Jack, I'm very interested in your data. Maybe we could spend a brief amount of time hearing what students say does NOT work, but then I hope we could center a Teaching Breakfast discussion around  what actually works witih regard to teaching methods, with specific examples that I could follow in my own courses.
Thanks
Janet

> ----------
> From:         Kotz, John
> Reply To:     Teaching Breakfast List
> Sent:         Tuesday, November 5, 2002 9:03 PM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:           Re: Teaching Breakfast Thursday!!
> 
> Hello all - I was struck by Joanne's email re students and textbooks.
> I just returned from the University of Colorado where I spoke to the
> Chemistry Department and to a high school chemistry teachers group.
> The title of my talk was "Is the Textbook Dead?"  I have collected
> fairly extensive data using a survey instrument developed at UMass
> that indicates, fairly strongly, that students do not highly value
> books as the primary vehicle for learning. This was supported by
> anecdotal comments by faculty of the Chemistry Department at Boulder.
> (As a textbook author I find it personally distressing.) Re Dick
> Staley's work -- I find in my surveys that students value our online
> homework system about equally with books, and that lectures lead
> their list of effective ways to learn. I am not prepared to concede
> the battle to have students use books as the primary source of
> information but do believe that we should develop alternatives
> learning materials. I would be happy to share my data with folks in
> the TB.
> 
> Since several people seem to be interested in this subject, maybe we
> should put it off for another date.
> 
> Jack
> 
> 
> >Jim: I won't be able to attend, but I have a suggestion for a topic
> >to be discussed. I am finding that students just seem incapable of
> >reading and comprehending their texts independently. Dick Staley has
> >been implementing a number of alternatives to working with the text.
> >I'm sure other people have tried some techniques as well. Must we
> >give up assuming that students will read and comprehend
> >independently? I think so. Joanne
> >
> >       -----Original Message-----
> >       From: Greenberg, James
> >       Sent: Tue 11/5/2002 3:27 PM
> >       To: [log in to unmask]
> >       Cc:
> >       Subject: Teaching Breakfast Thursday!!
> >
> >
> >
> >       Hi TBers,
> >
> >       Reminder that the Teaching Breakfast is this Thursday, Nov. 7
> >at 8 am in Morris Hall.
> >
> >       My hopes for having a discussion on student aprehension to
> >speaking and how it effects their learning have been dashed for the
> >moment.  I have been unable to coordinate it so far - but will keep
> >trying.  Thus, Thursday's get together will be to talk about
> >whatever you would like, so please come with something on your mind
> >you would like to talk about.  Thanks.
> >
> >               Mr. James B. Greenberg
> >               Director Teaching, Learning and Technology Center
> >               Milne Library
> >               SUNY College at Oneonta
> >               Oneonta, New York 13820
> >
> >               email: [log in to unmask]
> >               phone: 607-436-2701
> >
> >               "Ignorance is curable, stupidity lasts forever"
> 
> 
> --
> John C. Kotz
> University Distinguished Teaching Professor
> Chemistry Department
> State University of New York
> Oneonta, NY 13820
> (office phone)  607-436-2454
> (home phone)  607-432-2646
> http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/kotzjc/jckhome.html
> 
>