Posted by: leeerickson on: August 11, 2009
Holy academic turmoil, Batman. What’s all this I’m hearing about the state of education today?
Some say students don’t care.
Professors, researchers, parents, and even the kids themselves say students today just don’t care. They’re not interested in education. They would rather be Facebooking, IMing, or otherwise engaged even during class.
Check out this video made by students at Kansas State University. It’s not a pretty picture.
Some say higher ed refuses to change.
There’s another vocal group that say it’s not the students but the teachers who are the problem. Don Tapscott talks about this in his book Grown up Digital. Academic Commons also explores the issue in a series they published earlier this year.
They suggest that today’s teachers are stuck in the old “I know more than you, so I’ll talk at you for an hour, and you listen” approach to teaching. They refuse to cater to their students’ latest whims (i.e., social media). Teaching isn’t about entertaining but learning.
It’s starting to freak me out a bit.
I’m going back to get my PhD for many reasons, but one of the biggest is because I love teaching and I want to get back into the classroom. I imagined myself teaching at a university, engaging students in great discussions, opening them up to new ways of thinking, and having them do the same for me. (Insert heart warming, inspirational music here.)
But there appears to be a lot of negative energy out there especially in regards to today’s youth, their commitment to education, and the future of education as we know it.
Is this really the right time to go back to school and start a new teaching career?
Not knowing the answer is what makes it fun.
To me that’s what is so amazing and interesting about where we are today – we don’t know the answer. We get to experiment and play with new ideas. Some will work, others will fail. That’s the fun part. So, for me, this is exactly the time to get back into the educational system.
I want to be one of the ones that get to experiment. That get to try new things both as a student and as a teacher.
Come to think of it, that’s what excited me 11 years ago when I started designing web sites for businesses. We had no idea what we were doing. There weren’t any accepted right and wrong ways of doing it. That’s what made it so exciting. We were breaking new ground.
Pockets of hope.
What’s interesting is if you read deeper and avoid the “sky is falling because social media has ruined the world” types, you see many examples of teachers and students who are revolutionizing learning.
There are many professors out there actively experimenting with new media in a sincere effort to connect with their students. There are universities that embrace new media and actively look for the best ways to leverage it.
I choose to listen and follow those forging a new path. Those excited about the potential of new technologies, and who fundamentally believe students do want to learn.
It’s an amazing time where students can learn form teachers, teachers from students, and teachers from teachers. I believe that social media is revolutionizing our world – business, personal, and education – and those who embrace the change and share their stories will help the rest of us get smarter about what makes sense and what doesn’t.
September 24, 2011 at 10:40 pm
As a college English instructor at a small rural community college, I have found that students can’t relate to or are impatient with a college lecture format. I think that this reality stems, in part, from the reliance on technolgy and the instant access of information. In the middle of lectures some students will ask unrelated questions. Apparently they know what they need to know and that is all they want to know. The issue for me becomes how do I engage students in learning and avoid lecturing? One way, is to ask an opened ended question or too present a case study / problem for the students to discuss and address. Overall even engaging, relevant lecture seems to be an outdated mode of instruction. I wonder if this is an effect of online learning where students recieve information in other ways and this trend has bled over into the student expectation in the traditional classroom as well.
September 25, 2011 at 8:29 pm
Leah, thank you for your comment – always good to hear from people in the trenches so to speak.
Interesting comment about the impact of online learning. I’m wondering how many students have had a lot of experience with online classes? This may be different for you, but for me, I’m not sure if online learning has had a significant impact on my students. I think it’s less about students’ experiences in the classroom and more about their daily lives. A big part of the change is likely due to the multi-modal way we take in information in this hyper-connected world.
You mentioned that lectures, even if relevant, seem to be outdated and you might be right. To be honest, I’m looking forward to integrating different types of information sources into the classroom so I don’t have to lecture for 90 minutes. I’ve heard others day that adding YouTube, TED talks, and Twitter to the classroom is just acquiescing to today’s “ADD” students, playing to their weaknesses. I however, think leveraging the Internet and all the amazing content out there to support our learning objectives is just the next logical step.
Not sure what subject(s) you teach but I bet this would be an interesting conversation to have with your students. If you do, let me know what they think.
April 29, 2012 at 10:04 pm
What a timely read! This confirms what I have always held that the best educators are needed for today’s learners: Passionate, empathetic, technology savvy, diversity and globally sensitive, specially skilled in 21st century delivery methods. For sure, there is no competition with technology today, students have all the available electronics covered, they need educators who can deliver at a level that will keep their interest, and expose them to things they don’t already know. That’s a tall order, but there are educators who can deliver, and who demonstrate the best of their craft….!
April 29, 2012 at 10:08 pm
I have always wondered why college professors teach to one learning style? Why is that they do not consider cooperative groups? In the years that I taught in the K-12 arena, I was gratified to have students work and test in small groups, work on group and individual projects. They loved it, and were never bored. Is this too farfetched for the college classroom?
April 29, 2012 at 10:37 pm
Sandra, thanks for your comments. And, no, your teaching style isn’t too farfetched for college classrooms. In fact, many of the best colleges use small groups, individual projects, and problem-based learning. I think what’s often missing is the explicit tie to relevance of the topic for the student. Plus depending on the institution, the professors may or may not have formal training in teaching. As a teacher you know that not everyone is a natural teacher. Here at Penn State the faculty has instructional designers that can help with structuring the class and aligning objectives.This helps somewhat, but professors also have to want to improve their teaching.