Students are Idiots

[Tank_Guy#3]

Students are Idiots

The human attention span lasts (direct focus anyways) only about 10-15 minutes, after which time it tends to drop off considerably.

And if the teacher isn't skilled enough to hold the focus of his students, then the class is not the ones who are the idiots.

 

[Eli]

The human attention span lasts (direct focus anyways) only about 10-15 minutes, after which time it tends to drop off considerably.

And if the teacher isn't skilled enough to hold the focus of his students, then the class is not the ones who are the idiots.

I already passed this course with a high grade. If they listen to what I'm saying, they will pass too. If they don't, they wont. Most of them are at least 25 year old. That's mature enough to understand that focusing for 50 minutes is worth it.

Anyway, the second and third hours(same material, different groups) were really good. The head TA attended the last hour and said I was great.

Just assume that they are idiots and everything will be okay.

 

[Scuffer]

I working for a university, supporting learning. What strikes me most is just how little thinking students are preapred to do for themselves; how little they are prepared to think a little, try things out, be a bit autonomous. The lecturers are just as bad, but often come with a sense of entitlement too.

 

[pboily]

If they listen to what I'm saying, they will pass too. If they don't, they wont.

Am I misunderstanding what TA stands for? Over here, the TA is somebody who does exercises with the students, about an hour every week.

In that setting, I would be very surprised to hear that a TA has a bigger influence on the students' success than the lecturer or the students themselves.

And a final point: let us not mistake lack of interest for idiocy.

Some students are idiots, but then again, so are some of my colleagues.

 

[silver 2039]

WTH students?

Yes?

Do I have to feed everything to you with a spoon?

That would be nice...saves us the effort you see....

Can't you understand what I'm saying and write it on your own, without forcing me to write every damn word on the board?!

We dislike writing things unless we're absolutly certian its nessecary.

Can't you read the lectures before the exercise? Can't you focus for merely 50 minutes?!

Nope definatley not.

 

[Atlas14]

Learning isn't a competition (in most cases). If you extract what you need to function in the field you are pursuing then you should be good to go. Students will typically manage to soak in enough of what is taught to be able to at least function at an upper-education level career. As Pboily said though, lack of interest is a huge factor. If you look at my peformance in my New Testament class for example, you would think I am a moron. I specifically took the class with that teacher because I heard she spoon feeds material to you, but it bores me to death and so I don't put much effort at all into learning the material. Then again, I am bogged down with chemistry homework 24/7.

 

[Eli]

Am I misunderstanding what TA stands for? Over here, the TA is somebody who does exercises with the students, about an hour every week.

Yes.

In that setting, I would be very surprised to hear that a TA has a bigger influence on the students' success than the lecturer or the students themselves.

Of course that most of all it depends on the students.

In engineering, the exercises are extremely important. I wouldn't say that a TA has more influence on their success than the lecturer, but from my experience whenever people(including myself) get somehow bogged down by some lecture, the first reaction is "let's look on the class exercise and learn from the examples".

And a final point: let us not mistake lack of interest for idiocy.

Of course. Apathy and laziness are the big problem here. Most of them would find this weeks topic quite easy comparing to the rest of the course.

 

[Synobun]

Am I misunderstanding what TA stands for? Over here, the TA is somebody who does exercises with the students, about an hour every week.

The TAs over here are at the schools everyday.

 

[Babbler]

Us students are also extremely lazy, as well. We got better thing to do with our time than university.

 

[Leonel]

Well that's why they're students! So they can learn not to be idiots!

 

[FFVII-Sephiroth]

I agree with leonel, we go to school to learn not to be idiots, but..... we're idiots anyways. I had to read this thread twice because, since my computer's slow, it took me 30 minutes to read it. After 20 minutes, my attention fades away and I have to update myself!

 

[Catharsis]

My students have an irritating habit of killing each other.

 

[Irish Caesar]

In engineering, the exercises are extremely important. I wouldn't say that a TA has more influence on their success than the lecturer, but from my experience whenever people(including myself) get somehow bogged down by some lecture, the first reaction is "let's look on the class exercise and learn from the examples".

I don't go to problem sessions.

Would you prefer that to me showing up and passing out on a desk?

 

[willemvanoranje]

I skip many lectures because:

1) that way I have more time to read the literature
2) Some of them just repeat what's in the books, and do not present it in a better understandable fashion
3) Most of the lectures are just extremely boring
4) For each subject there is the obligatory tutorgroups where one can discuss the literature in a much nicer fashion which teaches you way more than the lectures
5) Someone "distracts" me and I have to... do other stuff.

 

[downtown]

I have a pretty nice gig, in regards to teaching. I do both private lessons, and work as a clinician for various high schools/colleges (I'm a drum teacher).

The last summer, I had such a high demand that if I felt that students weren't taking lessons seriously...I'd just drop them, because I know another kid would be right there the next week or so. When I work for another school...I'm not somebody who can assign a grade, so if my pupils don't care...I don't either. I still get paid.

My students run from the highly talented and motivated (one of them is a session drummer for my band when I want to do something else), to the totally clueless. The clueless ones don't typically stick around for long.

As for lectures...I've skipped them a lot at my little "community college". If attendance doesn't count, and the material isn't so interesting that it would attract me on its own, I won't come...I'd rather work during that timeslot and make money.

 

[Urederra]

I'm technically a postdoc but I do some part-time lecturing, I teach Organic Synthesis to 3rd and 4th year undergrads. I'm frequently dismayed by the lack of knowlege and commitment for people so far into a degree course. Also many of the PhD. students I have encountered have a miserable knowlege of what I consider general organic chemistry.
At the same time, talk to me about phys chem and my eyes glaze over.

Heck NO!!!!

Sonogashira YES!!!!

 

[The Last Conformist]

Of course students are idiots. That's why they need to be ejumacated.

 

[Tee Kay]

WTH students? Do I have to feed everything to you with a spoon? Can't you understand what I'm saying and write it on your own, without forcing me to write every damn word on the board?!

Can't you read the lectures before the exercise? Can't you focus for merely 50 minutes?!



The head TA told me that at best they'll know and understand much less than I think they do. But I didn't think it's that much less.

What's disturbing is that it's true, well partly.

I think it's up to the environment the kids live in. If they're encouraged to be motivated and creative from an early age then this isn't a problem.

 

[colontos]

I'm a TA as well (I teach Russian, and I actually have my own class that I teach and do all the work for) and I agree with the OP. We go slow, the material is clear and is not overly difficult...WHY DON'T YOU GET IT!!!!

I have one guy who never comes to class, and then complains when he gets a bad grade on the exam.

Also, the lack of knowledge of grammatical terms IN ENGLISH never fails to amaze me. I always knew what transitive and intransitive verbs were, even in high school, and maybe in middle school. Why don't any of my students, who are all in college, know?

 

[Atlas14]

I'm a TA as well (I teach Russian, and I actually have my own class that I teach and do all the work for) and I agree with the OP. We go slow, the material is clear and is not overly difficult...WHY DON'T YOU GET IT!!!!

I have one guy who never comes to class, and then complains when he gets a bad grade on the exam.

Also, the lack of knowledge of grammatical terms IN ENGLISH never fails to amaze me. I always knew what transitive and intransitive verbs were, even in high school, and maybe in middle school. Why don't any of my students, who are all in college, know?

I've never ever been taught what transitive and intransitive verbs were. There really is no purpose, so I am glad. If I were to be taking your Russian class, I would look up the words to know what they mean. No need to have to be taught what they mean in English.