Some students are in college because they know that in order to make enough money to live, they'll do better with a degree. And sometimes, yes they are looking for an easy A (or Pass) because they're so weighed down with homework from their other (required) classwork. For them, I appreciate your shrug. Also for you, how much better for your own mental health not to waste anger on students getting by however they can. I love how deeply you think about these and all other matters. I was always a good student with an exceptional brain, which I consider lucky. And writing was always easy for me, which also helped. But I know writing doesn't come easily to many. Thinking doesn't either if they have a brain that flits from wormhole to wormhole. In a better world, people wouldn't need to have a degree to earn a decent living. Education would be free for everyone, and we could choose to pursue higher education or not and still support ourselves and our families. Thanks for listening!
Agree 100%, Sandra. I feel like more and more of my students are in college because they feel it’s mandatory and it shouldn’t be. It’s not for everyone. I also sometimes think we should encourage a different route…let students work and explore for a while after high school and then decide if they want to go to college. Non-traditional, older students are the one group who DO NOT take college for granted.
Yes, students have a lot going on nowadays and I try not to over-burden them. Getting ready for this fall, I cut so much content out of my syllabus so we can go slow. Take our time. Not make ourselves crazy.
I love this: "What I’m trying to do in my classes is teach students how to think. This is why writing is important." In my college comp classes, we'd go over what writing is, and we'd always (with my thumb on the discussion's scale) discover that writing is, above all else, thinking. From freewrites to research methods to essays with evolving theses . . . yeah. I'm with you entirely on AI, and your experience tracks mine. The only good thing about AI in writing class so far is how it forces me to come up with better assignments. This past year, thanks to AI's limitations, I created assignments that involved researching and writing about the local, and the students generally loved it.
That's such a great idea in response to the challenge of AI, Bryce. I was already thinking of an assignment where they wander around and think about how the built structure of the campus reflects the social and cultural structure of campus. Going to lean into more of that. AI can't walk around spaces...yet.
Someone left a comment on a critical note I posted about AI saying that an LLM had written a novel that was as "good" as a human-written one. I think this is a kind of bizarre comparison because what makes a good novel? What I like is different than what someone else likes. Some people love mass-market books, others don't (please don't recommended Fourth Wing to me again, hahaha!).
Writing is about so much more than the finished product. It's about thinking through something, feeling through something, organizing thoughts, collaborating, taking criticism, gathering information, formulating methodologies, etc. The point isn't that AI can create a perfect novel, essay, etc. the point is that we go through the process of writing.
Obviously this is not always the case because sometimes it truly is just about whatever the end product is but most of the time, I think it's about the thinking.
Robyn, I really loved this essay and not only because it aligns with my thinking. In a post I did a few years ago (see https://moretocome.net/2018/02/26/writing-briefly-writing-well/) I mentioned a short essay by Paul Graham entitled "Writing, Briefly" (see https://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html). Graham captures much of what you've said here, in that writing helps you both generate and think through ideas. Thanks for your writing (on this topic and so much more!) DJB
Great stuff, David. Thanks for sharing. Would not expect a computer programmer to be explaining the importance of writing, but happy to be surprised by people.
Some students are in college because they know that in order to make enough money to live, they'll do better with a degree. And sometimes, yes they are looking for an easy A (or Pass) because they're so weighed down with homework from their other (required) classwork. For them, I appreciate your shrug. Also for you, how much better for your own mental health not to waste anger on students getting by however they can. I love how deeply you think about these and all other matters. I was always a good student with an exceptional brain, which I consider lucky. And writing was always easy for me, which also helped. But I know writing doesn't come easily to many. Thinking doesn't either if they have a brain that flits from wormhole to wormhole. In a better world, people wouldn't need to have a degree to earn a decent living. Education would be free for everyone, and we could choose to pursue higher education or not and still support ourselves and our families. Thanks for listening!
Agree 100%, Sandra. I feel like more and more of my students are in college because they feel it’s mandatory and it shouldn’t be. It’s not for everyone. I also sometimes think we should encourage a different route…let students work and explore for a while after high school and then decide if they want to go to college. Non-traditional, older students are the one group who DO NOT take college for granted.
Yes, students have a lot going on nowadays and I try not to over-burden them. Getting ready for this fall, I cut so much content out of my syllabus so we can go slow. Take our time. Not make ourselves crazy.
You are a treasure.
I love this: "What I’m trying to do in my classes is teach students how to think. This is why writing is important." In my college comp classes, we'd go over what writing is, and we'd always (with my thumb on the discussion's scale) discover that writing is, above all else, thinking. From freewrites to research methods to essays with evolving theses . . . yeah. I'm with you entirely on AI, and your experience tracks mine. The only good thing about AI in writing class so far is how it forces me to come up with better assignments. This past year, thanks to AI's limitations, I created assignments that involved researching and writing about the local, and the students generally loved it.
That's such a great idea in response to the challenge of AI, Bryce. I was already thinking of an assignment where they wander around and think about how the built structure of the campus reflects the social and cultural structure of campus. Going to lean into more of that. AI can't walk around spaces...yet.
I LOVE that assignment idea! If I were teaching this coming year, I'd shamelessly steal it.
Most of what I do as a teacher I stole from someone else which is sort of the great thing about teachers. They’re generous like that.
Someone left a comment on a critical note I posted about AI saying that an LLM had written a novel that was as "good" as a human-written one. I think this is a kind of bizarre comparison because what makes a good novel? What I like is different than what someone else likes. Some people love mass-market books, others don't (please don't recommended Fourth Wing to me again, hahaha!).
Writing is about so much more than the finished product. It's about thinking through something, feeling through something, organizing thoughts, collaborating, taking criticism, gathering information, formulating methodologies, etc. The point isn't that AI can create a perfect novel, essay, etc. the point is that we go through the process of writing.
Obviously this is not always the case because sometimes it truly is just about whatever the end product is but most of the time, I think it's about the thinking.
Ya know?
Anyway, I love this take :)
Thanks!
Robyn, I really loved this essay and not only because it aligns with my thinking. In a post I did a few years ago (see https://moretocome.net/2018/02/26/writing-briefly-writing-well/) I mentioned a short essay by Paul Graham entitled "Writing, Briefly" (see https://www.paulgraham.com/writing44.html). Graham captures much of what you've said here, in that writing helps you both generate and think through ideas. Thanks for your writing (on this topic and so much more!) DJB
Great stuff, David. Thanks for sharing. Would not expect a computer programmer to be explaining the importance of writing, but happy to be surprised by people.