Getting the Most Out of Your Teachers

from College Thinking: How To Get the Best Out of College
(Reprinted with permission of Mrs. J. Meiland)

The question "How should teachers treat students?," is important and much discussed, because teachers have power over students and care must be taken to see that this power is not abused. The question, "How should students treat teachers?," is equally important. I think that many students do not make sufficient use of their teachers and so do not get as much as they could out of their college experience.

Some students do not ask enough questions in class because they are intimidated by their teachers. Some teachers attempt to intimidate their students, while other teachers tolerate intimidation as a by-product of their normal methods of operation. But most teachers try to avoid intimidating students, and are surprised to learn that students sometimes fear them. Students feel intimidated for several reasons: they don't want to impose on the teacher's valuable time; they feel the teacher is so distinguished that he is doing the student a favor simply by being in class; they are afraid that their questions will seem "stupid" to the other students or to the teacher.

These feelings are as common as they are mistaken. The teacher's job is to teach, regardless of how infallible or distinguished that teacher may be. Classes are held primarily for the benefit of the student, and by choosing to teach and by offering a course, the teacher puts himself at your service. It is up to you to take advantage of the opportunity. Teachers do not automatically know what it is that you do not understand or why you do not understand it. Experienced teachers know what difficulties students typically have in understanding the material, and they structure their presentation of material in such a way as to try to resolve or avoid those difficulties in advance. But each student will have unique difficulties, and the teacher will not know what your special problems are unless you tell him. The teacher cannot teach the material to you unless you indicate what you need help with. Learning is a cooperative activity and cannot occur without the active participation of student and teacher alike. If you do not help the teacher zero in on your particular stage of learning and your particular difficulties, the teaching process will not work in the way that it should. So ask questions in class.

But you may still feel that your questions are "stupid," and this inhibits you from asking them. The phrase "stupid question" here means "a question that you hesitate to ask during class (or even after class) because you feel that the other students already know the answer and thus your question would simply waste class time; you feel that the answer is obvious and therefore the instructor or the other students, or both, will think that you are stupid for asking it." Both of these feelings are totally misguided. First, the teacher will not think badly of you for asking questions. Good teachers enjoy being asked questions because they make the teacher feel needed and useful--you need the teacher in order to understand the material--and they show the teacher that you are interested in and trying to grasp the material.

Second, more often than not, the other students do not know the answer to the question either. They may be sitting there with knowing looks on their faces, but often this is just a mask that they put on so that the teacher will not see that they do not understand the material in the way they should. The other students are usually relieved and grateful that you have had the courage to ask your question. That the other students often do not know the answer is evidenced by the following: when a student asks a question, the alert teacher who is really trying to get this material across to the students will sometimes ask another student to answer that question; and it often turns out that the teacher must ask quite a few students before finding one who can answer it; then the teacher will explain the question and the answer again to the whole class, since your question has shown that most of the other students did not understand the material either. Colleges and universities ought to give scholarships to students whose job would be to ask so-called "stupid" questions in class. This would perform a great service for education. Education simply cannot proceed unless students ask questions and create some type of dialogue with their instructors.

Students should be critical of teachers. Often they refrain from criticism because they believe that they might antagonize the instructor, who will then retaliate by giving them a low grade. It is true that there are some teachers who do not welcome criticism and who will retaliate. But good teachers encourage criticism. Students cannot learn to criticize and to think independently unless they practice these skillsﾑand the materials available for practice are the materials of the course, including the instructor's ideas. You are an apprentice to your instructor in the art of thinking; you learn how to do it partly by being told, partly by being shown, and partly by doing it. One major reason why the instructor presents ideas is to give you practice in analyzing, criticizing, and evaluating them. You have to cooperate by analyzing and criticizing the ideas presented. Just as your teacher needs to challenge you, you must challenge your teacher.

To take the quiz, click here.

ABOUT THE ELP What is the ELP? Teaching Staff ELP COURSES First Year Second Year Advanced English TRY THE ELP Sample Lecture Sample Reading Sample Quiz		Sample ELP Reading Getting the Most Out of Your Teachers from College Thinking: How To Get the Best Out of College (Reprinted with permission of Mrs. J. Meiland) The question "How should teachers treat students?," is important and much discussed, because teachers have power over students and care must be taken to see that this power is not abused. The question, "How should students treat teachers?," is equally important. I think that many students do not make sufficient use of their teachers and so do not get as much as they could out of their college experience. Some students do not ask enough questions in class because they are intimidated by their teachers. Some teachers attempt to intimidate their students, while other teachers tolerate intimidation as a by-product of their normal methods of operation. But most teachers try to avoid intimidating students, and are surprised to learn that students sometimes fear them. Students feel intimidated for several reasons: they don't want to impose on the teacher's valuable time; they feel the teacher is so distinguished that he is doing the student a favor simply by being in class; they are afraid that their questions will seem "stupid" to the other students or to the teacher. These feelings are as common as they are mistaken. The teacher's job is to teach, regardless of how infallible or distinguished that teacher may be. Classes are held primarily for the benefit of the student, and by choosing to teach and by offering a course, the teacher puts himself at your service. It is up to you to take advantage of the opportunity. Teachers do not automatically know what it is that you do not understand or why you do not understand it. Experienced teachers know what difficulties students typically have in understanding the material, and they structure their presentation of material in such a way as to try to resolve or avoid those difficulties in advance. But each student will have unique difficulties, and the teacher will not know what your special problems are unless you tell him. The teacher cannot teach the material to you unless you indicate what you need help with. Learning is a cooperative activity and cannot occur without the active participation of student and teacher alike. If you do not help the teacher zero in on your particular stage of learning and your particular difficulties, the teaching process will not work in the way that it should. So ask questions in class. But you may still feel that your questions are "stupid," and this inhibits you from asking them. The phrase "stupid question" here means "a question that you hesitate to ask during class (or even after class) because you feel that the other students already know the answer and thus your question would simply waste class time; you feel that the answer is obvious and therefore the instructor or the other students, or both, will think that you are stupid for asking it." Both of these feelings are totally misguided. First, the teacher will not think badly of you for asking questions. Good teachers enjoy being asked questions because they make the teacher feel needed and useful--you need the teacher in order to understand the material--and they show the teacher that you are interested in and trying to grasp the material. Second, more often than not, the other students do not know the answer to the question either. They may be sitting there with knowing looks on their faces, but often this is just a mask that they put on so that the teacher will not see that they do not understand the material in the way they should. The other students are usually relieved and grateful that you have had the courage to ask your question. That the other students often do not know the answer is evidenced by the following: when a student asks a question, the alert teacher who is really trying to get this material across to the students will sometimes ask another student to answer that question; and it often turns out that the teacher must ask quite a few students before finding one who can answer it; then the teacher will explain the question and the answer again to the whole class, since your question has shown that most of the other students did not understand the material either. Colleges and universities ought to give scholarships to students whose job would be to ask so-called "stupid" questions in class. This would perform a great service for education. Education simply cannot proceed unless students ask questions and create some type of dialogue with their instructors. Students should be critical of teachers. Often they refrain from criticism because they believe that they might antagonize the instructor, who will then retaliate by giving them a low grade. It is true that there are some teachers who do not welcome criticism and who will retaliate. But good teachers encourage criticism. Students cannot learn to criticize and to think independently unless they practice these skillsﾑand the materials available for practice are the materials of the course, including the instructor's ideas. You are an apprentice to your instructor in the art of thinking; you learn how to do it partly by being told, partly by being shown, and partly by doing it. One major reason why the instructor presents ideas is to give you practice in analyzing, criticizing, and evaluating them. You have to cooperate by analyzing and criticizing the ideas presented. Just as your teacher needs to challenge you, you must challenge your teacher. To take the quiz, click here.
		International Christian University : English Language Program

English Language Program

Getting the Most Out of Your Teachers