“For the most part, college students enrolled in beginning chemistry courses do not, during laboratory-based experiences, learn to follow directions. Instead they learn to depend excessively upon oral directions presented by the instructor in response to their queries.” (p. 103) When I happened on this quote (referenced in another article) it reminded me of my chemistry lab experience—I took a chemistry course with 20 beginning students as part of a first-year seminar program. The teacher, also our lab instructor, refused to answer questions in lab, and we hated him for it. Ask him a question and rather than answer he’d ask you a question back. It was infuriating—you had to figure everything out for yourself or with your lab partners.
Blog » The Classroom Experience
Students’ Messages to Teachers
Posted Tuesday, August 24th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerLast week I participated in a beginning of the academic year event for faculty. It included a panel of bright, articulate upper-division students. From the audience came this question: “What are the things faculty do that you really hate?”
Classroom Climates
Posted Thursday, June 17th, 2010 by Maryellen WeimerI did a workshop this week on climates for learning. It’s a session I love doing. Nobody argues with the need to have one in the classroom and everywhere else around campus. But most of us haven’t gotten past the metaphor (we aren’t talking about the “weather” in our classroom even though we do regularly refer to the “atmosphere” in class and the “environment” on campus). When we refer to the climate for learning what are we talking about?
Teaching Styles and Personae
Posted Tuesday, August 18th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerI’m trying out content from my new book at some of the workshops I’m doing this month. The discussion we had about teaching style and teaching personae at Georgia State College and University got me thinking more about the topic. I’m convinced useful distinctions can be made between the two.
Interesting Interview about Atttention
Posted Tuesday, August 4th, 2009 by Maryellen WeimerLast week I heard an interesting interview with Winifred Gallagher, author of a new book, Rapt: Attention and the Focused Life. She’s a science writer and the book looks at recent brain research on attention and focus. She was so articulate, knowledgeable and able to explicate complicated research. I’ve put her book near the top of my “must read” list.
