> Frankly, the posts on spelling corrections echo this problem. Were the
> students with good lab reports praised? Were only the poorer students
> chosen for follow up comments? Students of all ages will quickly blow off
> comments they are not interested in hearing. Likewise, almost all age
> groups still repsond to praise and work harder to get more. Sure, correct
> the spelling, recommned remedial work, but most importantly praise the
> achievers.
As an undergraduate student, I think this is a very important point. It
drives me nuts when I have put a lot of hard work into a paper, only to
get it back with just a grade. Feedback - positive and negative - is
crucial. I agree that proper spelling and grammer is crucial to effective
communication in any field, but everybody needs some kind of output
regarding their input or they will not feel that their input has been
valued at all. And to echo a statement made previously - why should the
student care if the instructor doesn't seem to? The professor at the head
of the class can have a tremendous impact on how the students approach the
class on a daily basis, as well as the topic later on. The worst classes
have been the ones where the instructor (prof or TA) is just going thru
the motions, not trying to work with the students. Otherwise - what is
the point of teaching?!
abe :)
----------------------
"Uh Lady ... you don't work here!"
-Ani DiFranco, concert in Tempe
