"Tense Present" - In Defense of Standard Written English

Eleven years ago David Foster Wallace wrote “TensePresent,” an essay defending Standard Written English (SWE).  The essay is brilliant, a descriptor I use sparingly and reserve for the truly magnificent things in life. [FN1]  It is one of those things you read and, when through, get a wobbly shocked-and-awed sensation and feel the need to share it, immediately, with everyone you care about and respect. 

The essay fronts as a book review of a dictionary but ultimately explores salvaging Standard Written English as our common and unfailing means of communication.  DFW was a prescriptivist, arguing in favor of preserving the rules of language rather than bending to a relativistic acceptance of usage-is-as-usage-does.  Just because people are butchering the language regularly, it does not follow that the rules have been butchered and served raw to the ghosts of snobbery past.  [FN2] Mass misusage does not dictate surrender for usage proper.   Otherwise, ham-fingered text messages and choppy “sent from my iPad” emails become the norm.  Is that what we want?  Are we willing to absorb the loss of clarity and precision that follows?   

    

Many English teachers use the article as a stage setter in their comp and rhetoric classes.   The rules of the English language can be archaic and untidy;  DFW realized this;  hence, students need to learn the “why” – the function, the beauty of SWE -- before they learn to accept it and love it and use it (and then become evangelical and spread it).  I super-highly recommend this article to our English instructors.  I highly recommend it to all others.

As caretakers of the SPS educational product, the duty is ours – all instructors, whether we teach English or philosophy or science or, dare I say it, math! –  to ensure all SPS graduates can communicate clearly, concisely, and precisely.

Our students must be able to write and present their ideas clearly.  And that will not happen by means of one great English class.  Communication must be taught and reinforced, class by class.

 

I know, I know.   You’re not an English teacher so how can you be entrusted to teach writing?  Consider each discipline as a separate dialect, a variation on Standard Written English, with special rules and unique words and particularized formats.  Start with that because that you know.   Law instructors can teach students to communicate as lawyers (and no, that doesn’t mean teaching them to lie; don’t be cute).  Quantitative instructors can teach students how to talk in statistics (if you are fluent in Excel are you bilingual?).  You know more than you think about writing and communicating. 

Writing-across-the-curriculum is an institutional and departmental goal.  We should make it part of our individual goals too.   

We will be holding a workshop on this topic in the fall and providing resources and materials throughout the year.  Stay tuned.  In the meantime, please read TensePresent.  It is worth your time. [FN3]

[FN1] For illustrations of what qualifies as truly magnificent consider Bill Murray in Wes Anderson movies, Marcella Hazan’s cookbooks, anything with a Werner Herzog voiceover, Breakfast Stout, or placing pork cheek on top of French Fries (bless you, Jennifer Jasinski, of Euclid Hall and Rioja).

[FN2] The beautiful thing about DFW as an advocate for SWE is that he was not a George Will-ish type adorned with bow-ties and crisply parted hair.  This was a scruffy, long-haired, occasionally doo-ragged writer preserving snooty, conservative ground. 

  

[FN3] This footnote simply is a nod to the greatness that is DFW’s use of footnotes.  He once wrote a 67-page letter, replete with footnotes, to break up with his girlfriend.

Putting the Focus on Learning (Conquering the Grade-Centric Mindset)

Would it surprise you to hear that one of sport’s greatest coaches never mentioned “winning” to his players?   To John Wooden, the longtime head coach of UCLA basketball, winning was an end result.  He wanted his players attendant to the journey, focused on doing the right things, the right way, every day.  Winning is the by-product of those labors.  And some days the best effort results in losses and the worst results in wins.   He asked his players to give all, save none, and do their best.  If that resulted in winning, great.  And Wooden’s teams, their focus elsewhere than on winning, won an awful lot. **

I think you will enjoy this short video clip of Wooden discussing his teaching philosophy:  John Wooden Defines Success (also linked at the end of this post)

Why do I share this?  No, SPS is not starting a basketball team (and even if it were, they would not be looking to a 5’4” ex-lawyer to spearhead the effort).   I share this because it provides a blueprint for getting our students focused on the learning process (the journey) rather than on final grades (the by-product of that journey).

We are not A’s or B’s or C’s.  We are what we know, what we do, and what we believe.  We are the effort we put forth, the potential we realize.  Grades are ephemeral transcript notations; true learning we keep as our own.  How do we help our students understand that, so they can emerge from the haziness of GPA fever and hunger not for A’s but for the means to keep getting better?

Suppose a student comes into Quantitative Analysis with zero understanding of the topic or its purpose.  Inspired by the passionate instructor (let’s call him Prof. Tom B.), the student identifies the course’s treasures,  redoubles effort to obtain them,  puts in extra time-on-task, devours Prof. Tom B.’s timely and useful feedback, and gets a final grade of, heaven help us, 87 (B+).   This student went from zero to 87 in eight weeks.  That’s the value, the scope of knowledge gained.   Despair awaits a student in this situation who laments falling short of an A instead of understanding the extraordinary situational value of this B+. 

  

Now imagine a student who came into the same class but with solid quantitative background and coasted to an 87 (B+).  Both students earned the same grade but with much different value gained because the rigors and splendors of their journeys differed.   The final grades are accurate and fair as they represent the ultimate mastery demonstrated by the student (equal).  But the first student has gained more.  This need not be reflected in the grade, as it is not what grades are for (in my mind).  Grades measure mastery.  The value added, the distance traveled, is recouped personally by the student in terms of human betterment and self-efficacy. 

  

Coach Wooden talked about those days when his teams worked hard and expended their best effort but faced a superior opponent.  Even if his team lost that day, he taught them how to evaluate their own effort, to understand that wins and losses were mere by-products and not the true measure of their ultimate success.

Learning is a culture.  As instructors we are cultural icons in our classrooms.  In that role we can focus our students on the learning journey, liberating them to value effort and quality and let the grades fall where they may.  We must help our students understand and recognize the situation where a hard-earned B+ in one class might be better than an easy A they earned in another. 

**If you prefer the same philosophy but in a different context, consider Eric Rippert’s approach to running a world renowned restaurant:

Jeff Haden:  [L]e Bernardin has received four stars from The New York Times for a record 26 years in a row, with you as executive chef for 18 of those years. How?

Eric Ripert: As much as we don't take for granted our four stars and any awards we have received, we do not think about these on a daily basis--our focus is solely on the kitchen preparing the best food and front of house providing the best service possible.

Click here for the full interview with Chef Ripert from Inc.com.

Grade Inflation and the "Process of Learning" by Dr. Wojciech Mrozek

Dr. Wojciech Mrozek

Paradoxically, the inflation of grades in the U.S. universities and colleges is neither about the grades nor their inflation.  If this was the case, then the solution could be straightforward: since the grades are inflated, one just has to lower every grade from A to B, from B to C and so on. Yet, the solution is not that simple, because the problem is bigger than the grades. I would argue that the problem is directly related to the crisis of the educational system. 

What is the purpose of education? Why do we learn? Why do people pay money (in some cases a substantial amount of money) in order to attend a school? The typical answers to those questions are as follow: “I need that degree to earn more money.” “I need to graduate to advance in my career.”  “I have to become more competitive in the job market.” To be honest, those statements are perfectly fine, but they cannot be the main reasons why we learn.  Yet, as long as we choose to answer those questions in a very pragmatic way, we will face the problem of focusing our attention on the highest possible grades earned. In other words, as long as education is seen as a commodity that can simply be bought and sold, or as an investment that can bring about a certain profit, then the grades are going to be the most important part of the learning process.  The investments must pay off the highest interests, meaning the highest grades because the investor expects the highest profit (the highest grades), and the institutions of higher education do not want to disappoint their investors (students). If that is the case, then the students, whether labeled as consumers or investors, would demand the highest possible grades and challenge any grade that does not fulfill their expectations. The outcome of such an approach is the “entitlement attitude” on the part of the students, and the “compliance attitude” on the part of the educational institution. Yet, I strongly believe that education is not a commodity, it has value in itself and the grades should be seen as a byproduct and not the main focus of the learning process.

Furthermore, I believe that education is not simply about teaching. It is primarily about learning. Education is not merely about what I teach, but it is more about what you learn. I believe that if the emphasis is on the latter, then the pressure of getting the highest grade would be minimized, and the students would gradually realize that the goal of education is not purely the final grade (which still is important), but the comprehension and skills they have discovered through their learning experience.

Unfortunately, there is not a simple solution to the problem of grade inflation. However, I believe that the initial step that may lead to a gradual solution is to change the focus of education from earning grades or degrees to learning and experiencing something new. If the students (and the instructors) increasingly change the focus from the grades to the learning process, then, I believe, we are on the right path. Instead of asking, “What grade did I get” one should ask, “What have I learned?” “How can I improve?” “Have I really achieved my best?”

Of course, we still needs grades, we have to recognize the achievements and accomplishments of every individual learner. The question is how to do it?

In every human interaction, there is a certain tension between subjectivity and objectivity. The relationship between the students and the instructor is not excluded from this tension. Yet, subjectivity is not only the problem of the instructor who is grading a paper; the student has his or her subjective interpretation too. Now, the question transforms into: Can any grade be ever objective? 

There is a further tension between objectivity and fairness. Which grade is objective? Which grade is fair? Does objective mean fair? What should we emphasize, objectivity or fairness? Should we pay attention to both?

Another tension is between the process of learning and the final product. While grading, are we looking at the final product or at the process? Are we rewarding just the basic value of the assignment or the work involved in accomplishing the assignment? Are we helping the student to achieve his/her best potentials (thus learning) or just judging the final paper? (I do not even know who wrote the final paper. See: The Chronicle of Higher Education, November 12, 2010. The Shadow Scholar. The man who writes your students' papers tells his story.)

Still another tension is between the uniqueness and individuality of every student and the standardization of the students’ achievements. We live in a society where individuality is highly regarded, almost essential to our identity as human beings. On the other hand, when it comes to education, we have standardized, numeric tests to define the value of a particular achievement, which effectively destroy individuality.

If the goal of education is achieving certain standards, then what should the standards be? Should it be the accomplishment of certain numeric values? Or the standard should be defined in terms of learning, widening horizons, growing and experiencing oneself and the outside world in a new and a very personal and individual way? The question is then, how do we measure the achievements? How do we recognize the individual accomplishments?

Dr. Mrozek is an adjunct instructor with Centenary College's School of Professional Studies; he teaches courses in Religion, Philosophy, and Academic Foundations.

Frank Longo Receives 2011 CAPS Adjunct Excellence Award

At the faculty workshop on Saturday, June 18, 2011 we proudly presented the 2011 CAPS Adjunct Excellence Award to Mr. Frank Longo.

Frank teaches finance and accounting in the CAPS program.

When students attest that Frank takes the mystery out of finance and, moreover, convinces them that "finance is fun", you know a special teacher is in your midst.

The selection process was multi-faceted. We first cemented the criteria: "The winner should be an instructor who brings not only knowledge and expertise into the classroom, but also passion for the material, respect and care for the students, a patient and uplifting demeanor, and a genuine love for teaching. Ultimately, this instructor's students achieve deep learning in a meaningful and relevant fashion" ** see footnote below **

We next asked students to nominate instructors based on that criteria; they embraced the request: 47 students submitted nominations, in some cases accompanied by a page-long testament, and 25 different instructors received nominations. Read these stats as you will, but I think an easy take-away is that your students appreciate the efforts behind quality teaching and will go out of their way to acknowledge it.

Finally, a panel of 5 CAPS staff members reviewed each nomination and thoroughly deliberated until consensus was reached.

How did we decide upon Frank Longo? The words of his students (below) will provide you the answer.

“He has a genuine love for teaching”

“He connects with his students”

“His passion for the course comes through with transferred excitement”

“He makes our entire class want to be taught”

“He has the ability to effectively identify and address individual needs of students while moving the whole class forward effectively.”

“He has a willingness to work with our class until we get what is being taught. If it takes additional hours to get us there, he puts in those hours.”

“His teaching approach is multi-faceted providing an enriched learning environment.”

“He used a variety of tools for learning.”

“He understands that finance is a course that builds.”

“His use of humor keeps students motivated and engaged.”

“He has the most patience of anyone I know.”

“He gave me the confidence to really break through and understand.”

“He helped me to see that finance is fun or in my case a whole lot less scary.”

Congratulations, Frank, and thank you for your hard work, your dedication to your students, and your commitment to teaching excellence.

**A footnote: You should know that we had Scott Williams in mind when setting our criteria for this award. A model adjunct and good friend, Scott passed away in December; he was a quiet mentor to many and an irreplaceable part of the CAPS fabric. When Scott offered advice it was wise to listen. Unfailingly honest and caring, he worked from the assumption that his students and colleagues had the responsibility -- and the ability -- to set and meet high expectations. Too late, I know, but to honor his good works we named Scott as an honorary recipient of the CAPS Adjunct Excellence Award.

In Memory of our Friend, Scott R. Williams

The Rules of Engagement

In the prior post, you read Instructor John Bermingham's thoughts on engaging adult students. John has penned an expanded version of his thoughts on the topic that I wish to share with you.

John teaches Business Law and Business Ethics. Walk past his classroom on any given night and you will witness an energy exchange in progress. There is a sense of shared excitement about the subject matter, from both student and instructor, demonstrating that John is, indeed, gifted at engaging his students. He recognizes that adult students need to be active participants in the learning process, engaged in a way that is relevant to them. Click here to read John's excellent piece, titled "The Rules and Tools of Engagement."

The Hedgehog and the Fox

“The fox knows many little things but the hedgehog knows one big thing.” - Archilochus

It was suggested by Sir Isaiah Berlin that perhaps all thinkers could be classified as either hedgehogs or as foxes. The hedgehog (i.e., Darwin) views everything through a single, governing principle. It accepts one great truth that informs all others. The fox (i.e., Shakespeare) believes in multiple means and truths even if wholly unrelated. In his book “Good to Great,” Jim Collins seizes on this concept and suggests that great organizations identify, in hedgehog fashion, the one thing at which they excel and leverage it fully. It is an interesting idea and I pondered its applicability to teaching.

Thus, as a thought exercise, I asked several of our CAPS instructors to assume the role of hedgehog, regardless of their natural inclinations, and try to identify one “big thing” which is the root of good teaching in an accelerated, adult program. Below you will find their aggregated responses.

As I read the varied entries, I wonder if my hedgehog approach has generated an end product that is fox-like in essence. Whatever the species of their creation, there is much to be learned from our esteemed colleagues and I thank them for their time and input.

The official query: If you had to boil it down -- to a single, big idea -- what is your approach to successfully teaching in the Centenary College CAPS program?

The unedited responses:

Daniel J. Lane – English and History

It can NEVER BE one single component that is ultimately successful for all instructors. I would look to my "prior knowledge" of Current Events, a strong sense of past/current Literacy Movements, and, a clear understanding of Human Behavior.

In order to "seduce" new students intellectually and emotionally, the person who delivers the content MUST be devoid of "ego".

That is not to say a lack of confidence as much as it allows/encourages our students to step outside the box of learning to gain some academic confidence in a new milieu.

Personality is a huge factor in why my students are compelled to achieve significantly higher than other students.

I utilize the John Wooden teaching philosophy. We never discuss final grades, yet, each week becomes a clear grade process that encourages them to not ask how am I doing but how can I learn/achieve more during the remaining weeks.

My students get the opportunity to discover/investigate/pick my brain on a multiplicity of levels.

William Lorenzo - History

In every cohort that I have taught and continue to teach, I impress on my adult learners to always strive for excellence and never settle for mediocrity. As graduates of Centenary College they have an obligation to go out into the world and make it a better place than what it is.

Tim Captain – Economics and Marketing Research

My approach to teaching students in the CAPS program is to constantly relate principles from the course to the real world. I'll highlight current news stories, as well as examples from my own professional and personal life, to illustrate these concepts in action, and then I'll encourage students to share ways that these principles relate to their own lives--both as businesspeople and as consumers. Students are often surprised to find how abstract concepts like price elasticity of demand actually relate to their everyday lives.


John A. Bermingham, Jr. – Business Law and Business Ethics

If I had to boil it down to one single method or rule for successfully teaching in Centenary College’s CAPS program, I would have to say it is “engagement.” Engaging a class means ‘the act of occupying the attention or efforts of a person or persons’. It is not just gaining and attracting students’ attention, but holding and maintaining it for a period of time. In order to keep my students engaged, I stay engaged myself and enthusiastic about the material I present. Additionally, I see myself as more a facilitator than a lecturer, introducing current events, real-life scenarios, role-playing, debate and maintaining a constantly interactive learning environment. No matter how you break it up, four hours is a substantial amount of time to be sitting in a classroom at the end of an already long work day. I find that changing things up and using several different methods of instruction helps to maintain students’ attention and stimulates their learning experience.

An eight-week course goes by very quickly and the students have to take in a lot of information in a short period of time. It is crucial that I remain a constant presence on Blackboard whether I am teaching a class on-line or in the traditional classroom setting. Blackboard is the class homeroom where students go on a daily basis for e-mails, discussion boards, assignments, or grades. I find that just sending out a daily e-mail to my class with an inspirational quote motivates them, lets them know I am on Blackboard, and that I am very accessible to answer any questions or concerns they may have.

I try to follow the words of Thomas Groome as he writes in his book, Educating for Life: A Spiritual Vision for Every Teacher and Parent that “educators should cooperate with the learner as a question raiser, coach, companion, and friend; always addressing interests, suggesting connections, encouraging reflection, giving examples, using imagery, inviting decision, and making connections with prior knowledge and experience.” I place myself by my students’ sides, letting them know that as we discuss a concept or current event I, as the instructor, will facilitate the educational process using the Socratic method of teaching; however, they, as the student, need to challenge me as we explore and discuss each concept or analysis. All of these methods, practices and theories are some ways to keep me engaged as an instructor and lifelong learner, and to hopefully provide a stimulating, interesting and engaging learning experience for the CAPS student.

Mary Gormley - English

I would have to say that the single biggest element in teaching in this program is flexibility. Students are often coming directly from work, and need time to let down their guard. A few minutes of "how's it going kind of talk" gives them time to unwind and the teacher the ability to assess which way to take the class that night. Because these students come from varying backgrounds flexibility is also key to effectively raise the bar without overwhelming the cohort.

Lynn Wocell – Art Appreciation

Teaching the Art Appreciation class successfully in the Centenary CAPS Program for the past 10 years occurred by understanding the nature of the adult learner. Adult learners want to know how to accomplish their goals efficiently and effectively. Most learners are juggling multiple responsibilities and do not want their time wasted. They come to class ready to work and want to be provided with a clear understanding of the task and how to accomplish goals avoiding any bumps in the road. To meet those needs I provide clear expectations of course objectives, engaging materials and well designed learning assignments. Discussions require students to be actively engaged and to associate and demonstrate their understanding of the subject (art) often by using experiential methods.

Adult learners come to class with a wealth of life and work experiences. I call upon students to relate to the subject by associating and building on those experiences. I provide assignments that have relevance and meaning. One recent example of how this was done by a learning team illustrates efficient, meaningful and experiential teaching and learning methods. The learning team, after carefully outlining their team project and specific goal in mind, met in Central Park to take photos for their multimedia presentation “Hidden Art in Central Park”. They collaboratively captured various visual elements evident in art and architecture throughout the park. After the photo shoot the team all proceeded to the Metropolitan Museum of Art nearby to also accomplish the required museum visit and paper. Their objectives were met by drawing on real life experience, which in turn provided a richer learning experience in a time efficient manner. Helping the CAPS learners to achieve success in meaningful and engaging ways has been a key to my success in the Centenary CAPS Program.

A Message from Dr. Letson re: Master Syllabus Methodology

Dear All,

In order to foster consistency and quality in our CAPS program and to be in compliance with the increasing need for transparency and accountability as required by Middle States, we have elected to utilize a master syllabus methodology to manage course development and delivery.

The benefits of this methodology are:

1. The master syllabus contains provisions needed to meet accreditation requirements.

2. The master syllabus focuses on those elements that are common to all offerings of the same course, aiding in the consistency of meeting course, program and college-wide learning objectives. This respects the academic freedom for adjunct faculty who wish to expand upon the basic framework, while leaving the required course assessments consistent.

3. The master syllabus is linked to the institution’s core curriculum content and evaluation process. Mandated elements are specifically addressed in master syllabus learning outcomes, and are part of the program learning outcomes assessment matrix as established by the full-time program faculty.

4. The master syllabus is managed electronically making it available to faculty, 24-7.

To be certain that you are using the most current version of the master syllabi, please make sure that visit the instructor lounge before teaching any courses for the upcoming 2010 calendar.
If you need assistance accessing the syllabi, please contact Lenore Goldberg at goldbergl@centenarycollege.edu.

If you have any questions please contact Anthony Yacullo at yaculloa@centenarycollege.edu.

Best,

Deirdre Letson