Do students fail to learn or do teachers fail to teach? (1 Viewer)

[studybuddy101]

So all this university talk about "self-directed study" and "independence" has got me thinking. At what point does independence just become an excuse for lazy teachers to not teach, or to what extent does the onus of learning fall on the student.

Personally i'm all for independence since my high school was structured on it (homework wasn't checked and rarely was it even given out). To be honest i would prefer we followed a will hunting model of education (get it for a $1.50 in late charges down at the public library). Regardless i'm really curious what you all think.

 

[flashyGoldFish]

If you went to a half decent school dont expect uni lecturers or tutors to be remotely as good.

 

[OzKo]

There are cases of both but the underlying premise of independent learning is based on the following two factors:

1) Lecturers take on classes as almost a side job'. They have greater priorities than focusing lots of time on a student's education, but even then you'll find many who will go to great lengths when a student is in need of help.

2) When you are in the workforce, you won't have a higher-up to guide you through your day. Independence and free-thinking are values highly regarded in the professional world. Giving students too much time when they don't need it only serves to stifle their personal development.

 

[shortnsweet]

Well there will be some lazy teachers who won't even explain something to you if you are having trouble understanding it. I think ultimately while these teachers may be an obstacle to your goals, internet access and availability of a wide range of resources are available to almost everyone so there's really no excuse. While yes, a lazy teacher may make it difficult, you cannot blame your failure completely on the teacher (as I said, we have tonnes of resources easily available to us especially with the internet). Life is not always fair, you will need to go out of your own way and study more independently, and in general learn to be independent.

 

[Shadowdude]

99% of the time, if you don't do well in a course, it's attributable to you.

Everyone has to deal with the same lecturer, the variable is yourself.

There are tons of resources available, and lecturers are generally very approachable and willing to discuss their subject area with interested people. Moreover, if a lecturer does not teach well, their job is in heightened jeopardy - I mean... it is their job.

 

[enoilgam]

99% of the time, if you don't do well in a course, it's attributable to you.

Everyone has to deal with the same lecturer, the variable is yourself.

This pretty much - I mean some lecturers are quite lousy but you're in the same boat with everybody else. That being said, some lecturers can really stuff you over with their incompetence - I've seen a few strong students do poorly as a result of getting unlucky with a terrible lecturer who stuffed them around. I remember I had this one terrible lecturer who struggled to fill an hour of a three hour weekly seminar simply because he had no clue how to teach. Suffice to say the class average was miserable, despite the fact that the subject should have been fairly straight forward.

 

[d-alarmclock]

Both.