Re: I've been accused of giving those "easy As"

Professor Hardy Parkerson

Posted on 11/28/10

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Let me say that again.
I'm from the time-honored
school that believes that
the teacher (professor) hasn't
taught, unless the student has
learned. The best teacher is
a textbook written by a Harvard,
Tulane or Yale professor.

s/HMP

On 11/28/10, Professor Hardy P:arkerson wrote:
> I'm from the time-honored
> school that believes that
> the teacher (professor) hasn't
> taught, unless the studenthad
> learned. The best teacher is
> a textbook written by a Harvard,
> Tulane or Yale professor.
>
> s/HMP
>
>
> On 9/26/10, bernoulli wrote:
>> Well said marjory!
>>
>> On 9/25/10, marjoryt wrote:
>>> During my years as a student and then instructor, I found that
>>> some professors are not in touch with their students.
>>> Consequently, miscommunication ensues. Students vastly prefer
>>> to be in a class learning something - they don't want to just
>>> sit. However, they grow frantic and flee in large numbers if
>>> they perceive the instructor is:
>>> - assuming that only the student in that major should make good
>>> grades, or that only students who are honor students are worthy
>>> of making good grades or that athletes can't be good students or
>>> that a bad grade on a test means the student is lazy
>>> - and I've heard my coworkers say these things while at
>>> lunch -
>>> - not updating the information - obviously hasn't changed the
>>> notes, refuses to provide real world examples, continues to
>>> throw up overhead slide after overhead slide
>>> - not responsive to how today's students learn - these students
>>> want to do something with the information, not just listen,
>>> read, and then test
>>> - seeming to enjoy throwing difficult assignments to students
>>> with very little warning and no examples - these students ALWAYS
>>> want examples
>>> - treating the students as if they should be stamping out
>>> projects and essays and reports in a factory - no flexibility
>>> for due dates, methods of presentation. For example, if a
>>> student doesn't have the draft by Tuesday, the student earns an
>>> automatic F for the entire assignment with no make up
>>> opportunity - 2 of my coworkers do this frequently and believe
>>> they are weeding out the poor students.
>>>
>>> I've been accused by some of my younger colleagues of being
>>> an "easy A." I simply laugh in their faces. My department
>>> chair does the same thing. More of my students make As and Bs,
>>> but that's because I'm using mastery instruction, not easier
>>> assignments. I'm monitoring student performance and tweaking
>>> the course to ensure the most students are learning at the
>>> success level - B and above.
>>>
>>> Students, in my opinion, don't look for "easy" as much as they
>>> look for "reasonable expectation of making a decent grade."

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