For those that are my friends on Facebook, you may have seen I’ve had some problems with Crowder College this summer. My original professor, after two weeks, went to the hospital and had to take time off. The new professor was brought in and he changed everything; the grading, the teaching styles, and even the class curriculum. He changed the Physical Science class into strictly Geology, since that is what he normally teaches. The problem with this is that I will be taking Geology again in the Spring, so I am missing out on all of the other areas of Physical Science. I have taken this to the chair of the department, and basically got the answer of “take the A and move on.” But what is this really teaching us? It says to me, “your education is not important, and thus neither is the education of your future students.” After sitting through this agonizing class for two weeks, I have decided there is at least one thing I am learning: how to be a great teacher!
Enough with my rant; here is what I have taken away from my class so far. Education is too focused on grades and tests! On Wednesday in my class, we had a test review. This meant he read us the questions and answers off the test and we wrote it all down. I went home that night, memorized it all, and came back Thursday and regurgitated all that I memorized, in the exact same order and phrasing. That isn’t learning; I couldn’t tell you today the difference between conduction, convection, and radiation, but I sure did ace that test! And the professor’s reasoning? “I look good if you all get A’s.” That is ridiculous.
I’ve also learned that lectures are BORING! Almost every topic we are discussing currently could be portrayed in a lab experiment. Hands-on learning is much more stimulating and memorable than listening. The few experiments we have done have been done by the professor, where our only job is to write down what we are told. My students are going to be immersed in learning. I fully believe in the eMINTS model, where the teacher is merely a facilitator, serving to ensure all students are engaged and help when needed. Learning is not a spectator sport.
I sit in class every day, hoping for 1:30 when I get to leave for the rest of the afternoon. I take few notes, sometimes because the material is incredibly simple or sometimes because I remember we are going to get the test answers handed to us anyway. But tomorrow I’m going to start taking more notes; notes about what NOT to do when I become a teacher.