Dear Friends,
One of the first things that we learned when a group of us started the First Year Seminar Program was that most of today's students cannot read for content. One purpose of First Year Seminar was to insure that our students had the basic skills needed to be successful in college, so we developed a large number of different exercises to help students learn to read and think critically. Unfortunately, this program never seems to have seemed important to anyone in the administration, and so it died. There aren't many of us left from the old program, but I would especially suggest that you invite Frank O'Mara, who was a wonderful source of ideas about how to improve these areas. I regret that I will not be able to attend on Thursday, but if the topic continues for another session, I would be happy to at least summarize some of what we learned. (i.e. I think I am one of the few people left who planned the original First Year Seminar Program. I guess that makes me an expert.) It might be helpful to begin from where we left off, rather than repeating all the work that we did in the past, even though I realize that this isn't normally the way we do things in higher education.
Cordially,
Harry Pence
----------
From: Gilbert, Steven
Reply To: Teaching Breakfast List
Sent: Wednesday, November 6, 2002 10:29 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Teaching Breakfast Thursday!!
Hi folks: I think that it is important to distinguish the act of reading from the medium (textbook vs. handouts vs. computer display). I suspect that few of us are willing to concede that students no longer should be expected to learn at least part of what they must come to know, by reading it somewhere. If the "somewhere" preferred by students is a computer display, with its many substantive advantages to a printed page (along with cosmetic bells and whistles that often pass for substance), and if they learn better that way, then we must adapt. It is our job to cause learning, however that may best be done. But the core medium for communicating complex, abstract ideas, remains the written word (wherever it is written). Otherwise, we couldn't send this EMAIL to our students, and expect them to understand it!
Steve.
__________________________________________
Steven J. Gilbert, Ph.D
Professor of Psychology & Department Chair
State University of New York, College at Oneonta
127A Fitzelle Hall, Oneonta, NY 13820
Phone: 607-436-2557 FAX: 607-436-3753
E-MAIL: [log in to unmask]
Web Address: http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/gilbersj/Stevepage.htm
Office Hours: M 1-2; T 10-11; W 1-2; Th 11-12
(Other Office Hours by Appointment)
Visit the Psychology Department Web Site
http://www.oneonta.edu/academics/psyweb/
__________________________________________
-----Original Message-----
From: Kotz, John
Sent: Tuesday, November 05, 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