"December 04, 2010 5:00 pm is the last day/date/time for submitting posts that are going to be included in the evaluation vis-a-vis class participation (20% of the overall grade)."
(the above statement is copy-pasted from the mail that many of you will have in your mailboxes either in the Inbox folder or the Junk one or the Deleted folder)
Some of you may disagree with me on this but I seriously felt that this statement was a sort of a threat! I'm not commenting on the intention of the sender rather all I am saying is that the timing of the statement and specially the "%" part in the end gives me some serious threatening signals. But then again this may be (most probably) due to my performance on the blog as well!
What actually bothered me is that most of the posts here are about critical thinking right? and many of us might have actually learnt at least something in the past 4 months. Then what do you people think as to how much the posts and comments (that were only made due to the above statement) would have been critically thought of? You can disagree but when I read many of the recent posts and specially the comments, I felt that these aren't really genuine questions or comments! they haven't been very well thought of and seem to have been posted just for the sake of the 20% mentioned in the statement! (and you may very well include this post in this!)
What I actually wanted to ask the recent commentors is that how much critical thinking are you really trying to exhibit? Do you even know the purpose of posting on this blog and commenting on the posts? If it is just for the 20% then really way to go!
We don't even know the rubric for the evaluation of these posts! what is sir going to give marks on? the number of posts or their quality? what is the judgement criteria? does he even read all of the posts and comments and checks the links? (he used to that's for sure) And yet we continue to post without even asking him! (To be honest, I haven't asked him and I know many of us haven't. because if some of us would have asked him, then based on his previous actions, i'm sure he would have mailed us all about it)
May be I am wrong and all that I said above applies only to me. But I really want to ask you people that do you think that the posts and comments that have been made, and will be made in the very near future, as a result of the above statement would have been critically thought of? If no, then what is the purpose of the above statement !?!
(I do not mean to be disrespectful to anyone specially our skilled and respected teacher (come on guys, he hasn't uploaded the final grade yet!) and have just tried to give an electronic representation to my recent thoughts while following the rule that "no question is stupid enough!")
Very rightly said. The point is that teachers are compelled to make students work with such threats when students don't care. I agree that many people might post here without really putting any thought in the process, just for the sake of marks, but that, however, does not nullify the possibility for those who can work well under pressure. One can't generalize that everyone who posted for marks did not employ critical thinking.
ReplyDeleteI can very well relate to you too since I havent been posting on the blog probably because I dont like blogging and many a times I aimed at blogging here(like now) merely because the teacher repeatedly asked us. However, as you rightly mentioned, the teacher, esp of critical thinking doesnt grade quantity but quality and at the end of it, it is the learning that we get from the course which must suffice for self satisfaction- even if the marks or teachers' response goes against it. I am talking about students who give up on learning because the teacher does not give them the opportunity to. In reality, it is only a sweet escape which all of use prefer. The opportunity of learning always lies with the student.
i m a little confused here, why are we focusing on this statement or actually on any statement? the student reaction u guys are talking about here can be present inspite of any statement, do you think most of us (students) will not work for marks if such statements are not made? i know it is wrong and the purpose of eduction is to learn for ourselves, but at the end of the day when it comes to the grading system , is n't it just about marks then? i think its not just any statment but the entire grading system and examining system that works as an operant conditioning for us to work for marks
ReplyDeleteWow man! We really do have some great 'psychological thinkers' out here.
ReplyDeletePersonally speaking adeel, sanah and nageen, i am practically impressed by all these people here i mean how are they all able to put up so much in to the blog! I mean yes it does come down to the grading part but still, yes they are contributing which is really admiring but is that what the teacher wants? I am sure its the best way to show your thoughts and expressions regarding certain things. Yet the fact remains, adeel even if they are NOT thinking critically while blogging, one things for sure they are 'GIVING' in a lot!
But for me, i would say yes it does matter, but the more the blog is active the more better it is.
I open up the blog everyday to find any of Sir's posts but barely i see HIS topics. Because i think probably his could be more relevant here.
Hifzaa
It was not a 'threat'; just a reminder.
ReplyDeleteAdeel is also right about the purpose & quality of posts, how these get compromised when we are under pressure.But it's much deeper & more troubling than that: I just have never seen such a shameless display of plagiarism in my entire life.
It's not that peope don't know that they are meant to "quote" others when using their work. It's also not that they know that they are meant to comment on the relevance of the quote they are using.
Perhaps what's needed with/by/for most of the cohort is ethical and moral thinking rather than skills of critical thinking - that's another challenge.
Faheem