[wantmyf1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif This generation isn't necessarily worse, but it's not great either, at least among the lower-classes. I, like you, did not do well his first years in college, but now have a semester left with a 3.8 GPA. But in my case, it was more insecurity and lack of motivation that held me down, not necessarily ignorance. I see kids now who just won't think for themselves, everything they know is parroted. In my intro to MIS class, most of the students were getting Cs because the professor would word his exam questions in a tricky way. It required you to think, and that's what ruined people. In my ethics class, the professor asks us to elaborate our opinions, and most either say some vague textbook response or go completely off-topic. And there's just so much scapegoating, kids blaming everyone else for their failures.

I don't disagree at all with what you're saying but the point I'm putting forward is that this probably isn't any different than previous generations; including mine. Through the ages populations have been composed of a large number of "sheeple". However despite the failings of generations past and just because you didn't live through them don't think there weren't problems (I can just imagine what my grandparents thought of "sex, drugs & rock 'n roll"

), we're all here. Not only that, we even have a better standard of living than at just about any point in Earth's history. Could it be better? Maybe, but I really don't know. Humans screw up, despite that we always seem to make it through. That will probably continue until nature decides we're at the end of our run.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wantmyf1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know this won't fit the thread's direction but I'm going to defend the coming generation. This thread makes me wonder how many times a generation has commented on the intelligence/work ethic/music/priorities/morality of the generation coming after them. I'm guessing oh...Every single one of them And it's a guarantee that this coming generation will rant about the generation after them as well, and the circle will continue ad-infinitum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by fenixdown110 /img/forum/go_quote.gif But if you step back and compare this decade to the last couple, you'll notice that parenting and role models are amiss and going down a slippery slope. That's only going to get worse the next time around when children who haven't gotten proper parenting become parents themselves.

I'm 50 and it's been was like this when I was a kid. I remember sitting in a US history class and the teacher handed out a map of the colonies. We had to fill in the names. 3/4ths of the class couldn't fill in a single name, including Maryland, the state we lived in, and that was the same shape on the map as it is today.

Another anecdote, a friend who went to University of Maryland said that in his English 101 class of 100+ people, the professor asked the first day, who liked to read. My friend was the only person who raised his hand.

Things weren't that different in the 70s. At least these days, kids seem to be forced to do a lot of homework, which wasn't true when I was in school.

 

[XaNE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif This generation isn't necessarily worse, but it's not great either, at least among the lower-classes. I, like you, did not do well his first years in college, but now have a semester left with a 3.8 GPA. But in my case, it was more insecurity and lack of motivation that held me down, not necessarily ignorance. I see kids now who just won't think for themselves, everything they know is parroted. In my intro to MIS class, most of the students were getting Cs because the professor would word his exam questions in a tricky way. It required you to think, and that's what ruined people. In my ethics class, the professor asks us to elaborate our opinions, and most either say some vague textbook response or go completely off-topic. And there's just so much scapegoating, kids blaming everyone else for their failures.

This has been me for the past few years in education; I'm 16yrs old and i am a Jr in high-school.
The problem for me is not intelligence or ignorance, I'm quite the opposite. Its because no motivation in any of my classes and or teachers.
Most teachers are mindlessly reading out of a book and preaching to us with no excitement, intelligence and interest.
Its extremely difficult to work for my own satisfaction in any subject subject.
Ive always wished that i could be in a school that has interesting and caring teachers.

The few amount of teachers Ive had who are interesting and inspiring become those boring white teachers.
The reason for this is the stupid and mindless students who don't care about there education. Ask dumb questions, fail tests and you know the rest.
Then then those teachers slow down and dumb down the class just to pass them.

Classes like these make the smarter and more interested students just not care for there teachers and classes; Which intern brings down there motivation and excitement.

Right now i am a 2.5gpa student for this reason.

I live in a high middle-class family. I don't live in a city or go to a city school, surprisingly this happens everywhere.

Kenston High School ~ 9500 Bainbridge Road, Chagrin Falls, Ohio, 44023, USA; 440-543-9821

 

[Kirosia]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wantmyf1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I don't disagree at all with what you're saying but the point I'm putting forward is that this probably isn't any different than previous generations; including mine. Through the ages populations have been composed of a large number of "sheeple". However despite the failings of generations past and just because you didn't live through them don't think there weren't problems (I can just imagine what my grandparents thought of "sex, drugs & rock 'n roll" ), we're all here. Not only that, we even have a better standard of living than at just about any point in Earth's history. Could it be better? Maybe, but I really don't know. Humans screw up, despite that we always seem to make it through. That will probably continue until nature decides we're at the end of our run.

That's why I said:

Quote:

This generation isn't necessarily worse, but it's not great either

Things have progressed positively, even if many perceive that it isn't. Ignorance, mob mentality, all that stuff is just a part of human nature. There'll always be idiots, just like there'll always be the opposite. But still, I wonder...

Quote:

This has been me for the past few years in education; I'm 16yrs old and i am a Jr in high-school. The problem for me is not intelligence or ignorance, I'm quite the opposite. Its because no motivation in any of my classes and or teachers. Most teachers are mindlessly reading out of a book and preaching to us with no excitement, intelligence and interest. Its extremely difficult to work for my own satisfaction in any subject subject. Ive always wished that i could be in a school that has interesting, exciting and caring teachers.

It gets better in college, you'll often encounter teachers with really good personalities who'll at least try to push their students. Though you may want to shoot for a high-end school, since I assume they won't dumb things down for the uncaring/untrying, and that the student body in general will be more academically intelligent. Not to say small school teachers are bad, most of mine have been smart, caring, and outgoing. But sometimes they have to cater to the lowest denominator, and it ends up hurting everyone.

 

[Samgotit]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wantmyf1 /img/forum/go_quote.gif I know this won't fit the thread's direction but I'm going to defend the coming generation. This thread makes me wonder how many times a generation has commented on the intelligence/work ethic/music/priorities/morality of the generation coming after them. I'm guessing oh...Every single one of them And it's a guarantee that this coming generation will rant about the generation after them as well, and the circle will continue ad-infinitum.

The truth. We are provincial: temporal, spacial, whatever. Where we live and the time we live in always the best. The more provincial a person, I find, the dumber.

 

[VicAjax]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Samgotit /img/forum/go_quote.gif Oh, here we go with the Dawkins humpers-- intelligence by association for people that have never stepped foot in a lab. My favorite people aside from the kids who think building a computer is a skill that requires smarts more than reading at six grade level and the ability to stack egos. (I meant to type Legos but waffles work.) I'm an atheist.

i have to say, the Dawkins humpers are generally far more insufferable than Dawkins himself. if you actually watch the video posted, Dawkins is remarkably measured, clear and reasonable in his lesson.

 

[120717]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's why I said: Ignorance is just a part of human nature.

Hehe.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kirosia /img/forum/go_quote.gif That's why I said: high-end school

"high end"? Too much Head-Fi mate.

 

[scompton]

Quote:

Originally Posted by VicAjax /img/forum/go_quote.gif i have to say, the Dawkins humpers are generally far more insufferable than Dawkins himself. if you actually watch the video posted, Dawkins is remarkably measured, clear and reasonable in his lesson.

He starts out with some nonsense, such as saying all other planets, around all other suns, are just rock and gas, with no life. I've never read his books, so didn't know who he was. That statement a few others in the beginning, had me looking him up. It's funny, he contradicts this statement later on in the video saying that if another planet where life has evolved is hotter, the life would be different than life on earth.

Overall, I agree that it's a very good lesson.

 

[nick_charles]

As a rookie Assistant Professor teaching IT topics to undergraduates I am dismayed by the lack of academic honesty displayed by many freshman students.

I have just had to go through the depressing and hugely time-consuming process of charging two students, one of whom simply said "whatever" when I gave him a copy of the charge sheet and explained how his behavior was unacceptable.

I wonder if he will say this in front of the Dean which was his bonus prize for this attitude ?

This despite giving both students the most lenient penalty possibily, that aint gonna happen again, and this after extending deadlines for one of the students who was failing (well actually had already failed to be accurate) , no good deed goes unpunished as they say.

 

[wantmyf1]

Quote:

Originally Posted by nick_charles /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have just had to go through the depressing and hugely time-consuming process of charging two students, one of whom simply said "whatever" when I gave him a copy of the charge sheet and explained how his behavior was unacceptable.

You'll find bad attitudes everywhere. I've worked with people older than I am who have done the same thing in a work environment

 

[dan1son]

I had a professor, Calculus 2, get up in the middle of class one day and have a rant not unlike some of them in this thread (not really the OP since he mentioned it was only some students...). He told us all he was ashamed to be a tax payer (state University), he can't imagine how bad our world is going to be when we take over, etc. Several months later when he retired mid-year he had a very similar rant at his going away dinner with the entire staff of the university, only this time it was against them and how he was ashamed to work with them and how bad they are at teaching.

Needless to say the problem was the fact that he was unable to adapt to us since we were different.

I think the biggest difference is the fact that there are now more students than ever in college. It is a requirement for a lot of jobs when it never was before, so you get people less motivated about college in general. That doesn't mean there aren't highly motivated students, it's just not necessarily the rule like it might have been.

Neither of my parents finished college, yet 3 of their 4 children did. The younger generation in my field is just as capable, or more so, as the older generations. I don't think any of that has changed.

Most people figure it out eventually or they fall by the wayside as always.

 

[nick_charles]

Quote:

Originally Posted by dan1son /img/forum/go_quote.gif I think the biggest difference is the fact that there are now more students than ever in college. It is a requirement for a lot of jobs when it never was before, so you get people less motivated about college in general. That doesn't mean there aren't highly motivated students, it's just not necessarily the rule like it might have been.

The motivated students do make it worthwhile, they are not always the brightest as such but they try harder and that counts for a lot and it is a joy to work with them.

Yesterday I had a student shake me by the hand when I told him he had managed a B- , I told him he did the work not me

What does worry me a lot (for the future) is that at the first setback many will just give up rather than trying to puzzle out why things are going wrong, okay the error message designers at Microsoft , in fact the whole Microsoft "User Experience/HCI/Usability/Interface" crew could do with a good slapping but .....

 

[scompton]

It's been my experience, both in college in the late 70s, and in work since 80, that a lot of people have gone into IT who don't really have the aptitude for it. At least for the programming side of things, you need to be able to think logically. Not everyone can.

Another anecdote. In the 90s, I was working as a contractor at a large corporation. One employee of the corporation proudly proclaimed in a project kick off meeting that she had cheated her way though a computer science major without ever writing a program. She was proud of it.

 

[A<aA?]

Deep breaths...and relax.

 

[Armaegis]

I don't think this generation of students is getting worse per se, since every generation before this has faced the same criticisms. I do think that things are becoming increasingly polarized (perhaps a flattening of the bell curve is more appropriate), with an ever widening bucket on the low end. Educators today also face many more restrictions than yesteryear.

When I start my lectures for the term, one of the first things I tell my students: "If you're going to be stupid enough to try and cheat, don't be stupid enough to get caught."