Some explaining, but mostly the job is teach students how to think critically, seek resources, manage time at short medium and long terms, express yourself orally and written, build endurance for boring things, and most importantly to read.

I can explain riding a bike all day. But that’s not how someone learns to ride.

[–] ignotum@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

But the analogy is more that a student shows up to bike riding class, and hasn't learned to ride the bike beforehand, expecting the teacher to explain how it's done

If we expected students to learn the material before coming to class to listen to the teacher explain said material, then why do they even need to go to class?

Reflecting on the material afterwards is on the student of course

[+] balderdash9@lemmy.zip -19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (9 children)

If you don't do the reading and come to class expecting everything to be laid out for you without any effort on your part, why even pay for a college education?

edit: It's also funny how you skipped over the "completely unprepared" part and went straight to the part about teachers.

[–] youCanCallMeDragon@lemmy.world 27 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Why pay for college education? So you don’t have to teach yourself.

[–] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 8 points 1 year ago

And to also get a $100k piece of paper that most employers require for... reasons.

[–] School_Lunch@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago (3 children)

If teachers don't explains things, then what exactly are they for?

University could be a whole lot cheaper if they gave out diplomas for just reading the text books.

[–] TheRaven@lemmy.ca 6 points 1 year ago

With the price of textbooks, maybe they should.

[+] balderdash9@lemmy.zip -9 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

You are straw-manning very hard right now. No one is saying teachers shouldn't explain anything. I'm saying teachers shouldn't have to explain everything just because you didn't want to do any homework.

Again, skipping over the "completely unprepared" part of the meme because that bit doesn't suit your argument.

[–] School_Lunch@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

And you sound like you're making excuses for shitty teachers.

The best teachers I ever had were the ones who actually taught during class and rarely had to assign homework.

[–] balderdash9@lemmy.zip -5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

The best teachers you have ever had.... rarely had to assign homework? I'm not sure what discipline you're in, but in my field (don't want to doxx myself) that doesn't even make sense.

[–] School_Lunch@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Yeah... I'm not sure I understand that comment without an example. Are you saying your field is something that takes a lifetime to master and you have to spend every waking hour working on it?

And yes the classes that I learned the most in were the ones where we would read the textbook together and do exercises during class. The worst were the ones that would just assign the chapter for you to read at home without them there as a resource if you had any questions.

[–] balderdash9@lemmy.zip -3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I work in the humanities. It requires discussion-based classes. Which are difficult to have if no one does the reading.

Are you saying your field is something that takes a lifetime to master and you have to spend every waking hour working on it?

I'm really trying to be charitable and assume you're arguing in good faith but when you say things like this, it's difficult.

And yes the classes that I learned the most in were the ones where we would read the textbook together and do exercises during class. The worst were the ones that would just assign the chapter for you to read at home without them there as a resource if you had any questions.

Okay, I agree with part of this. Good teachers will explain the material, bad teacher expect the students to do all the work. Now read the meme again. What you said is not the scenario I'm trying to describe.

[–] CluckN@lemmy.world 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can you summarize this as a PowerPoint and then reuse it for the next 4 years?

[–] lugal@sopuli.xyz 5 points 1 year ago

No, sorry, I still use my overhead projector slides I made before the war

[–] bitsplease@lemmy.ml 7 points 1 year ago

What's really BS is the professors who don't teach jack shit during class and just expect students to do all the reading on their own time, then fill the actual class time with busy work. That was wayyy too common when I was in college.

The whole point of college is supposed to be to have highly qualified individuals giving you individualized instruction on advanced topics. That's why it costs literally tens of thousands of dollars. Yet more and more the professors are losers who couldn't hack it in their fields and the "lessons" are just there to fill time while you're expected to do most of the actual learning on your own.

I'd say about 10% of my industry knowledge when I graduated came from my classes, the other 90% was independent study or picking stuff up "on the job" at internships and jobs I worked outside of class. Basically I burned countless hours and tens of thousands of dollars just to get the piece of paper at the end. And talking to colleagues over the years, that's not at all an uncommon experience

[–] Lizardking27@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

If nothing is laid out for me and I just have to read a bunch of textbooks, what exactly am I paying tuition for?

All of my courses did the bulk of instructing and learning during class or lab time, and it was a fulfilling, educational, and enjoyable experience.

College is expensive, it's not unreasonable to expect the instructors to be willing to and capable of instructing.

[–] balderdash9@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

That's a false dichotomy. It is not the difference between the teacher doing everything and the teacher doing literally nothing ("if nothing is laid out for me"). The expectation is that, in *your * education, the teacher should do their job to teach and you do your due diligence as a student to learn.

The latter point is what the post is about. Students who put in no effort at all. If that doesn't apply to you, then you shouldn't feel annoyed.

[–] Anamnesis@lemmy.world 5 points 1 year ago

I always viewed it as a give and take. You're expected to do the reading and understand the basics. The professor is there to give context and help you work out the harder stuff that doesn't leap off the page. If neither does their job, no learning gets done.

[–] halferect@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

If a teacher can't inspire learning than they might be shit teachers. If the class is just read this boring book and regurgitate it back to me do you expect students to care?

[–] scrubbles@poptalk.scrubbles.tech 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'm an audible learner, I can read something 4 times and still not understand how it works. I paid for college to listen to my professors and lecturers, and I retained knowledge by attending all available sessions.

Stop making excuses for being a bad teacher.

[–] balderdash9@lemmy.zip -5 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

I retained knowledge by attending all available sessions.

Sounds like you are putting effort into your education. I'm not talking about you. The vast majority of students are not incapable of doing the reading if they actually care to try.

As a teacher, it's very obvious when no one even looked at the reading. And it's baffling to me that people just want to pass the class and not get anything out of it.

[–] Foggyfroggy@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

This is so true. By college, far more learning and work takes place independently. A professor will teach 3-4 hours per week. Definitely not enough to “explain everything”.

[–] catsarebadpeople@sh.itjust.works 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

OP is the worst kind of pedant

[–] balderdash9@lemmy.zip 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Me: please do the homework and we can have a discussion-based class

You: That makes you a bad teacher!!

[–] catsarebadpeople@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago

Nice straw man!

[–] MooseBoys@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago

I think the appropriateness of this criticism is highly dependent on subject. You can fit Maxwell’s equations on a sticky note, but most electrical engineering work will be learning how to apply those laws in a practical way. On the other hand, if you’re in an English Literature course and didn’t read the literature your class will be discussing, that’s on you.

[–] Toes@ani.social 3 points 1 year ago

This is what I hated most about school, needing to use my already limited free time to be more productive in class.