The first day

Hello again! This will just be a short post, given today's my first day of classes in senior year. Man that's scary to say.

Today I saw an email as the first day was winding down: (Names are hidden for good reason)

Tutor Needed for [course]

Is anyone interested in tutoring [course] this Fall? The instructor is Professor [name] and there is a sophomore who would like some additional help with the course.

If interested, please let me know.

Thanks,

[secretary of department]

Oh man, the first day, and already someone thinks they need help.

To be very fair, the course above is a weed out course. The average tends to be a C+, and the coursework is grueling. It's very likely the student was merely daunted by the work ahead. Nothing to be ashamed of.

But a lot of my friends laughed, as I did. We wouldn't be surprised if the professor's behavior led the student to request help. He has quite a few eccentricities, and also tends to treat the material with nonchalance. "Oh it's so easy..." he might say.

Impressions from a professor in just a day can make all the difference to either get students stoked about learning the material or stressed about how difficult things appear.

Powerpoint ruins lectures

This one has bothered me for ages.

Whoever invented this thing was obviously looking for convenience. Who wants to write stuff up on the board? That’s too much work for professors and students. If you present stuff digitally, you don’t need to write things out. Plus you can print them out as handouts. Include a few empty spaces, so students just fill in the blanks…

Does that mean that students are paying attention?

Maybe. But only enough to notice when the next slide or transition or fancy do-hicky has appeared.

Here’s a thought: no text, just images. It is a “lecture,” so talk instead of reading off slides. Those slides should illustrate what you say, not dictate your “speech.” Speak well enough and students will listen. Even better, they’ll decide on their own what to write down.

What about calculations and derivations?

Include those in your handouts. Now you’ve saved time for everyone to discuss what matters: what do those formulas mean?

For the record

I am starting this blog during a recitation section. I’m writing this in the back of my notebook. Why? Because I’m bored. The student to my right is staring blankly into space, while the guy to my left is fiddling with his Blackberry. Everyone is bored. We’re sitting in class, silent, minds numbing as the TA goes through the material, as the material goes through our ears.

“Any questions?” the TA asks. Unfortunately, we have none because we don’t even know what to ask. “What’s going on?” is a question in our heads, but never gets asked. What’s worse is that such a question doesn’t get answered till midterms and finals. We scramble to learn the formulas, cram late nights making allowed cheat sheets. Most of us pass the classes but soon forget most of that “stuff” as we launch ourselves to freedom during breaks. Another year.

Many people can agree that students themselves have a responsibility to keep up with classes on their own. But perhaps an equal amount of the responsibility lies with professors, TAs, and the overall education system. Now I won’t go so far as to suggest revolutionary paradigm shifts. I am just a student. I’ve never thought about becoming a teacher. I still don’t really want to. Maybe a TA at most…

But I have started noticing things: what makes awesome professor and what makes horrible ones. And regardless of how “good” the students are, they deserve better. The road between effective learning effective teaching is a two way street.

This blog could just be a personal record. I never want to forget how bored I was as a student. Should I ever become a TA, or (hell) even a professor, I don’t want my students to go through the same things again.

At the same time, I’d like to hear your thoughts. It’d be nice to know I’m not the only one complaining of boredom. It’d be even better if people offer suggestions.

Everyone deserves better.