Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College prof. here. It doesn't get any better. My students can't write or think. They are surprised when they get a redlined paper back with a reflecting grade. I expect cohesive thoughts presented in an orderly fashion that makes a point. Most of my students cannot do this.

Since I teach college I do not allow them to submit for regrades. It's hard to understand their point when you're scratching your head trying to read and reread a paper.

As for thinking, forget critical thinking. My students expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter and then expect me to follow up with them. They fail to read the syllabus and somehow think that a deadline is merely a suggestion not an actual due date. Every semester a number of students are surprised that a paper is due or that a quiz is coming up. I know the dates are out there because many students know these events are coming. And the ones that ask how they were supposed to know a quiz was coming make me shake my head.

Of course during evaluations I am the worst professor they've ever had. I don't make exceptions and I grade too harshly.

What class do you teach? Is it a writing class? English? History? Humanities?

College prof, I'm curious: what does a typical day in your class look like?

Economics

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how much these phones are impacting basic literacy. Even speaking for myself, I used to read books, newspapers, magazines all the time, but really don't anymore. As a kid I was a huge reader, and I don't think kids are anymore.

Well, you used "impact" as a verb, so it's definitely taken a toll on your literacy.

"Impact" is both a noun and a verb.

Just keep marking off all their misspellings, grammar issues, punctuation issues. That's how kids learn. Remind them that many people will in fact judge you for your spelling and grammar and punctuation, even on Twitter and Facebook. (my educated friends certainly do.) I know it must be really frustrating for you, but you have an opportunity to make a real impact.

We had a soccer ref over the weekend who made the games into teaching moments. He was very patient with the kids, thoroughly explained each call, had them redo any throw-ins or other things that didn't go right the first time. We got a little impatient (the games ran long) but I think the kids really learned from him.





No, it isn't. You have to make them correct the work themselves. Otherwise, they won't learn a thing.



This is very true. They don't work with the kid on mistakes. They grade it, send it home so kids have no idea what they got wrong.

Anonymous wrote:As a teacher, what are you doing to reach them and inspire them?

Anonymous wrote:
[Up]

Anonymous

Just keep marking off all their misspellings, grammar issues, punctuation issues. That's how kids learn. Remind them that many people will in fact judge you for your spelling and grammar and punctuation, even on Twitter and Facebook. (my educated friends certainly do.) I know it must be really frustrating for you, but you have an opportunity to make a real impact.

We had a soccer ref over the weekend who made the games into teaching moments. He was very patient with the kids, thoroughly explained each call, had them redo any throw-ins or other things that didn't go right the first time. We got a little impatient (the games ran long) but I think the kids really learned from him.

No, it isn't. You have to make them correct the work themselves. Otherwise, they won't learn a thing.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wonder how much these phones are impacting basic literacy. Even speaking for myself, I used to read books, newspapers, magazines all the time, but really don't anymore. As a kid I was a huge reader, and I don't think kids are anymore.

Well, you used "impact" as a verb, so it's definitely taken a toll on your literacy.

Just keep marking off all their misspellings, grammar issues, punctuation issues. That's how kids learn. Remind them that many people will in fact judge you for your spelling and grammar and punctuation, even on Twitter and Facebook. (my educated friends certainly do.) I know it must be really frustrating for you, but you have an opportunity to make a real impact.

We had a soccer ref over the weekend who made the games into teaching moments. He was very patient with the kids, thoroughly explained each call, had them redo any throw-ins or other things that didn't go right the first time. We got a little impatient (the games ran long) but I think the kids really learned from him.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in Fairfax County, and it's the same deal here. I don't think they're stupid, I think there is a lack of motivation/effort/experience that contributes to no background knowledge.

My students thought Mount Vernon was a mountain, and Chile was in Europe. They are 8th graders.

Teacher here. That made me chuckle. We can blame this on the non-existent content curriculum in elementary schools. My son studied "communities" in elementary school social studies for K-3. WTH? Why can't they learn actual history and actual geography? Everything he knows about geography, he learned from me. It's sad. Now he's in private school and he learns actual "stuff" in social studies. It's his favorite class.

This. When I was in school we were given explicit grammar lessons about homophones, and exercises to reinforce the lesson. Our papers (both the homophone exercises, and later compositions) were graded.

Here (MCPS), grammar is not taught in a systematic way. Homework is typically not graded. Moreover, in curriculum meetings, I've been informed that teachers (at least on the elementary level) are instructed not to correct all errors in a composition, because it is too discouraging for the student. I have actually been told in those same meetings, that while there are many ways to teach students new vocabulary (like having the students act out the word), the one way they felt didn't work was for the students to look up words in a dictionary.

MCPS is so focused on teaching "higher-order thinking" (an admirable goal), that it isn't teaching enough basic content for students to think about or skills, like grammar, to effectively communicate their thoughts.

+1

MCPS does not teach grammar and punctuation. It is pathetic. No grading on homework and no emphasis on grammar/punctuation.

Where are the kids supposed to learn that?

We taught both kids this at home.

My kids go to a non W school. They learned about punctuation in school. I also recall my 6th grader learning about adverbs, etc... in ES.

As for grammar, I think the best way to learn is by reading a lot. When I was a kid, I remember diagraming sentences, but honestly, that's not where I really picked up correct grammar from. It came from reading a lot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in Fairfax County, and it's the same deal here. I don't think they're stupid, I think there is a lack of motivation/effort/experience that contributes to no background knowledge.

My students thought Mount Vernon was a mountain, and Chile was in Europe. They are 8th graders.

Teacher here. That made me chuckle. We can blame this on the non-existent content curriculum in elementary schools. My son studied "communities" in elementary school social studies for K-3. WTH? Why can't they learn actual history and actual geography? Everything he knows about geography, he learned from me. It's sad. Now he's in private school and he learns actual "stuff" in social studies. It's his favorite class.

This. When I was in school we were given explicit grammar lessons about homophones, and exercises to reinforce the lesson. Our papers (both the homophone exercises, and later compositions) were graded.

Here (MCPS), grammar is not taught in a systematic way. Homework is typically not graded. Moreover, in curriculum meetings, I've been informed that teachers (at least on the elementary level) are instructed not to correct all errors in a composition, because it is too discouraging for the student. I have actually been told in those same meetings, that while there are many ways to teach students new vocabulary (like having the students act out the word), the one way they felt didn't work was for the students to look up words in a dictionary.

MCPS is so focused on teaching "higher-order thinking" (an admirable goal), that it isn't teaching enough basic content for students to think about or skills, like grammar, to effectively communicate their thoughts.

+1

MCPS does not teach grammar and punctuation. It is pathetic. No grading on homework and no emphasis on grammar/punctuation.

Where are the kids supposed to learn that?

We taught both kids this at home.

My kids go to a non W school. They learned about punctuation in school. I also recall my 6th grader learning about adverbs, etc... in ES.

As for grammar, I think the best way to learn is by reading a lot. When I was a kid, I remember diagraming sentences, but honestly, that's not where I really picked up correct grammar from. It came from reading a lot.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I teach in Fairfax County, and it's the same deal here. I don't think they're stupid, I think there is a lack of motivation/effort/experience that contributes to no background knowledge.

My students thought Mount Vernon was a mountain, and Chile was in Europe. They are 8th graders.

Teacher here. That made me chuckle. We can blame this on the non-existent content curriculum in elementary schools. My son studied "communities" in elementary school social studies for K-3. WTH? Why can't they learn actual history and actual geography? Everything he knows about geography, he learned from me. It's sad. Now he's in private school and he learns actual "stuff" in social studies. It's his favorite class.

This. When I was in school we were given explicit grammar lessons about homophones, and exercises to reinforce the lesson. Our papers (both the homophone exercises, and later compositions) were graded.

Here (MCPS), grammar is not taught in a systematic way. Homework is typically not graded. Moreover, in curriculum meetings, I've been informed that teachers (at least on the elementary level) are instructed not to correct all errors in a composition, because it is too discouraging for the student. I have actually been told in those same meetings, that while there are many ways to teach students new vocabulary (like having the students act out the word), the one way they felt didn't work was for the students to look up words in a dictionary.

MCPS is so focused on teaching "higher-order thinking" (an admirable goal), that it isn't teaching enough basic content for students to think about or skills, like grammar, to effectively communicate their thoughts.

+1

MCPS does not teach grammar and punctuation. It is pathetic. No grading on homework and no emphasis on grammar/punctuation.

Where are the kids supposed to learn that?

We taught both kids this at home.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:College prof. here. It doesn't get any better. My students can't write or think. They are surprised when they get a redlined paper back with a reflecting grade. I expect cohesive thoughts presented in an orderly fashion that makes a point. Most of my students cannot do this.

Since I teach college I do not allow them to submit for regrades. It's hard to understand their point when you're scratching your head trying to read and reread a paper.

As for thinking, forget critical thinking. My students expect everything to be handed to them on a silver platter and then expect me to follow up with them. They fail to read the syllabus and somehow think that a deadline is merely a suggestion not an actual due date. Every semester a number of students are surprised that a paper is due or that a quiz is coming up. I know the dates are out there because many students know these events are coming. And the ones that ask how they were supposed to know a quiz was coming make me shake my head.

Of course during evaluations I am the worst professor they've ever had. I don't make exceptions and I grade too harshly.

What class do you teach? Is it a writing class? English? History? Humanities?