Minasuk/ April 30, 2016/ Uncategorized

The five stages of grading | notthatkindofdoctor | October 2010 Denial.  At this stage, the instructor is unwilling to acknowledge the size of the task ahead of him or her. An instructor in denial may be heard to say things like, “It’s not really that many essays, when you think about it.” An instructor in denial will grossly overestimate his

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Minasuk/ January 4, 2016/ Uncategorized

Beginning Greek, Again and Again | New York Times | January 2016 But for reasons I don’t understand, some take far longer than others to “get it,” and a few never will. Lack of intelligence isn’t the problem; it’s more about adaptability, acceptance of change. How long should such students go on in the language, hoping for an epiphany? Should

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Minasuk/ October 21, 2015/ Uncategorized

Lecture Me. Really. | New York Times | October 2015 The vogue for active learning blinds us to the value of ancient teaching methods. cf.: Anne Murphy Paul, “Are College Lectures Unfair?,” New York Times, 12 September 2015

Minasuk/ October 21, 2015/ Uncategorized

Are College Lectures Unfair? | New York Times | September 2015 Evidence suggests that it’s not the right form of teaching for many women, minorities and low-income students. cf.: Molly Worthen, “Lecture Me. Really.,” New York Times, 17 October 2015

Minasuk/ August 19, 2015/ Uncategorized

The Coddling of the American Mind | The Atlantic | August 2015 In the name of emotional well-being, college students are increasingly demanding protection from words and ideas they don’t like. Here’s why that’s disastrous for education—and mental health.

Minasuk/ August 10, 2015/ Uncategorized

5 Ways to Get On Your Professor’s Good Side | Lifehacker | September 2014 TL;DR version: 1. Read the syllabus and browse the class site. 2. Follow instructions. 3. Put in at least some effort. 4. Don’t ask “Will this be on the exam?” 5. Don’t say, “I need to pass this class.” Seriously, people.

Minasuk/ August 9, 2015/ Uncategorized

Syllabus Tyrannus | Slate | August 2014 Syllabus bloat is more than an annoyance. It’s a textual artifact of the decline and fall of American higher education. Once the symbolic one-page tickets for epistemic trips filled with wonder and possibility, course syllabi are now but exhaustive legal contracts … The syllabus now merely exists to ensure a “customer experience” wherein

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Minasuk/ May 17, 2015/ Uncategorized

I Will Not Be Lectured To. I’m Too Busy Teaching. | The Tattooed Professor | May 2015 “I. Am. So. Done. with being lectured to by academics from elite institutions about how I–and many others in similar career arcs–am somehow failing students, the liberal arts, other faculty, civil society, western civilization, the Cleveland Indians, or any other institution that has

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