Re: Off topic: educational methods

[Emery Snyder emerylist@xxxxxxxx]

It happens in academe, too. More lately, also, in my experience
(though I haven't been teaching for two years). Unless, of course,
you want them to talk about themselves (why should students be
different than other people?).

You can always call on them. :)

I've also tried email forums (yes, I know, that's not really the
plural...): every one has to submit an email comment (which can be
defined in more detail) by 2 hours before class. People do start
commenting on other people's submissions, and sometimes that helps
free up the speech in class because there's already a context. But it
depends on their all doing it and checking their email.

Part of me thinks that some of the silence is about lack of motivation
-- they don't care about language, in general.

---------------------------
Friday, 14 March 2003, 5:18:20 PM, Patricia wrote:

> Since there don't seem to be any burning technical issues just now, I
> wonder if I might ask some of the professors who frequent this list for a
> comment or pointer or something? Besides being an editor, I teach English
> grammar to other editors in courses offered by editorial professional
> associations. What I do is hand out a series of sample sentences and
> short paragraphs, ask questions ("Does anyone see any problem in the
> first sentence?" "How would you fix it?"), and encourage discussion
> (Socratic-Rabbinic-Confucian method). The problem is that the in last two
> classes, no one wants to say anything. They just sit there, mumchance.
> These are mature editors taking the course as a brush-up or "continuing
> education," not timid undergrads. Is it, perhaps, that the current
> economic situation has made people so terrified of antagonizing a boss
> that they won't say boo to a goose? (Three years ago--2000--when I first
> gave the course for this organization, they were all Clerkes of Oxenford,
> enthusiastic and vocal.) Last year I even let them vote: Would you RATHER
> sit and listen to me lecture, or shall we have discussion? They
> unanimously voted for discussion, then sat there. Does this happen in
> academe too? How can one deal with it? Or is it peculiar to professional
> classes? If anyone can offer a suggestion, it will be gratefully
> received, and if you're too busy and it's too far afield, my apologies.
> Patricia