Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Why don't my students believe me?

I think the problem is that other faculty members cry wolf....

not that their courses aren't hard for some students -- every course is. Rather, my logic course is simply hard. Very few students manage to do it without doing enough work to grasp the concepts. When I tell them it is hard, and I do -- over and over again, they don't believe me until about mid-term.

Then it is some kind of revelation for them... like today.

I was talking with an older student who said "yea, you told us it is hard, but everyone says that and their courses aren't hard, but your course really is hard."

For the first three weeks this student sent out the 'I'm resisting everything you say' vibe, along with the 'I don't understand this, didn't do my homework and it is your fault' vibe. She didn't get it, but at least she tried in class -- I think the challenge was enough to kick her into gear, and lo and behold she did her homework last weekend --- and she got it.

Maybe I really was exaggerating along with the rest of the faculty, and all she really needed to believe was that she should do her homework.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey, i always tell my class my course is easy! they tell me they don't agree but eh. It's not hard.

julie said...

I get similar messages from my students; in fact, one said to me that my course was one of only two she took at her entire time on our campus that she thought were COLLEGE courses. Maybe yours was the other one? :-)

Inside the Philosophy Factory said...

No -- Julie -- students who think my classes are easy tell me that yours are a challenge... and I believe them :).

I'd guess that the ones who say my class is hard haven't had your's yet :).