be answered.  Somehow, the students must start to think.  



-- 
George W. Leach					Paradyne Corporation
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