Whose Your Teacher?

[Tiger Shark]

Awwww.... C'mon.... Simple logic dictates that a teacher that cannot communicate effectively with the students cannot effectively teach any of them. The same applies the other way, a student that cannot effectively communicate with their teacher can't learn what they need to know, (assuming the teacher is competent in the subject and a competent teacher).

This is a silly subject really.... In each individual institution there needs to be the "accepted" language of teaching/learning. Both the teacher and the student _must_ be fluent in the accepted language. If the teacher isn't fluent then they should be let go.... If the student isn't fluent then they must either become sufficiently fluent to pass the course or, have a translation service available to translate both ways that is sufficient for them to pass... Bearing in mind you can't bring a "proxy" into your finals that will mean that non-native speakers would be at a disadvantage.... But, at the same time, they will have professional qualifications in your country without the ability to understand the 'finer" points of you situation..... Would you want that person as your doctor or lawyer?

[er0k]

well as a follow up to that, TS, many of the math/physics/computer programming courses taught at the major universities in oklahoma, OU and OSU, are taught by people who speak very poor english. But if you notice, most of the classes taught by these people have their own language, math, physics, and computer programming

Regardless, my friend hated Calc 2 in college because he couldn't understand a word that came out of his teacher's mouth.

[nihil]

er0k...........

Regardless, my friend hated Calc 2 in college because he couldn't understand a word that came out of his teacher's mouth.

So did I, and the guy spoke far better English than I do..................except when he was teaching calculus

[bballad]

This is what I was saying tiger, baring the communitcation issue (assumeing both parties where fluent in at least one commen language) the race of he student and the teacher is irrelivant to the students ability to learn or the teachers ability to teach.

[Tiger Shark]

Bballad: Absolutely.... But when the pair can't communicate effectively then they both lose.

[MrLinus]

Simple logic dictates that a teacher that cannot communicate effectively with the students cannot effectively teach any of them. The same applies the other way, a student that cannot effectively communicate with their teacher can't learn what they need to know, (assuming the teacher is competent in the subject and a competent teacher).

And reality is those that can teach effectively in the language of the educational institution know that they can make money elsewhere. So many schools end up with what's left over. Right now, the school I'm at has been letting some of the contract profs go or the contract profs have left for better pastures (work with a real job) because they don't get enough funds to keep profs on and some of the ones they have the students hate because of an inability to teach.

It's a shame but it's an unfortunate reality in that education, which is so critical to ensure that there are enough properly skilled workers, is at one of the lowest pay structures around for many places (this isn't true everywhere but I know where I am -- and if my hours continue for this year, assuming I survive summer and fall semesters -- I'll be lucky to clear $32K/yr. That's not a lot given the costs it takes to live in a city like the one I'm in).

[MURACU]

I can confirm that is more or less the same everywhere. Not really from personnel experiance but from my girlfriends. Any University which depends on the national education system to pay their staff is always underfunded. As for the topic of this thread - Picture this My girlfriend is a typical white americain. She is teaching in a univiersity in the suburbs of Paris. A large part of the student body is of north africian musliam extraction. She not only has no problems with teaching them most of her best students come from the group.

[valhallen]

hmmmm I can see why everyone is jumping all over this one to say its rdiculous as it does raise some quite sticky race questions.

But consider this - if we move away from race and onto gender for a second we can draw some comparrisons.

Now studies have proven that Females perform better in a single sex enviroment. Maybe its due to less distractions, who knows. Where-as on the other hand Males perform better in a mixed enviroment (prolly as they dont wanna horse around as much in front of the fairer gender)

Now because of this we still have many places where single sex schools are common - I myself went to one - and you know what I noticed in it? The classes which had the least trouble where those taught by female teachers.
These teachers did not different from any other male teacher...they were no more competent, they did not have a greater understanding of the source material - they were just female.

Now to get back to the race thing - I am not saying that schools should be segregated or anything of the sort - anyone who knows me will know am not a racist in the slightest - but is it so unresonable to believe that someone may learn better from a person they can identify with? Or perhaps due to their shared background they ahve a deeper urge to prove themselves to?

Now i do not see us ever returning to a time when classes will eb white only or black only etc but perhaps students should be giving guidance tutors of the same race who they feel they can relate to.

Anyways things like this will always be an issue as long as people make it one. Nothing can stop it - as much as we all like t think we are not racist everyone is.....even myself for using the term 'race' - by dividing people into different races you are making it appear they are different from one another. Until there is only 1 race recognised by anyone, the Human Race and all other sug-caagories of that race are forgotten about we will have these problems.

v_Ln

[scoobydrew0]

So if I went to learn the best I can I need to go to Korea. Or at least get out of my town, were all but 2 teachers are white. No wonder why I'm only getting a 3.5 Should have realized that earlier.

[bballad]

valhallen: Who ran those studies and what bias did they go in with (more over who funded them?) how large of a sample did they look at? did they take into consideration any mitigating factors (economics, did the schools get to pick and choose their students ect.). I just don't see how the gender or races of your teacher/fellow students affect your ability to learn/teach. The whole well they don't do well do to racial/gender issues is a copout and more importantly detrimental to the child’s future...is your work environment going to be homogenous? Most likely when you enter the word you will work in a mixed environment, may as well start getting used to that early.