drtombibey
April 18, 2008 at 2:08 pm
Wow chili! You do have your hands full.
There is an old saying in bluegrass: “We tune because we care.”
I guess something similar is true for folks who doctor, write, or teach, but that kind of e-mail is bound to test your patience.
Dr. B
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9 Comments.
Clix
April 13, 2008 at 7:50 am
Hm. ARE they pedagogical gold? If, after showing these emails to students and demonstrating what’s wrong with them, you still get similar emails… is it really working?
(This is something I wrestle with A LOT. Sometimes I’ll think that lesson X has worked better than lesson Y… but you know, it’s never with the same group of students, so maybe the lesson X group was more attentive and would’ve done just as well with lesson Y…)
I don’t think you’re in water that’s ETHICALLY murky, that’s for sure. Teachers use prior student work as samples all the time, and that’s stuff that’s turned in for a grade, not for use as an example. As long as you leave out identifying details, you’re fine.
OTOH, there’s something to be said against ridicule in general. I don’t think it’s an effective teaching method. The students who most need to see your real point – that stupid mistakes should be avoided – are the ones most likely to get caught up in the vicarious embarrassment and tune out what you really want them to hear.
Anyway, to make a long story short (well, short-ER at least!) I just don’t know. I think mostly it depends on your delivery.
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