Hi all,
The topic currently being considered for discussion touches many points of interest to faculty, here and elsewhere.  The classic "college education" has been going through a transformation that has slowly crept up in subtle increments during the past decade.  Textbook learning is just one aspect.  We are all looking for solutions leading to more effective instruction.  What work for me may not work for others.  Nonetheless, defining the problem would benefit all.  Let's do it, first in the TB group, then in the Senate, which seems to lack agenda items of broad interest.
Jay

> ----------
> From:         Nepkie, Janet
> Reply To:     Teaching Breakfast List
> Sent:         Wednesday, November 6, 2002 10:11 AM
> To:   [log in to unmask]
> Subject:           Re: Teaching Breakfast Thursday!!
> 
> 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 
> 
> 
>