tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5827968588643415787.post4116447907915187558..comments2024-03-27T06:58:00.659-05:00Comments on Balancing Jane: Remembering How it Feels to Be "Developmental"Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07801229525416203656noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5827968588643415787.post-12580206912819018092013-06-01T12:14:05.035-05:002013-06-01T12:14:05.035-05:00Oh no, not at all. You never struck me as a gramma...Oh no, not at all. You never struck me as a grammar prescriptivist type at all. I understand it has to be taught though, especially in the intro classes (to be honest, I've never seen an English teacher take much joy in teaching grammar).<br /><br />re: the different ways... oh yes, I have seen this. There are the professors who are truly skilled at teaching, who think of all the different ways they can bring learning forth so that they reach every student, it never fails to amaze me how much work some of them put into it. <br /><br />I have seen the difference in say, a biology course where the professor goes out of his way to use media and whacky stories and explain real-life examples from his life versus those professors who stick to what's in the book, and the differences (in the amount of student confusion) are extremely noticeable.<br /><br /><br />It seems like such an obvious realization but I'm really glad I had it in case I wind up teaching one day. It gave me a newfound appreciation for teaching as a subject and field of study in its own right, rather than as simply a natural extension of being knowledgeable in a subject like math or english.Barnacle Strumpetnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5827968588643415787.post-24411521295983500972013-05-31T19:33:18.882-05:002013-05-31T19:33:18.882-05:00"I just need to spend more time for my brain ..."I just need to spend more time for my brain to make the same connections they made much quicker." I completely agree--and have it presented in different ways. There are lots of ways of saying a thing, and some click better than others. <br /><br /><br />I also hope that I didn't make it sound like I think grammar is what makes writing (I actually don't think grammar rules have much to do with the real work of writing at all, that just happened to be what we were talking about in class recently).Michelle (Balancing Jane)http://www.balancingjane.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5827968588643415787.post-38076610784605516402013-05-30T12:17:36.008-05:002013-05-30T12:17:36.008-05:00Math is my developmental area. I think of it the s...Math is my developmental area. I think of it the same way you do, there are always things that come naturally to us, and there are things we have to work twice as hard or more to master. <br /><br />I think of it as having intuition for something or not. Despite not knowing the difference between a transitive and intransitive verb, or what a gerund is (I did get a 33% on my English Composition grammar test) I've always been able to turn out papers that get an A, because how to structure writing, and how to formulate sentences that say what I mean, comes as naturally to me as breathing.<br /><br />On the other hand, some the students who's papers I've read that are near incomprehensible have told me they excel in math and science. Clearly they can grasp the structure and meaning of mathematics with a natural ease that I lack.<br /><br />I think more time is needed to learn the things we have difficulties with. If it takes me twice as long to master a math concept as a student who is average at it, then in any semester class that's not simply rehashing what I already know, I'll always come to understand the concept too late to excel on the test or the coursework. I imagine the same goes for some people who struggle with writing. They need more time spent on the concept than is given.<br /><br />The same things that teach people who excell at math are perfectly fine to teach me. I just need to spend more time for my brain to make the same connections they made much quicker.<br /><br /><br />Some colleges will make lower level classes that way, to where they are broken into two halves over a year, but...well my school, as far as I know, has no developmental or lengthened courses.Barnacle Strumpetnoreply@blogger.com