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TP Msg. #422 WHEN STUDENTS THINK WE ARE MEAN (fwd)



Issue of TP based on some PHYS-L postings, written by Michael D. Edmiston
Forwarded message:
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"I believe it doesn't matter how well you know the field, how well
you prepare the curriculum, how well you deliver lectures, how well
your labs integrate into the course, how well you write tests, etc...
none of this matters if the students think you are uncaring and mean."
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Folks:

The posting below gives some excellent advice on how to be sure that
your students see you as support of their learning experiences. It is
by Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D., professor of Chemistry & Physics and
chairman, Science Department, Bluffton College in Bluffton, Ohio.
(My thanks to Carol R. Holder, at California State University,
Pomona, for calling this article to my attention.)

Regards,

Rick Reis
reis@stanford.edu
UP NEXT: The Nature of Collegiate Community

Tomorrow's Teaching and Learning

------------------------------ 1,700 words-----------------------------

WHEN STUDENTS THINK WE ARE MEAN

A young physics teacher sent an e-mail message to a physics list
server asking for advice. She said her students perceived her as
uncaring and mean. It is difficult to analyze the situation from a
distance, but I can identify with that problem many times over. I
speak partly from personal
experience from my early days of teaching, and also from many years
as department chair where I have dealt with students complaining to
me about other faculty members in the department being uncaring and
mean. The advice I give is for all teachers who might find
themselves in a similar situation.

MAJOR POINT ---> I believe it doesn't matter how well you know the
field, how well you prepare the curriculum, how well you deliver
lectures, how well your labs integrate into the course, how well you
write tests, etc... none of this matters if the students think you
are uncaring and mean. Stated in another way, students must believe
you have their best interests at the core of your mission. You are
there to help them learn the material and succeed with their goals.
If they cannot see you in that light, then you're in for a long haul.

REPEAT THE LAST TWO SENTENCES ---> You are there to help them learn
the material and succeed with their goals. If they cannot see you in
that light, then you're in for a long haul.

This doesn't mean you give them grades they don't deserve. This
doesn't mean you water down the material. You must cover the
material and you must hold students to a standard. Some students
will fail. But while all this is transpiring students must trust you
are not an adversary; they must view
you as an advocate.

How do you pull this off? This is especially difficult today when so
many students equate caring, friendly, advocate with "easy." That's
the trick, isn't it... getting students to realize you are friendly
and caring and you have their interests in mind, yet at the same time
delivering a legitimate
program at the appropriate level of rigor.

Here are some thoughts on this. These are not in any particular order.

(1) Be sure to be fair and even handed with all students. When my
evaluations say, "Professor Edmiston is a hard prof, but he is fair"
then I know I am on the right track. The poorer students dare not
think I like the better students more, or I give the better students
advantages. If a better student gives a poor answer, and a
struggling student gives an equally poor answer, I dare not give more
points or respond more positively to the better student because I
think, "Well, she really knows better." I dare not act more positive
in class toward the better students and more abrupt with the poorer
students.

(2) Fair also means I listen to students if they think I have graded
them incorrectly or too harshly. This doesn't mean I will cave in to
their requests for more points, but I will listen to their complaints
and I will take time to explain why I did what I did. Sometimes I do
make errors, and
as soon as I realize I have made an error I admit it. I don't try to
save my professorial face and make excuses. I apologize, fix the
error, and thank the student for pointing it out to me.

I keep track of statistics for each question on each exam. Sometimes
I will take the time to discuss a class-wide problem with the class.
"Only 20% of you got problem 14 correct. Let's talk about this and
see what the problem was. Did you not understand the question or did
you not know the answer." In the beginning they might all try to say
the question was confusing, but I don't let them off that easy. They
quickly learn that my next response will be, "How would you have
worded the question, or how would you have tried to assess the class
understanding of this concept." We can't spend much time doing this,
but even doing this a little bit shows the class that you are
trying to understand what happened to make the whole class miss a
question so badly. Sometimes I find the question really is
confusing, or I find the whole class indeed has a misconception of
some basic physics principles. I can't go back over the material at
this point; we must move on, but I will
try it differently next year. More important, students see me trying
to understand their problems.

(3) Make sure to invite all students to confer with you, but
especially go out of your way to get the struggling students into
your office. You may have to break the ice by starting to talk to them as
they are leaving class. Or if you see them in the lobby, sit down and start
talking to them. Ask them about their goals and why they are your class.

If you are in your office or another private place, they will
probably tell you what grade they think they need (to keep a
scholarship or to get into medical school, etc.) but if they don't
volunteer that information then ask. Just be direct... "What grade
are you hoping to get in this class?"

If they have an unrealistic goal, don't initially balk, but don't
make unrealistic promises either. "You want an A. Well, I'm sure
you're capable of doing A work in this class, but we both know that
isn't happening right now. Let's see if we can figure out why that is."
Then talk about study habits, class attendance, what grades they've gotten
in other classes, etc. but the most important thing is to see if we can
identify the biggest problem they are having in my class. Then we
try to come up with a plan to improve this.

I don't make deals. I don't say, you will get a B if you do this.

I don't give extra credit assignments.

If the student needs help studying for exams or working on assigned
problems, I try to find a tutor. If the student has trouble writing
lab reports, and the problem is grammar, proofreading, etc. I make
arrangements for them to get their lab report to the writing lab so
tutors can work with them. I point out that this requires a first
draft at least a day before the report is due.

If students are having problems with the science part of lab reports
I offer to skim the report day or two before it is due and point out
problem areas.

Early skimming of lab reports sounds like a big effort, but it is
not. A major benefit is getting them to write the report before it
is due so they can make a second draft. Otherwise they turn in the
first draft on the due date, and that draft probably got printed at
3:00 AM the night before. Simply getting them to have the first draft
ready a day early, and having them view it as a first draft is a
major accomplishment and well worth the effort. Any time I spend
skimming the report and making a few suggestions is repaid many times
over by a much easier to grade lab report turned in on the due date.
Also, students only do this a few times then realize they don't
really need me. In a class of 25 students I will have four or five
students take advantage of this offer, and they only do it for the
first three or four reports. But most of all, knowing this service
is available helps students realize I am there to help them succeed.

(4) I try to be happy. This is often very hard for me, especially
when I am mired in political hassles at the college. But problems
with the administration are not the students' fault. Also, my
calculus based physics class has been at 8:00 AM five days a week the
whole 24 years I have been here. That is really tough. But I try
real hard not to be a grouch.

(5) As you try to be friendly, do not become a friend. I'm 52 years
old and most students are 19. They're probably not going to try to
be friends with me because of the age difference. But I see younger
profs fall into the trap of trying to be friends with students, and
then either (a) the students don't understand what happened when they
get a bad grade, or (b) the professor has to sacrifice integrity to
maintain a friendship. I will joke around with students; I will ask
them about themselves; I will try real hard to make them view me as a
human being while also convincing them I view them as human beings.
Yet, I try to maintain the posture that I am the professor and they
are the students. This is a difficult balancing act, but worth
striving for. If students view you as a friendly and caring mentor
(not friend) then you should be able to get them to perform better,
or at least accept the blame for poor performance. When things go
badly for them I tell them I am sorry, and I think they know I am
sincere. When things go well for them I compliment them and tell
them I am happy for them.

SUMMARY --> I could make more suggestions; perhaps I've missed some
important ones, but these are enough to show there are things you can
do to make students realize you are there to help them, yet you do
not have to sacrifice your integrity. It doesn't work with everyone. A few
students still get D and E grades in my classes. But enough students realize
I am there to help them, and I am approachable, that even those who
fail typically accept the blame for their failure. Many who
originally hoped for an A will take a B or C and feel okay about it.
Those who get the A know that they really accomplished something.

Michael D. Edmiston, Ph.D. Phone/voice-mail:
419-358-3270
Professor of Chemistry & Physics FAX: 419-358-3323
Chairman, Science Department E-Mail edmiston@bluffton.edu
Bluffton College
280 West College Avenue
Bluffton, OH 45817
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