Posted on 07/24/2019 3:20:20 PM PDT by TigerClaws
A reader who is also a college professor in a STEM field e-mails to say:
My students are unable to analyze, follow and understand written text. To be more specific, they are unable to decipher compound sentences, understand relationship between subordinate and main clauses. They can’t grasp the logical relationship between sentences, let alone paragraphs, which are totally opaque to them.
When I started to teach (only 2 years ago), I prepared material written in normal, rational, technical prose — for adults, or as I understood they would be. Immediately, it became apparent that there was zero comprehension. Well, thought I, let’s make it a bit simpler. So I reduced the paragraphs to bullet point lists.
Still nothing? Hmm.
I started to write step by step, basically cut-and-paste instructions, highlighted the important points, wrote in notes and cross references (like NOTE: you did this in step #2 please refer to #2). Abject failure.
So, especially in the exams, I started to write in answers in the follow up questions, like so: “If you correctly answered #1 as ABC what is the cause of …?”. Basically I give them the answers in followup questions, plus cut and paste documents. My exams are open book, open notes, Internet access.
95% of them fail.
This is what I attribute this phenomenon to: I don’t think that they are able to concentrate for more that a few seconds. Hence compound sentences become an enigma. Their brains are ’trained’ to hold information for the minimum time possible and to move on the next soundbite or tweet. They are unable to hold a thought in their minds long enough to abstract it, analyze it, and form required relationships. As a result they lack the fundamental building blocks for inductive and deductive reasoning. They want to be spoon-fed without ever having to resort to a single abstract thought. They have been ‘educated’ by quick turnaround, expensive and largely incorrect multiple choice question textbooks.
Imagine how this would (and soon will) affect the medical profession. “When you treat appendicitis you will remove a) spleen, b) heart, c) appendix, d) none of the above. “Well, done!” Here is your first patient … (or, in Dr. Zoidberg’s context: Scalpel!, Blood bucket! Priest!).
Their problem is that they are unable to formulate questions. It’s difficult to come up with answers if you don’t know what to ask. So I tell them that my ambition is to teach them how to ask questions. They love my classes but I am told repeatedly: “This was the best class we have had but by far the most difficult.”
Good grief. We have totally destroyed this generation.
Minds destroyed by irrational, mindless making bad decisions.
Bahahahahahaha!!
I would agree with this statement. This is due to the influence of social media on the lives of these young people. I spent my young adulthood on the internet, but it wasn’t on facebook, or texting, it was on sites like free-republic, or writing articles on my own website. But even the folks I spend time with on social media are very articulate (maybe that’s ‘cause they are all older than 40 haha). The Internet is one of the greatest communication devices ever, and I have learned so much by it. If I recall, people said the same thing about books (that it was causing negative effects on society) when they were invented as well.
Thanks, but I don’t need a doctor I’m trying to watch TV.
The bleeding can wait a while, OK?
bkmk
I can see him giving that response, and it being an entirely appropriate one. It probably shocked them because they weren’t used to being called gentlemen.
I don’t think the classes could have been tougher on the basic technical composition side. Wrestling with literary ideas perhaps—but while using a foundation that they had been given but obviously could not appreciate
I remember writing essays or possibly precis for him in which I averaged about two transitions a sentence and managed to not use any form of “to be.”
That both could get an “A” and build up habits that could give you an ability to say something once one had something to say.
I don’t recall his classes as being at all annoying on the reading side—but that wasn’t the point of the class. We did read “A Separate Peace,” the message of which had more of an impact on me and has given me more cause for reflection than any other book that I can think of from the Marshfield English classes.
Some intelligent people, some of whom are actually informed about things work thinking about, respect Dreher, I’m not sure why.
Prince of Space touches on some of Dreher’s virtues, without getting too much into his vices, still offers sound advice on how to deal with him. So long as the turd in the punchbowl is actually made of plastic imported from China, drink the punch if you must, but try to ignore the attention seeking “Crunchy Con.”
That said, I agree with the point that it is not Dreher’s thoughts but that of one of his misled admirers, so there is no need to associate Dreher’s name with the material.
I took Shakespeare in 9th and 12th grade English, along with Beowulf and Chaucer. This was 1971-1974
Are you saying Shakespeare is no longer taught in HS English???
The Orthodox thing stems from an incident some years ago where he was being an investigative drama queen and more Catholic than the Pope (back when that statement wasn’t 99.9% irony.
I think your last sentence would benefit from some ellipses:
The guy is what he is. Life is too short... to ... read ... his ....articles.
Any rat trolls in here just took a one handed comfort break.
Thank the Lord that my kids in their late 20s and early 30s aren’t like that.
The story goes that Thamus said much to Theuth, both for and against each art, which it would take too long to repeat. But when they came to writing, Theuth said: “O King, here is something that, once learned, will make the Egyptians wiser and will improve their memory; I have discovered a potion for memory and for wisdom.” Thamus, however, replied: “O most expert Theuth, one man can give birth to the elements of an art, but only another can judge how they can benefit or harm those who will use them. And now, since you are the father of writing, your affection for it has made you describe its effects as the opposite of what they really are. In fact, it will introduce forgetfulness into the soul of those who learn it: they will not practice using their memory because they will put their trust in writing, which is external and depends on signs that belong to others, instead of trying to remember from the inside, completely on their own. You have not discovered a potion for remembering, but for reminding; you provide your students with the appearance of wisdom, not with its reality. Your invention will enable them to hear many things without being properly taught, and they will imagine that they have come to know much while for the most part they will know nothing. And they will be difficult to get along with, since they will merely appear to be wise instead of really being so.”Plato. c.399-347 BC. “Phaedrus.”
Baloney.
Sure, they know how to Instagram and Snapchat, but that's the extent of it. Yes, they understand how to play games, but couldn't begin to tell you how Siri works.
I don't think they have any clue as to how technology works, only how to barely use some of it.
Absolutely. Just because you can flick a light switch does not mean you have any idea how an electrical circuit works.
A lot of that, I think, is people using phones instead of a regular keyboard to type with. People get quite good at typing on the little screens but it's too much trouble to capitalize or even use comma's and period's many times.
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