Re: L5-To lecture or not to lecture?

[Robert A Cohen <bbq@ESU.EDU>]

On Wed, 3 Nov 1999, Peter Schoch wrote:

> AMEN to that!
>
> The new methodology everyone is pushing, less lecture and more
> everything else ignores many of these "real world" constraints.
>
> I can't do more labs with a crazy quilt scedule, no lab assistant, and
> only a $900 budget for suppiles.  I can't use a Socratic method if I
> can't depend upon the students having enough time to be prepared.  Our
> Community College is all commuters, and most (90+%) work to afford to
> come here.  They have already let me know, during several different
> attempts at the Socratic method, that they neither have the time or
> desire to learn this way.
>
> My most recent attempt at this resulted in a complaint to the Dean that
> I wasn't teaching.  So, I have lectured ever since.

I see two issues here, which may or may not have been the intent:

1. The Socratic method is a very difficult method to learn how to do
efficiently and correctly.  In addition, the students have no desire to
learn this way (at least initially).  These have been my problems.
Fortunately, I have a very supportive department and I am willing to give
it a chance because I think it shows much promise.  We'll see...

2. Like Peter, I have also found that my students have a lot of added
pressures on their lives, much moreso than what I had when I was going to
school.  However, while I understand their struggle, I am uncomfortable
lowering my standards to accomodate these students.  Hmmm...what to
do...what to do...

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| Robert Cohen               Department of Physics       |
|                            East Stroudsburg University |
| bbq@esu.edu                East Stroudsburg, PA  18301 |
| http://www.esu.edu/~bbq/   (570) 422-3428              |
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