Re: Plenty of blame to go around . . .

["Arlen P. Walker" <Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- COM>]

      two students, sitting in the same class, receiving the same instruction,
      often receive different grades (which is a polite way of saying that some
      students learn better than other students, and some of these students
      become doctors and other engineers). Yet both were taught the same
      grammar and English mechanics. If engineers (and some tech writers) use
      poor grammar, let's their shortcomings where they belong--on them and not
      their teachers

There were two screws, started in pilot holes of the same size and going into
the exact same board, being driven by the exact same screwdriver. One went in
effortlessly and the other refused to turn. It therefore must be the case that
the Phillips screw is defective, and should receive low marks, while the flat-
blade screw should get high marks because it is simply the superior screw. After
all, both screws received the same pressure and the same number of turns from
the same flat-bladed screwdriver.

Does it make more sense to blame the screws, or the carpenter who decided that
one screwdriver would drive all possible screws (including Phillips and Square-
drive)? Then why does it make sense to blame the student when the teacher makes
the assumption that one method of teaching serves all? In addition to learning
faster or slower, people also learn differently. Good teachers can recognize
this and adjust. Lazy ones don't. The lazy ones penalize the student for their
own problems.

Bad grades are somtimes the student's own fault; there's no denying that. But
they are also sometimes the teacher's fault.


Have fun,
Arlen
Chief Managing Director In Charge, Department of Redundancy Department
DNRC 124

Arlen -dot- P -dot- Walker -at- JCI -dot- Com
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