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- Path: sun001.spd.dsccc.com!jmccarty
- From: jmccarty@sun1307.spd.dsccc.com (Mike McCarty)
- Newsgroups: comp.lang.c
- Subject: Re: Very Simple <maths.h> problem...
- Date: 4 Apr 1996 22:27:34 GMT
- Organization: DSC Communications Corporation
- Message-ID: <4k1icm$hv8@sun001.spd.dsccc.com>
- References: <4jf0c9$rs8@nic.umass.edu> <4jhqaa$d7i@news.acns.nwu.edu> <3162DF9F.41C6@mika.com>
- NNTP-Posting-Host: sun1307.spd.dsccc.com
-
- In article <3162DF9F.41C6@mika.com>, Mark Charette <charette@mika.com> wrote:
- )Usman Muzaffar wrote:
- )>
- )>
- )> I'm not sure I understand the reasoning behind forcing people to read FAQs.
- )> It doesn't help. Instead of getting the same stupid newbie questions over and
- )> over again, we just get angry experts yelling at people to read FAQs.
- )
- )A very long time ago, when I taught computer programming, I told
- )my classes there was such a thing as a stupid question. Not doing the
- )reading assignments and asking a question the next day about a subject
- )that was explicitly covered in the textbook ('is the word "for"
- )in the C language?' ) showed me and the class how stupid the person
- )was. A question showing the book had been read but there was a lack of
- )understanding was a good question, and one of the reasons a teacher
- )is there.
- )--
- )Mark Charette "Languages come; languages go--only Fortran is for
- )Mika Systems, Inc the ages." - Jim Glass
- )charette@mika.com http://www.mika.com
-
-
- Well, Mark, when I taught college a very long time ago, I taught my
- students that there were no stupid questions. There are, however, people
- who are stupid. You seem to be one of the latter.
-
- Attempting to control a class' behavior through intimidation,
- humiliation, and degradation only causes the students to lose respect
- for the professor.
-
- I =never= had a problem with student's doing what you describe. When
- students would show that their problem was due to laziness, I took them
- aside =outside= of class, and asked them whether they had actually read
- the lesson. Most admitted they had not. I would then discuss with them
- the probability of failure. These students normally caught on and began
- to work. Those who would not readily admit to not reading, would, after
- a few pointed questions about the chapter content, show that they had
- not, after which I would give them the same spiel as the first group.
- Normally once was enough to cause all questions asked in class to show a
- modicum of study had been done. The ones who refused to study outside of
- class did not want a repeat of the first conversation.
-
- Belittling people does =not= in all liklihood accomplish what you want.
- Treating people with respect =does=.
-
- Mike
-
- --
- ----
- char *p="char *p=%c%s%c;main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}";main(){printf(p,34,p,34);}
-
- I don't speak for DSC. <- They make me say that.
-