system什么意思想要一个桔子,大学老师真相集(英文版)

2021年1月19日发(作者：compilation)
The Truth about College Teachers
Gail Oremland
1




A recent TV news story told about a group of college professors from a nearby university who were
hired
by
a
local
school
system
to
help
upgrade
the
teaching
in
the
community's
public
schools.
The
professors
were
to
visit
classrooms,
analyze
teachers'
skills,
and
then
conduct
workshops
to
help
the
teachers become more effective at their jobs. But, after the first round of workshops, the superintendent of
schools decided to cancel the whole project. He fired the learned professors and sent them packing back
to their ivory did the project fall apart? There was a simple reason. The college professors,
who
were
supposedly
going
to
show
the
public
school
teachers
how
to
be
more
effective,
were
themselves poor teachers. Many college students could have predicted such a disastrous outcome. They
know,
firsthand,
that
college
teachers
are
strange.
They
know
that
professors
often
exhibit
bizarre
behaviors, relating to students in ways that make it difficult for students to stay awake, or
—
if awake
—
to
learn.


2




One type of professor assumes, legitimately enough, that her function is to pass on to students that
vast store of knowledge she has acquired. But because the ''Knowledgeable One'' regards herself as an
expert and her students as the ignorant masses, she adopts an elitist approach that sabotages learning.
The Knowledgeable One enters a lecture hall with a self-important air, walks to the podium, places her
yellowed-with-age notes on the stand, and begins her lecture at the exact second the class is officially
scheduled to begin. There can be a blizzard or hurricane raging outside the lecture hall; students can be
running through freezing rain and howling winds to get to class on time. Will the Knowledgeable One wait
for them to arrive before beginning her lecture? Probably not. The Knowledgeable One's time is precious.
She's there, set to begin, and that's what matters.




3




Once the monologue begins, the Knowledgeable One drones on and on. The Knowledgeable One
is
a
fact
person.
She
may
be
the
history
prof
who
knows
the
death
toll
of
every
Civil
War
battle,
the
biology prof who can diagram all the common biological molecules, the accounting prof who enumerates
every
clause
of
the
federal
tax
form.
Oblivious
to
students'
glazed
eyes
and
stifled
yawns,
the
Knowledgeable One delivers her monologue, dispensing one dry fact after another. The only advantage
to being on the receiving end of this boring monologue is that students do not have to worry about being
called on to question a point or provide an opinion; the Knowledgeable One is not willing to relinquish one
minute of her time by giving students a voice. Assume for one moment that a student actually manages to
stay
awake
during
the
monologue
and
is
brave
enough
to
ask
a
question.
In
such
a
case,
the
Knowledgeable One will address the questioning student as ―Mr.‖ or ―Miss.‖ This formality does not, as
some
students
mistakenly
suppose,
indicate
respect
for
the
student
as
a
fledgling
member
of
the
academic community. Not at all. This impersonality represents the Knowledgeable One's desire to keep
as wide a distance as possible between her and her students.


4




The Knowledgeable One's monologue always comes to a close at the precise second the class is
scheduled to end. No sooner has she delivered her last forgettable word than the Knowledgeable One
packs up her notes and shoots out the door, heading back to the privacy of her office, where she can
pursue
her
specialized
academic
interest
—

free
of
any
possible
interruption
from
students.
The
Knowledgeable One's hasty departure from the lecture hall makes it clear she has no desire to talk with
students. In her eyes, she has met her obligations; she has taken time away from her research to transmit
to students what she knows. Any closer contact might mean she would risk contagion from students, that
great unwashed mass. Such a danger is to be avoided at all costs.



5.



Unlike the Knowledgeable One, the ''Leader of Intellectual Discussion'' seems to respect students.
Emphasizing class discussion, the Leader encourages students to confront ideas (''What is Twain's view
of morality?'' ''Was our intervention in Vietnam justified?'' ''Should big business be given tax breaks?'') and
discover their own truths. Then, about three weeks into the semester, it becomes clear that the Leader
wants students to discover his version of the truth. Behind the Leader's democratic guise lurks a dictator.
When a student voices an opinion which the Leader accepts, the student is rewarded by hearty nods of
approval and ''Good point, good point.'' But if a student is rash enough to advance a conflicting viewpoint,
the Leader responds with killing politeness: '' Well, yes, that's an interesting perspective. But don't you
think that...?'' Grade-conscious students soon learn not to chime in with their viewpoint. They know that
when the Leader, with seeming honesty, says, ''I'd be interested in hearing what you think. Let's open this
up for discussion,'' they had better figure out what the Leader wants to hear before advancing their own
theories.
''Me-tooism''
rather
than
independent
thinking,
they
discover,
guarantees
good
grades
in
the
Leader's class.


6




Then there is the professor who comes across as the students' '' Buddy.'' This kind of professor
does not see himself as an imparter of knowledge or a leader of discussion but as a pal, just one in a
community of equals. The Buddy may start his course this way. ''All of us know that this college stuff
—

grades,
degrees,
exams, required reading
—

is a game.
So
let's
not
play
it,
okay?''
Dressed
in jeans,
sweatshirt, and scuffed sneakers, the Buddy projects a relaxed, casual attitude. He arranges the class
seats in a circle (he would never take a position in front of the room) and insists that students call him by
his first name. He used no syllabus and gives few tests, believing that such constraints keep students
from
directing
their
own
learning.
A
free
spirit,
the
Buddy
often
teaches
courses
like
''Psychology
of
Interpersonal Relations'' or ''The Social Dynamics of the Family.'' If students choose to use class time to
discuss the course material, that's fine. If they want to discuss something else, that's fine, too. It's the
self-expression, the honest dialogue, that counts. In fact, the Buddy seems especially fond of digressions
from academic subjects. By talking about his political views, his marital problems, his tendency to drink
one
too
many
beers,
the
Buddy
lets
students
see
that
he
is
a
regular
guy
—

just
like
them.
At
first,
students
look
forward
to
classes
with
the
Buddy.
They
enjoy
the
informality,
the
chitchat,
the
lack
of
pressure. But after a while, they wonder why they are paying for a course where they learn nothing. They
might as well stay home and watch the soaps.


7




Obviously, some college professors are excellent. They are learned, hardworking, and imaginative;
they
enjoy
their
working
and
like
being
with
students.
On
the
whole,
though,
college
professors
are
a
strange lot. Despite their advanced degrees and their own exposure to many different kinds of teachers,
they do not seem to understand how to relate to the students. Rather than being hired as consultants to
help
others
upgrade
their
teaching
skills,
college
professors
should themselves
hire
consultants
to
tell
them what they are doing wrong and how they can improve. Who should these consultants be? That's
easy: the people who know them best
—
their students.