Wednesday, November 30, 2005
It's not looking good for my 8th graders
The NY Times reports today that fewer than one in 10 black and Hispanic kids in NYC graduate with a Regents Diploma. I'll try not to think about that while I'm helping my kids (almost all of whom are black and Hispanic) fill out their applications today and tomorrow.
Real Solutions on Immigration
Great common sense op-ed by Douglass Massey in the Washington Post that everyone should read now that Bush and some Republicans seem determined to make immigration a wedge issue.
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
High Expectations
As part of the after school program for 8th graders, I've been trying to get the kids (and parents) to take the high school application process seriously since September. I've had a couple of workshops, taken trips to local high schools and have spent a lot time talking about it with individual kids, but it wasn't until this week (applications are due this Friday) that everyone seemed to find the high school book. So it's been crazy this week talking to dozens of kids that want to go to a good high school but really have no idea what they're doing. The process of choosing a high school is incredibly complicated for a good student, and most of my kids are LEP or have really bad grades and test scores from 7th grade (which is what the high schools look at).
So instead of telling my kids that they can go to the really nice high schools, I'm forced to find ones that take students with lower test scores. New York seems to provide options to kids like this because of all the small schools that are opening up, but it feels terrible to dissuade them from applying to wonderful schools like Townsend Harris (I do have one girl who might get in, which would be really great). I just finished reading Kozol's "Ordinary Resurrections" about the South Bronx and he discusses the problems he has with the more realistic expectations held by educators and social workers that he respects. He feels like even though many kids in poor neighborhoods won't make it to college, it's wrong to limit their opportunities by assuming that they can't be doctors and lawyers (for example). I agree with him, even as I find myself succumbing to the same pressures. I know that going to a neighborhood school isn't the worst thing in the world for my 8th graders, and I'm getting ready to take them on college visits to show them that I expect them to be serious in high school. But I also know that going to college from some of these high schools will be tough for them. It's a tough battle, but hopefully some of these kids will find their way in whatever high school they get into.
So instead of telling my kids that they can go to the really nice high schools, I'm forced to find ones that take students with lower test scores. New York seems to provide options to kids like this because of all the small schools that are opening up, but it feels terrible to dissuade them from applying to wonderful schools like Townsend Harris (I do have one girl who might get in, which would be really great). I just finished reading Kozol's "Ordinary Resurrections" about the South Bronx and he discusses the problems he has with the more realistic expectations held by educators and social workers that he respects. He feels like even though many kids in poor neighborhoods won't make it to college, it's wrong to limit their opportunities by assuming that they can't be doctors and lawyers (for example). I agree with him, even as I find myself succumbing to the same pressures. I know that going to a neighborhood school isn't the worst thing in the world for my 8th graders, and I'm getting ready to take them on college visits to show them that I expect them to be serious in high school. But I also know that going to college from some of these high schools will be tough for them. It's a tough battle, but hopefully some of these kids will find their way in whatever high school they get into.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Classroom Community
As the end of the semester nears, I am reflecting on the semester and also some of my blog postings. My students are doing so well reading the Journal and discussing current business events. This is how semesters always end! It has really become very fun and valuable. The early challenges are worth the effort. I often forget this when students are struggling in the beginning of the semester.
One of the best results of using the Journal in my classes is the classroom community it helps to create. After using the Journal for years, I sometimes take for granted what the Journal current events discussion adds the classroom atmosphere. I was reminded once again of how important it is pedagogically to build classroom community when I read the book "My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student " by Rebekah Nathan (Cornell University Press, 2005). Dr. Nathan is a college professor who chose to move into a dorm and take classes - to become a college freshman - as her sabbatical project. The book is a quick read with some interesting insights into the other side of our world - college from a student viewpoint. It opened my eyes on a few points.
Dr. Nathan seems to value classroom community as much as I. On pages 93 of her book, Dr. Nathan states that "Despite the fact that classes rarely function as communities, this ideal is powerful within the American classroom - at least for teachers. A good class is often thought of as one in which students speak repeatedly, and the teacher's role…focuses on the elicitation and clarification of each student's viewpoint." She laments the lack of this atmosphere in the classes in which she was enrolled.
In discussing the importance of classroom community, Dr. Nathan also quotes French anthropologist Herve Varenne, who "would characterize as the shared American ideal of community: a place of equality, informality, intimacy, and reciprocity." Isn't that what we would all want to provide for a learning environment for our students?
Students often tell me how much fun the classroom discussions are. Once they get beyond the initial awkwardness of speaking in class about current events, they enjoy it. So perhaps incorporating WSJ current events would build important community in your classroom as well.
One of the best results of using the Journal in my classes is the classroom community it helps to create. After using the Journal for years, I sometimes take for granted what the Journal current events discussion adds the classroom atmosphere. I was reminded once again of how important it is pedagogically to build classroom community when I read the book "My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student " by Rebekah Nathan (Cornell University Press, 2005). Dr. Nathan is a college professor who chose to move into a dorm and take classes - to become a college freshman - as her sabbatical project. The book is a quick read with some interesting insights into the other side of our world - college from a student viewpoint. It opened my eyes on a few points.
Dr. Nathan seems to value classroom community as much as I. On pages 93 of her book, Dr. Nathan states that "Despite the fact that classes rarely function as communities, this ideal is powerful within the American classroom - at least for teachers. A good class is often thought of as one in which students speak repeatedly, and the teacher's role…focuses on the elicitation and clarification of each student's viewpoint." She laments the lack of this atmosphere in the classes in which she was enrolled.
In discussing the importance of classroom community, Dr. Nathan also quotes French anthropologist Herve Varenne, who "would characterize as the shared American ideal of community: a place of equality, informality, intimacy, and reciprocity." Isn't that what we would all want to provide for a learning environment for our students?
Students often tell me how much fun the classroom discussions are. Once they get beyond the initial awkwardness of speaking in class about current events, they enjoy it. So perhaps incorporating WSJ current events would build important community in your classroom as well.
Classroom Community
As the end of the semester nears, I am reflecting on the semester and also some of my blog postings. My students are doing so well reading the Journal and discussing current business events. This is how semesters always end! It has really become very fun and valuable. The early challenges are worth the effort. I often forget this when students are struggling in the beginning of the semester.
One of the best results of using the Journal in my classes is the classroom community it helps to create. After using the Journal for years, I sometimes take for granted what the Journal current events discussion adds the classroom atmosphere. I was reminded once again of how important it is pedagogically to build classroom community when I read the book "My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student " by Rebekah Nathan (Cornell University Press, 2005). Dr. Nathan is a college professor who chose to move into a dorm and take classes - to become a college freshman - as her sabbatical project. The book is a quick read with some interesting insights into the other side of our world - college from a student viewpoint. It opened my eyes on a few points.
Dr. Nathan seems to value classroom community as much as I. On pages 93 of her book, Dr. Nathan states that "Despite the fact that classes rarely function as communities, this ideal is powerful within the American classroom - at least for teachers. A good class is often thought of as one in which students speak repeatedly, and the teacher's role…focuses on the elicitation and clarification of each student's viewpoint." She laments the lack of this atmosphere in the classes in which she was enrolled.
In discussing the importance of classroom community, Dr. Nathan also quotes French anthropologist Herve Varenne, who "would characterize as the shared American ideal of community: a place of equality, informality, intimacy, and reciprocity." Isn't that what we would all want to provide for a learning environment for our students?
Students often tell me how much fun the classroom discussions are. Once they get beyond the initial awkwardness of speaking in class about current events, they enjoy it. So perhaps incorporating WSJ current events would build important community in your classroom as well.
One of the best results of using the Journal in my classes is the classroom community it helps to create. After using the Journal for years, I sometimes take for granted what the Journal current events discussion adds the classroom atmosphere. I was reminded once again of how important it is pedagogically to build classroom community when I read the book "My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student " by Rebekah Nathan (Cornell University Press, 2005). Dr. Nathan is a college professor who chose to move into a dorm and take classes - to become a college freshman - as her sabbatical project. The book is a quick read with some interesting insights into the other side of our world - college from a student viewpoint. It opened my eyes on a few points.
Dr. Nathan seems to value classroom community as much as I. On pages 93 of her book, Dr. Nathan states that "Despite the fact that classes rarely function as communities, this ideal is powerful within the American classroom - at least for teachers. A good class is often thought of as one in which students speak repeatedly, and the teacher's role…focuses on the elicitation and clarification of each student's viewpoint." She laments the lack of this atmosphere in the classes in which she was enrolled.
In discussing the importance of classroom community, Dr. Nathan also quotes French anthropologist Herve Varenne, who "would characterize as the shared American ideal of community: a place of equality, informality, intimacy, and reciprocity." Isn't that what we would all want to provide for a learning environment for our students?
Students often tell me how much fun the classroom discussions are. Once they get beyond the initial awkwardness of speaking in class about current events, they enjoy it. So perhaps incorporating WSJ current events would build important community in your classroom as well.
Classroom Community
As the end of the semester nears, I am reflecting on the semester and also some of my blog postings. My students are doing so well reading the Journal and discussing current business events. This is how semesters always end! It has really become very fun and valuable. The early challenges are worth the effort. I often forget this when students are struggling in the beginning of the semester.
One of the best results of using the Journal in my classes is the classroom community it helps to create. After using the Journal for years, I sometimes take for granted what the Journal current events discussion adds the classroom atmosphere. I was reminded once again of how important it is pedagogically to build classroom community when I read the book "My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student " by Rebekah Nathan (Cornell University Press, 2005). Dr. Nathan is a college professor who chose to move into a dorm and take classes - to become a college freshman - as her sabbatical project. The book is a quick read with some interesting insights into the other side of our world - college from a student viewpoint. It opened my eyes on a few points.
Dr. Nathan seems to value classroom community as much as I. On pages 93 of her book, Dr. Nathan states that "Despite the fact that classes rarely function as communities, this ideal is powerful within the American classroom - at least for teachers. A good class is often thought of as one in which students speak repeatedly, and the teacher's role…focuses on the elicitation and clarification of each student's viewpoint." She laments the lack of this atmosphere in the classes in which she was enrolled.
In discussing the importance of classroom community, Dr. Nathan also quotes French anthropologist Herve Varenne, who "would characterize as the shared American ideal of community: a place of equality, informality, intimacy, and reciprocity." Isn't that what we would all want to provide for a learning environment for our students?
Students often tell me how much fun the classroom discussions are. Once they get beyond the initial awkwardness of speaking in class about current events, they enjoy it. So perhaps incorporating WSJ current events would build important community in your classroom as well.
One of the best results of using the Journal in my classes is the classroom community it helps to create. After using the Journal for years, I sometimes take for granted what the Journal current events discussion adds the classroom atmosphere. I was reminded once again of how important it is pedagogically to build classroom community when I read the book "My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student " by Rebekah Nathan (Cornell University Press, 2005). Dr. Nathan is a college professor who chose to move into a dorm and take classes - to become a college freshman - as her sabbatical project. The book is a quick read with some interesting insights into the other side of our world - college from a student viewpoint. It opened my eyes on a few points.
Dr. Nathan seems to value classroom community as much as I. On pages 93 of her book, Dr. Nathan states that "Despite the fact that classes rarely function as communities, this ideal is powerful within the American classroom - at least for teachers. A good class is often thought of as one in which students speak repeatedly, and the teacher's role…focuses on the elicitation and clarification of each student's viewpoint." She laments the lack of this atmosphere in the classes in which she was enrolled.
In discussing the importance of classroom community, Dr. Nathan also quotes French anthropologist Herve Varenne, who "would characterize as the shared American ideal of community: a place of equality, informality, intimacy, and reciprocity." Isn't that what we would all want to provide for a learning environment for our students?
Students often tell me how much fun the classroom discussions are. Once they get beyond the initial awkwardness of speaking in class about current events, they enjoy it. So perhaps incorporating WSJ current events would build important community in your classroom as well.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
DREAM Act Reintroduced
I haven't seen anything in the big papers about this, but the DREAM Act was re-introduced yesterday (see the National Council of La Raza press release about it here). And here is an excellent article in the NY Sun about immigrant kids with college degrees forced to work low-wage jobs because of their undocumented status.
College Grads Who Are Illegal Immigrants Face Barren Job MarketBY DANIELA
GERSON - Staff Reporter of the SunNovember 22, 2005URL: http://www.nysun.com/article/23358Each year, thousands of New York City students earn college degreesand yet have no possibility of finding work. The reason is not a lackof job offers, but because they are illegal immigrants."We have people who graduate at the top of their classes and they can't get jobs," the director of the City University of New York's Citizenship and Immigration Project, Allan Wernick, said yesterday at a City Council hearing. By recent counts, he said, there are 3,000 undocumented students in the CUNY system. Nationally, 65,000 illegal immigrant students are thought to graduate from high school each year. Alfredo, an illegal immigrant who is a senior at Baruch College, is facing the prospect of graduating this spring with a degree in business administration and no potential to work legally. At 10, his parents brought him to Long Island from Guatemala, but it was onlyyears later that he realized the implications of being illegal. "Inever thought it was such
a big issue until I started hitting theroadblocks," the 21-year-old said, noting
that teachers began tonominate him for awards he could not accept without a
Social Securitynumber. On Friday, a glimmer of hope appeared for immigrants such
as Alfredo. The Senate reintroduced legislation that would grant students
the opportunity to become permanent legal residents. If President Bush signs it by
the end of 2006, the bill, known as the Dream Act, would allow students to
receive temporary legal status when they graduate from high school. Upon
completing their studies or military service, the immigrants could then apply for
permanent legal status.
Additionally, the legislation would increase the number of statesoffering instate tuition to undocumented students and make more financial aid available. Unlike most other states across the country, schools in New York offer in-state tuition to immigrant students who have lived in the state, regardless of status.However, even the $4,000 tuition for senior colleges in the CUNYsystem or $2,800 for junior colleges can be a stretch for some immigrants. A teacher with dozens of undocumented students at Flushing High School in Queens, Martha Cruz, said some of her best students could not join their peers in college because their illegal status bars them from most forms of financial aid."I have one who graduated with over an 83 average and he's working at McDonald's because he wants to save to go to college, plus he has to help out at home," Ms. Cruz said. "If they continue to be undocumented they will work menial jobs." In Alfredo's case, his parents rented out two rooms in their Long Island house so he could attend Baruch. Unable to work legally while in college, he has helped cover his educationfees by working at restaurants for under-the-table pay.The evident humanitarian and economic case for providing students who had no choice in immigrating illegally to America with a chance to study and work make it a fairly popular bill. Critics, nonetheless, say it is a
sugar-coated amnesty rewarding illegality. Still, the Dream Act is generally
considered the immigrationlegislation most likely to pass next term. Senators
Clinton andSchumer were both cosigners of the initial bill but have not
yetsigned on to the reintroduced bill.For Alfredo, who is heading a campaign
with the CUNY Senate's newlyformed immigration committee to bring attention to
the issue, theDream Act is a question of practicality. "Without it there's
really nofuture for me. Even though I will have a bachelor's degree, I'm
goingto have to work some low-wage job," he said. "It makes sense forAmerica to
let me participate as much as I can."November 22, 2005 Edition >
Monday, November 21, 2005
Friday, November 18, 2005
Sending Immigrant Kids Back Home
Interesting NY Sun article about Chinese immigrant mothers in NYC sending their babies back to China because they can't afford childcare in the city, are afraid to apply for subsidized childcare if they're undocumented, and because they're working too much. The kids usually come back to start school here, but have trouble learning English and adjusting to the US. The Latino families I work with generally don't have the option of sending their kids home (or just don't want to), but they seem to really struggle to find childcare when both parents work.
It should be worth it to Bloomy to make an effort to provide affordable childcare for immigrant families, if only to start investing now in these kids' futures. No reason to focus all the attention on test scores in elementary and middle school when some immigrant kids are being left behind a lot earlier.
It should be worth it to Bloomy to make an effort to provide affordable childcare for immigrant families, if only to start investing now in these kids' futures. No reason to focus all the attention on test scores in elementary and middle school when some immigrant kids are being left behind a lot earlier.
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
WSJ.com
WSJ.com offers a wealth of information and resources for your students and your classes. A WSJ sales rep would be happy to conduct a faculty workshop to show you all the wonderful features. And your rep can also provide you with all kinds of tools and resources associated with the Journal. I have had the pleasure of meeting with the education sales reps. They are dynamic and dedicated people who want to serve you!
WSJ.com
WSJ.com offers a wealth of information and resources for your students and your classes. A WSJ sales rep would be happy to conduct a faculty workshop to show you all the wonderful features. And your rep can also provide you with all kinds of tools and resources associated with the Journal. I have had the pleasure of meeting with the education sales reps. They are dynamic and dedicated people who want to serve you!
WSJ.com
WSJ.com offers a wealth of information and resources for your students and your classes. A WSJ sales rep would be happy to conduct a faculty workshop to show you all the wonderful features. And your rep can also provide you with all kinds of tools and resources associated with the Journal. I have had the pleasure of meeting with the education sales reps. They are dynamic and dedicated people who want to serve you!
new orleans school takeover .. ?
Just wanted to make sure that everyone knew about this big story: the Louisiana legislature approved Gov. Blanco's proposed state takeover of many New Orleans schools. Commentary to come ...
Monday, November 14, 2005
mooooo.
This just in from my professor:
Now THERE's an ethical dilemma for you. I haven't stepped into a McDonalds in many, many years. Not that I really have a choice in the matter. But an interesting question still: which is worse, patronizing a university that union-busts, or patronizing one of the more evil companies in the world?
Sent Monday, November 14, 2005 8:53 pm
Subject Tuesday meeting place
Yes, we have a place to meet tomorrow:
McDonald's ... they will allow us to meet upstairs so even if they have that area blocked off when you go in - fear not - they are expecting us and our discussion of Dewey.
Nutrition aside, please try to buy something as you come in..... as thanks....
Now THERE's an ethical dilemma for you. I haven't stepped into a McDonalds in many, many years. Not that I really have a choice in the matter. But an interesting question still: which is worse, patronizing a university that union-busts, or patronizing one of the more evil companies in the world?
Student Selection of Articles
What do you do when a student selects a weak article? Since I allow my students to select articles, sometime the choice is not a strong one. Recently in my law and ethics class, a student selected an article about schools being set up for hurricane evacuees. While it was a fine article and important topic, she was attempting to use the article to apply business ethics tools and analysis methods we were learning in class. The article raised the issue of whether schools set up specifically for the evacuees violated laws against separate but equal education. The article absolutely did not work for what we were learning in class at that time. I initially allowed the discussion to continue, but the discourse was going in all different directions. Some were getting caught up in whether the laws were ethical or not; others discussed whether a school was a business - all at the same time! A discussion about this topic could be very interesting indeed, but was not an appropriate vehicle for our particular material. I halted the discussion and moved to another article, explaining that we needed to spend our time with a more appropriate article.
Not every tangent is so drastic. I often have students select an article to present just because they like the topic. Examples would include cars, fashion, television shows, and technology. Certainly I want to encourage my students to read what interests them, but I also have to make good use of valuable class time. On the first day of the semester, I tell them that for any article they select, they must show connection to the course topic. And I ask each time for that connection if it is not obvious or first offered.
I am amazed at the creativity of some students in the ways they apply course material to all types of situations. In accounting class, they often do a great job of relating the article to a financial statement or managerial accounting concepts, such as segmenting for example. But sometimes they have no connection, so they earn no points for that presentation. Such are the rules of the assignment. I gracefully move on to the next article or to the class material if time is running short.
I am more lenient with the required connection to the course material at the beginning of the semester. To help the students, I model the analysis I want my students to develop, by fleshing out the article more for them with articles early in the semester. But I warn them that the bar gets higher as the semester progresses. And they almost always rise to the occasion!
Not every tangent is so drastic. I often have students select an article to present just because they like the topic. Examples would include cars, fashion, television shows, and technology. Certainly I want to encourage my students to read what interests them, but I also have to make good use of valuable class time. On the first day of the semester, I tell them that for any article they select, they must show connection to the course topic. And I ask each time for that connection if it is not obvious or first offered.
I am amazed at the creativity of some students in the ways they apply course material to all types of situations. In accounting class, they often do a great job of relating the article to a financial statement or managerial accounting concepts, such as segmenting for example. But sometimes they have no connection, so they earn no points for that presentation. Such are the rules of the assignment. I gracefully move on to the next article or to the class material if time is running short.
I am more lenient with the required connection to the course material at the beginning of the semester. To help the students, I model the analysis I want my students to develop, by fleshing out the article more for them with articles early in the semester. But I warn them that the bar gets higher as the semester progresses. And they almost always rise to the occasion!
Student Selection of Articles
What do you do when a student selects a weak article? Since I allow my students to select articles, sometime the choice is not a strong one. Recently in my law and ethics class, a student selected an article about schools being set up for hurricane evacuees. While it was a fine article and important topic, she was attempting to use the article to apply business ethics tools and analysis methods we were learning in class. The article raised the issue of whether schools set up specifically for the evacuees violated laws against separate but equal education. The article absolutely did not work for what we were learning in class at that time. I initially allowed the discussion to continue, but the discourse was going in all different directions. Some were getting caught up in whether the laws were ethical or not; others discussed whether a school was a business - all at the same time! A discussion about this topic could be very interesting indeed, but was not an appropriate vehicle for our particular material. I halted the discussion and moved to another article, explaining that we needed to spend our time with a more appropriate article.
Not every tangent is so drastic. I often have students select an article to present just because they like the topic. Examples would include cars, fashion, television shows, and technology. Certainly I want to encourage my students to read what interests them, but I also have to make good use of valuable class time. On the first day of the semester, I tell them that for any article they select, they must show connection to the course topic. And I ask each time for that connection if it is not obvious or first offered.
I am amazed at the creativity of some students in the ways they apply course material to all types of situations. In accounting class, they often do a great job of relating the article to a financial statement or managerial accounting concepts, such as segmenting for example. But sometimes they have no connection, so they earn no points for that presentation. Such are the rules of the assignment. I gracefully move on to the next article or to the class material if time is running short.
I am more lenient with the required connection to the course material at the beginning of the semester. To help the students, I model the analysis I want my students to develop, by fleshing out the article more for them with articles early in the semester. But I warn them that the bar gets higher as the semester progresses. And they almost always rise to the occasion!
Not every tangent is so drastic. I often have students select an article to present just because they like the topic. Examples would include cars, fashion, television shows, and technology. Certainly I want to encourage my students to read what interests them, but I also have to make good use of valuable class time. On the first day of the semester, I tell them that for any article they select, they must show connection to the course topic. And I ask each time for that connection if it is not obvious or first offered.
I am amazed at the creativity of some students in the ways they apply course material to all types of situations. In accounting class, they often do a great job of relating the article to a financial statement or managerial accounting concepts, such as segmenting for example. But sometimes they have no connection, so they earn no points for that presentation. Such are the rules of the assignment. I gracefully move on to the next article or to the class material if time is running short.
I am more lenient with the required connection to the course material at the beginning of the semester. To help the students, I model the analysis I want my students to develop, by fleshing out the article more for them with articles early in the semester. But I warn them that the bar gets higher as the semester progresses. And they almost always rise to the occasion!
Student Selection of Articles
What do you do when a student selects a weak article? Since I allow my students to select articles, sometime the choice is not a strong one. Recently in my law and ethics class, a student selected an article about schools being set up for hurricane evacuees. While it was a fine article and important topic, she was attempting to use the article to apply business ethics tools and analysis methods we were learning in class. The article raised the issue of whether schools set up specifically for the evacuees violated laws against separate but equal education. The article absolutely did not work for what we were learning in class at that time. I initially allowed the discussion to continue, but the discourse was going in all different directions. Some were getting caught up in whether the laws were ethical or not; others discussed whether a school was a business - all at the same time! A discussion about this topic could be very interesting indeed, but was not an appropriate vehicle for our particular material. I halted the discussion and moved to another article, explaining that we needed to spend our time with a more appropriate article.
Not every tangent is so drastic. I often have students select an article to present just because they like the topic. Examples would include cars, fashion, television shows, and technology. Certainly I want to encourage my students to read what interests them, but I also have to make good use of valuable class time. On the first day of the semester, I tell them that for any article they select, they must show connection to the course topic. And I ask each time for that connection if it is not obvious or first offered.
I am amazed at the creativity of some students in the ways they apply course material to all types of situations. In accounting class, they often do a great job of relating the article to a financial statement or managerial accounting concepts, such as segmenting for example. But sometimes they have no connection, so they earn no points for that presentation. Such are the rules of the assignment. I gracefully move on to the next article or to the class material if time is running short.
I am more lenient with the required connection to the course material at the beginning of the semester. To help the students, I model the analysis I want my students to develop, by fleshing out the article more for them with articles early in the semester. But I warn them that the bar gets higher as the semester progresses. And they almost always rise to the occasion!
Not every tangent is so drastic. I often have students select an article to present just because they like the topic. Examples would include cars, fashion, television shows, and technology. Certainly I want to encourage my students to read what interests them, but I also have to make good use of valuable class time. On the first day of the semester, I tell them that for any article they select, they must show connection to the course topic. And I ask each time for that connection if it is not obvious or first offered.
I am amazed at the creativity of some students in the ways they apply course material to all types of situations. In accounting class, they often do a great job of relating the article to a financial statement or managerial accounting concepts, such as segmenting for example. But sometimes they have no connection, so they earn no points for that presentation. Such are the rules of the assignment. I gracefully move on to the next article or to the class material if time is running short.
I am more lenient with the required connection to the course material at the beginning of the semester. To help the students, I model the analysis I want my students to develop, by fleshing out the article more for them with articles early in the semester. But I warn them that the bar gets higher as the semester progresses. And they almost always rise to the occasion!
Saturday, November 12, 2005
El Seviche
My school recently had its annual "Multicultural Festival", which actually turned out to be really nice. Most of the immigrant students in the after school program produced some great displays about their native countries, but it was the work of the kids who barely remembered being out of the U.S. that was particularly interesting. Some of them really got into looking up information and recalling tiny details of their old house or relatives. For these kids, it seemed, food was the most direct connection to their homeland - a Peruvian kid wrote a long, detailed essay about how his family in Lima prepares El Seviche (a typical seafood dish from South America usually spelled Ceviche), and a kid from Honduras drew a nice picture of a rice and beans plate that was his favorite. One kid who left Mexico when he was four was frustrated and a little embarrassed for most of one afternoon because he couldn't remember much about his village, but later talked to me for a long time about how much he loved thinking about the desert and the wide-open spaces in Mexico.
There have been a lot of problems with ethnic and racial tensions in the school recently (more on that in the next post), but it was really nice to see so many of the kids show some pride and emotion when talking about their countries.
There have been a lot of problems with ethnic and racial tensions in the school recently (more on that in the next post), but it was really nice to see so many of the kids show some pride and emotion when talking about their countries.
Monday, November 7, 2005
More always enlightening
Paul Krugman, one of the school of bloggers' favorite columnists, writes about healthcare in his column today.
It's one of our favorite topics too (past posts here and here), so I'll risk whatever consequences it may bring and post excerpts from the column for those of you not graced with Times Select.
Here's the nut graf:
Huhhhh?? He explains further:
Krugman, I have observed this phenomenon in my own employer-provided health insurance plan. In fact, it has been nearly impossible to find a doctor who actually exists and who will see me. Why is this?
It's one of our favorite topics too (past posts here and here), so I'll risk whatever consequences it may bring and post excerpts from the column for those of you not graced with Times Select.
Here's the nut graf:
The funny thing is that the solution - national health insurance, available to everyone - is obvious. But to see the obvious we'll have to overcome pride - the unwarranted belief that America has nothing to learn from other countries - and prejudice - the equally unwarranted belief, driven by ideology, that private insurance is more efficient than public insurance.
Huhhhh?? He explains further:
The journal Health Affairs recently published the results of a survey of the medical experience of "sicker adults" in six countries, including Canada, Britain, Germany and the United States. The responses don't support claims about superior service from the U.S. system. It's true that Americans generally have shorter waits for elective surgery than Canadians or Britons, although German waits are even shorter. But Americans do worse by some important measures: we find it harder than citizens of other advanced countries to see a doctor when we need one, and our system is more, not less, rife with medical errors.
Above all, Americans are far more likely than others to forgo treatment because they can't afford it. Forty percent of the Americans surveyed failed to fill a prescription because of cost. A third were deterred by cost from seeing a doctor when sick or from getting recommended tests or follow-up.
Krugman, I have observed this phenomenon in my own employer-provided health insurance plan. In fact, it has been nearly impossible to find a doctor who actually exists and who will see me. Why is this?
The U.S. system is much more bureaucratic, with much higher administrative costs, than those of other countries, because private insurers and other players work hard at trying not to pay for medical care. And our fragmented system is unable to bargain with drug companies and other suppliers for lower prices.
More Integration Ideas
Last week I shared some integration ideas. This week I am continuing in the same vein. The possibilities are endless. Take an idea, modify it the serve your purpose, and make it your own.
Weekly Reviews - If you are interested in assigning group projects or discussions, research projects, or longer questions, the Weekly Reviews sometime include projects in addition to the standard questions. Some require Internet searches, while others are appropriate for break-out sessions during the class session. You could assign these several times each semester as they seem interesting to you.
Some instructors assign particular articles to the class rather than having students select any article. This is an easy way to integrate current events and to have all the students prepared for the discussion. You can use a very recent article, or alternatively you can assign articles you have found in past years that are 'classics.' I have an article about mistakes in Internet pricing from several years ago that is so complete that I still use as a comprehensive question on contracts. Every now and then I will find an article that is so good that it can work well indefinitely. Real-life can be far more interesting than some of the questions I write!
Weekly Quizzes - Another tool that the good people in the education area of the Wall Street Journal provide to us is the Weekly Quiz. Similar the Weekly Reviews, the quizzes are prepared weekly and posted to professorjournal.com. They are available in various formats (such as Word and Power Point, among others) so that you can cut-and-paste the questions you wish to use. Each week, 25 multiple-choice questions cover articles on the front pages of each section of the paper that week. You can select questions pertaining to your discipline, or use all the questions to test general reading of the Journal.
Finally, some colleagues ask the students to select and write a short paper on several articles related to course topics. The assignment requires the student to demonstrate some understanding and application of course material to the information in the articles.
As you notice, each of these exercises requires and assesses mixtures of different skills. Find one or more that serve your pedagogical purposes. The Journal articles are class resources just waiting to be utilized!
Weekly Reviews - If you are interested in assigning group projects or discussions, research projects, or longer questions, the Weekly Reviews sometime include projects in addition to the standard questions. Some require Internet searches, while others are appropriate for break-out sessions during the class session. You could assign these several times each semester as they seem interesting to you.
Some instructors assign particular articles to the class rather than having students select any article. This is an easy way to integrate current events and to have all the students prepared for the discussion. You can use a very recent article, or alternatively you can assign articles you have found in past years that are 'classics.' I have an article about mistakes in Internet pricing from several years ago that is so complete that I still use as a comprehensive question on contracts. Every now and then I will find an article that is so good that it can work well indefinitely. Real-life can be far more interesting than some of the questions I write!
Weekly Quizzes - Another tool that the good people in the education area of the Wall Street Journal provide to us is the Weekly Quiz. Similar the Weekly Reviews, the quizzes are prepared weekly and posted to professorjournal.com. They are available in various formats (such as Word and Power Point, among others) so that you can cut-and-paste the questions you wish to use. Each week, 25 multiple-choice questions cover articles on the front pages of each section of the paper that week. You can select questions pertaining to your discipline, or use all the questions to test general reading of the Journal.
Finally, some colleagues ask the students to select and write a short paper on several articles related to course topics. The assignment requires the student to demonstrate some understanding and application of course material to the information in the articles.
As you notice, each of these exercises requires and assesses mixtures of different skills. Find one or more that serve your pedagogical purposes. The Journal articles are class resources just waiting to be utilized!
More Integration Ideas
Last week I shared some integration ideas. This week I am continuing in the same vein. The possibilities are endless. Take an idea, modify it the serve your purpose, and make it your own.
Weekly Reviews - If you are interested in assigning group projects or discussions, research projects, or longer questions, the Weekly Reviews sometime include projects in addition to the standard questions. Some require Internet searches, while others are appropriate for break-out sessions during the class session. You could assign these several times each semester as they seem interesting to you.
Some instructors assign particular articles to the class rather than having students select any article. This is an easy way to integrate current events and to have all the students prepared for the discussion. You can use a very recent article, or alternatively you can assign articles you have found in past years that are 'classics.' I have an article about mistakes in Internet pricing from several years ago that is so complete that I still use as a comprehensive question on contracts. Every now and then I will find an article that is so good that it can work well indefinitely. Real-life can be far more interesting than some of the questions I write!
Weekly Quizzes - Another tool that the good people in the education area of the Wall Street Journal provide to us is the Weekly Quiz. Similar the Weekly Reviews, the quizzes are prepared weekly and posted to professorjournal.com. They are available in various formats (such as Word and Power Point, among others) so that you can cut-and-paste the questions you wish to use. Each week, 25 multiple-choice questions cover articles on the front pages of each section of the paper that week. You can select questions pertaining to your discipline, or use all the questions to test general reading of the Journal.
Finally, some colleagues ask the students to select and write a short paper on several articles related to course topics. The assignment requires the student to demonstrate some understanding and application of course material to the information in the articles.
As you notice, each of these exercises requires and assesses mixtures of different skills. Find one or more that serve your pedagogical purposes. The Journal articles are class resources just waiting to be utilized!
Weekly Reviews - If you are interested in assigning group projects or discussions, research projects, or longer questions, the Weekly Reviews sometime include projects in addition to the standard questions. Some require Internet searches, while others are appropriate for break-out sessions during the class session. You could assign these several times each semester as they seem interesting to you.
Some instructors assign particular articles to the class rather than having students select any article. This is an easy way to integrate current events and to have all the students prepared for the discussion. You can use a very recent article, or alternatively you can assign articles you have found in past years that are 'classics.' I have an article about mistakes in Internet pricing from several years ago that is so complete that I still use as a comprehensive question on contracts. Every now and then I will find an article that is so good that it can work well indefinitely. Real-life can be far more interesting than some of the questions I write!
Weekly Quizzes - Another tool that the good people in the education area of the Wall Street Journal provide to us is the Weekly Quiz. Similar the Weekly Reviews, the quizzes are prepared weekly and posted to professorjournal.com. They are available in various formats (such as Word and Power Point, among others) so that you can cut-and-paste the questions you wish to use. Each week, 25 multiple-choice questions cover articles on the front pages of each section of the paper that week. You can select questions pertaining to your discipline, or use all the questions to test general reading of the Journal.
Finally, some colleagues ask the students to select and write a short paper on several articles related to course topics. The assignment requires the student to demonstrate some understanding and application of course material to the information in the articles.
As you notice, each of these exercises requires and assesses mixtures of different skills. Find one or more that serve your pedagogical purposes. The Journal articles are class resources just waiting to be utilized!
More Integration Ideas
Last week I shared some integration ideas. This week I am continuing in the same vein. The possibilities are endless. Take an idea, modify it the serve your purpose, and make it your own.
Weekly Reviews - If you are interested in assigning group projects or discussions, research projects, or longer questions, the Weekly Reviews sometime include projects in addition to the standard questions. Some require Internet searches, while others are appropriate for break-out sessions during the class session. You could assign these several times each semester as they seem interesting to you.
Some instructors assign particular articles to the class rather than having students select any article. This is an easy way to integrate current events and to have all the students prepared for the discussion. You can use a very recent article, or alternatively you can assign articles you have found in past years that are 'classics.' I have an article about mistakes in Internet pricing from several years ago that is so complete that I still use as a comprehensive question on contracts. Every now and then I will find an article that is so good that it can work well indefinitely. Real-life can be far more interesting than some of the questions I write!
Weekly Quizzes - Another tool that the good people in the education area of the Wall Street Journal provide to us is the Weekly Quiz. Similar the Weekly Reviews, the quizzes are prepared weekly and posted to professorjournal.com. They are available in various formats (such as Word and Power Point, among others) so that you can cut-and-paste the questions you wish to use. Each week, 25 multiple-choice questions cover articles on the front pages of each section of the paper that week. You can select questions pertaining to your discipline, or use all the questions to test general reading of the Journal.
Finally, some colleagues ask the students to select and write a short paper on several articles related to course topics. The assignment requires the student to demonstrate some understanding and application of course material to the information in the articles.
As you notice, each of these exercises requires and assesses mixtures of different skills. Find one or more that serve your pedagogical purposes. The Journal articles are class resources just waiting to be utilized!
Weekly Reviews - If you are interested in assigning group projects or discussions, research projects, or longer questions, the Weekly Reviews sometime include projects in addition to the standard questions. Some require Internet searches, while others are appropriate for break-out sessions during the class session. You could assign these several times each semester as they seem interesting to you.
Some instructors assign particular articles to the class rather than having students select any article. This is an easy way to integrate current events and to have all the students prepared for the discussion. You can use a very recent article, or alternatively you can assign articles you have found in past years that are 'classics.' I have an article about mistakes in Internet pricing from several years ago that is so complete that I still use as a comprehensive question on contracts. Every now and then I will find an article that is so good that it can work well indefinitely. Real-life can be far more interesting than some of the questions I write!
Weekly Quizzes - Another tool that the good people in the education area of the Wall Street Journal provide to us is the Weekly Quiz. Similar the Weekly Reviews, the quizzes are prepared weekly and posted to professorjournal.com. They are available in various formats (such as Word and Power Point, among others) so that you can cut-and-paste the questions you wish to use. Each week, 25 multiple-choice questions cover articles on the front pages of each section of the paper that week. You can select questions pertaining to your discipline, or use all the questions to test general reading of the Journal.
Finally, some colleagues ask the students to select and write a short paper on several articles related to course topics. The assignment requires the student to demonstrate some understanding and application of course material to the information in the articles.
As you notice, each of these exercises requires and assesses mixtures of different skills. Find one or more that serve your pedagogical purposes. The Journal articles are class resources just waiting to be utilized!
Thursday, November 3, 2005
academia's corporate apologists strike again
Dear NYU Student,
The United Auto Workers union has announced that it has decided to proceed with a “strike.” I want to reassure you that classes will continue to go forward and we will do our best to minimize the impact of any disruption the UAW may cause.
As you know, the University entered into a contract with the UAW in 2001, the first and only private university to do so. We had choices, but we decided to enter into a contract because the union committed – in writing – not to interfere with NYU’s academic decision-making. Regrettably, they broke that promise. In so doing, they damaged a genuine opportunity for partnership. Remarks from the union leadership, as recently as this past week, establish that they continue to believe that grievances of academic decisions, including who should be appointed to teach, are appropriate.
Still, in August we proposed a new agreement: recognition of the UAW as the bargaining agent for our graduate students on economic matters (stipends, health care, employment conditions), but not academic matters. We made this proposal to bridge the goals important to the University and the UAW. The union unambiguously rejected the proposal.
We have tried to find a way to make it work with the UAW, twice. At some point, one must turn from trying to mend an imperfect past and towards creating a better future.
So, we have implemented increases in stipends ($1000 per year for three years), and a commitment to an “evergreen” look ahead to enable graduate students to know the financial aid support three years in advance. A committee of graduate student representatives has begun work on a new grievance procedure and a rights-and-responsibility compact.
The UAW is now threatening to disrupt classes. In moving forward after the UAW rejected our proposal, the University was aware that the UAW might threaten class disruptions. You are entitled to ask “Is this worth it?” The answer to that question lies not in whether the autoworkers union chooses to disrupt classes, but in whether the University’s decision advances or erodes NYU’s long-term efforts to achieve academic excellence. Along with many others on campus, I believe it will advance them.
NYU values the freedom to express differences of opinion. In an academic environment, however, disrupting classes is not an appropriate form of expression. An academic institution and its faculty must be committed to classes going forward, to teaching and learning continuing, and to supporting all its students – including its graduate assistants – as they pursue their education. In a community of scholars, this is our vocation, and it is the right course. Despite what may happen over the coming days, we cherish all of our students. We will remain committed to them, to their studies, and to their scholarly aspirations, and to your academic progress.
Sincerely,
David McLaughlin, Provost
The United Auto Workers union has announced that it has decided to proceed with a “strike.” I want to reassure you that classes will continue to go forward and we will do our best to minimize the impact of any disruption the UAW may cause.
As you know, the University entered into a contract with the UAW in 2001, the first and only private university to do so. We had choices, but we decided to enter into a contract because the union committed – in writing – not to interfere with NYU’s academic decision-making. Regrettably, they broke that promise. In so doing, they damaged a genuine opportunity for partnership. Remarks from the union leadership, as recently as this past week, establish that they continue to believe that grievances of academic decisions, including who should be appointed to teach, are appropriate.
Still, in August we proposed a new agreement: recognition of the UAW as the bargaining agent for our graduate students on economic matters (stipends, health care, employment conditions), but not academic matters. We made this proposal to bridge the goals important to the University and the UAW. The union unambiguously rejected the proposal.
We have tried to find a way to make it work with the UAW, twice. At some point, one must turn from trying to mend an imperfect past and towards creating a better future.
So, we have implemented increases in stipends ($1000 per year for three years), and a commitment to an “evergreen” look ahead to enable graduate students to know the financial aid support three years in advance. A committee of graduate student representatives has begun work on a new grievance procedure and a rights-and-responsibility compact.
The UAW is now threatening to disrupt classes. In moving forward after the UAW rejected our proposal, the University was aware that the UAW might threaten class disruptions. You are entitled to ask “Is this worth it?” The answer to that question lies not in whether the autoworkers union chooses to disrupt classes, but in whether the University’s decision advances or erodes NYU’s long-term efforts to achieve academic excellence. Along with many others on campus, I believe it will advance them.
NYU values the freedom to express differences of opinion. In an academic environment, however, disrupting classes is not an appropriate form of expression. An academic institution and its faculty must be committed to classes going forward, to teaching and learning continuing, and to supporting all its students – including its graduate assistants – as they pursue their education. In a community of scholars, this is our vocation, and it is the right course. Despite what may happen over the coming days, we cherish all of our students. We will remain committed to them, to their studies, and to their scholarly aspirations, and to your academic progress.
Sincerely,
David McLaughlin, Provost
Wednesday, November 2, 2005
NYU grad students to strike
The NYU graduate employees have voted to strike. The professor who teaches my "Inquiries into Teaching and Learning" class told us that if they strike, she will not cross the picket line, and we'll have class off-campus. She's an adjunct, and apparently adjuncts went on strike at NYU a few years ago, although I'm not sure if that has anything to do with her decision to move class.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)