Topic: Bang Your Head on Your Desk - the thread of teaching despair!

[ciao_yall]

I have 3 students pulling the "Amazon won't have it in stock until...."

I know.  That's why the link I gave you was...
1) to the publisher,
2) who has it in stock,
3) for less than Amazon,
4) and it includes instant e-book access,
5) or you can buy the e-book only for about 2/3 of the book price.

6) and, why I tell you you can fake your homework off the online PPTs for the first few weeks until your book comes in.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Two of my students didn't know we had a test today. One 'forgot' and the other asked me if the test date 'was written down somewhere.'

Um...... why yes, it's called a syllabus.

[kaysixteen]

Since high schools don't use syllabi, it really does behoove the professor in first-semester intro courses to walk through the syllabus effectively the first day, not just the syllabus itself, but more importantly the *concept* of a syllabus, what it tells you and why you would want to look at it regularly.   This is the sort of thing that should appear in 'college 101'-style prep courses, but perhaps most frosh do not actually have to take one of these...

[mamselle]

Umm...I've both subbed in and been a student in high school courses with syllabi.

Still have some in the files of my notes, in fact.

M.

[Langue_doc]

Since high schools don't use syllabi, it really does behoove the professor in first-semester intro courses to walk through the syllabus effectively the first day, not just the syllabus itself, but more importantly the *concept* of a syllabus, what it tells you and why you would want to look at it regularly.   This is the sort of thing that should appear in 'college 101'-style prep courses, but perhaps most frosh do not actually have to take one of these...

That's what most of us do in every single class, every semester. It's probably a requirement these days. Most students also get a quiz on the syllabus.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Since high schools don't use syllabi, it really does behoove the professor in first-semester intro courses to walk through the syllabus effectively the first day, not just the syllabus itself, but more importantly the *concept* of a syllabus, what it tells you and why you would want to look at it regularly.   This is the sort of thing that should appear in 'college 101'-style prep courses, but perhaps most frosh do not actually have to take one of these...

That's what most of us do in every single class, every semester. It's probably a requirement these days. Most students also get a quiz on the syllabus.

Yep. I go through it on Day #1. They have a syllabus quiz. I make announcements in class regarding due dates. What's that saying about leading a horse to water? :)

[waterboy]

You can lead a human to knowledge, but you can't make them think.

[the_geneticist]

Since high schools don't use syllabi, it really does behoove the professor in first-semester intro courses to walk through the syllabus effectively the first day, not just the syllabus itself, but more importantly the *concept* of a syllabus, what it tells you and why you would want to look at it regularly.   This is the sort of thing that should appear in 'college 101'-style prep courses, but perhaps most frosh do not actually have to take one of these...

My high school used syllabi and I'm not early career. Our freshmen do take a "how to student 101" class too.  By the time I get them, they have had a few quarters of college to knock most of the bad habits out.

[OneMoreYear]

Two of my students didn't know we had a test today. One 'forgot' and the other asked me if the test date 'was written down somewhere.'

Um...... why yes, it's called a syllabus.

I was that student in undergrad. More than once, I walked into class and saw my classmates cramming for a quiz/test and had an "oh crap" moment. Of course, I just took the exam/quiz without alerting my professor that I had forgotten. My problem was usually that I had lost the syllabus. I think it would have helped me a lot to have it posted on the LMS (I'm assuming you did have it posted, EPW).

[wwwdotcom]

Since high schools don't use syllabi

My spouse has taught middle and high school English for nearly 20 years in five different states and a syllabus has been required by each district.  Is this happenstance, or is no syllabus the norm for most high schools?

[Hegemony]

My son just graduated from high school, and they had no syllabi. In fact every teacher had a different way of putting up assignments, on a different platform/website. Yep, it was chaos all right.

[mamselle]

Is there a variation in high school syllabus use between public and private schools, or rural/urban?

I've only been in urban public settings, maybe there are variables to consider; in any case, it doesn't seem like it's generalizable across states/towns/?countries/sites.

Some do, some don't, is what it sounds like, which could account for some of the confusion, in fact.

Students used to them don't have to become acclimated to their use and the idea of their central importance to a satisfying experience of the course.

Those without that experience have to become acculturated, and they can be in the same classes with those who 'know' from the start what they are and how to use them.

Maybe something to ask about, or for a show of hands at the first class for first-year courses, so you know the lay of the land....

M.

[apl68]

Since high schools don't use syllabi

My spouse has taught middle and high school English for nearly 20 years in five different states and a syllabus has been required by each district.  Is this happenstance, or is no syllabus the norm for most high schools?

I'm starting to wonder that too.  Until it was mentioned here, I don't recall ever hearing of high schools using a syllabus.  I suppose it's one of those changes that has occurred since my day.  Now I wonder how widespread the practice is.  It evidently varies quite a bit from district to district.  Kay's point that not all students come into college familiar with the concept of a syllabus stands.

[evil_physics_witchcraft]

Two of my students didn't know we had a test today. One 'forgot' and the other asked me if the test date 'was written down somewhere.'

Um...... why yes, it's called a syllabus.

I was that student in undergrad. More than once, I walked into class and saw my classmates cramming for a quiz/test and had an "oh crap" moment. Of course, I just took the exam/quiz without alerting my professor that I had forgotten. My problem was usually that I had lost the syllabus. I think it would have helped me a lot to have it posted on the LMS (I'm assuming you did have it posted, EPW).

Yep. I have the syllabus plus lots of course content posted online. Every online assignment has the due date in its title. Due dates and upcoming exams are mentioned in class often. We even had a short review session the day before the test!

[kaysixteen]

Hmmm... I have taught at 5 different hss over the last thirty years, pub and private, and in none of them did I ever write a syllabus nor see any colleague do so.   The exception, sorrta, is with AP Latin, where the syllabus is given to the teacher by the college board, which expects teachers to follow it as the gentleman's agreement allowing hss to list 'AP' on transcripts-- this allows the CB to help sell the value of a passing AP exam score, to colleges.  But the students never see the syllabus, and the last time I taught AP, the syllabus more or less just told me how many vv of Vergil to read, and which ones.   

Of course, the main reason I do not write syllabi for hss, is the same reason my *language* classes syllabi (as opposed to other subjects I have taught) in college is that I practice a mastery approach to fl learning, and really do not care overmuch how much 'material' is covered, so long as it is learned effectively (this is, for various reasons, not the case in something like ancient history).  And this philosophy is even more effective and important for hss fl classes, than it is for undergrad ones.