From EurekAlert, we learn that corporate executives are a bunch of cheaters, when the incentives are right: According to the authors, “Our results demonstrate two factors substantially increase the likelihood of financial misrepresentation: extremely low performance relative to average performance in the firm’s industry, and high percentages of CEO compensation in stock options.” The study… Continue reading High Stakes Cheating
Category: Education
Education and Media Relations
The great media relations debate is starting to wind down, but there’s still a bit of life in it. In particular, I want to comment on something that Bora said, that was amplified on by Melinda Barton. Here’s Bora’s comment: Everyone is afraid to use the F word, but the underlying tension is, at its… Continue reading Education and Media Relations
Great Moments in Student Course Evaluations
In response to a question about “Other aspects of the instructor’s teaching,” one student in my recently completed E&M class wrote: Prof. Orzel gives the impression of an everyday guy who just happens to have a vast but hidden knowledge of physics and the course was taught in that slightly utilitarian approach. I’ve been looking… Continue reading Great Moments in Student Course Evaluations
Better Science Teaching Costs Money
Another itme from yesterday’s Inside Higher Ed that’s worth a mention is a report about a new call for improved science teacher in the public schools: The report by the Business-Higher Education Forum (BHEF) is distinguished from the many other recent reports on the subject, the forum’s leaders said, by the group’s emphasis as much… Continue reading Better Science Teaching Costs Money
In Defense of Fiction Reading
Eductaion reform is a contentious topic, and everybody has their own ideas about the best ways to improve the teaching of basic skills. Some people favor a “whole language” approach, others think we should go back to teaching phonics and memorizing grammar rules. I’ve heard people speak of “diagramming sentences” as absolutely the worst idea… Continue reading In Defense of Fiction Reading
Labs and Learning
Steve Gimbel at Philosopher’s Playground is calling for the abolition of lab classes:p> As an undergrad I majored in both philosophy and physics and I have a confession my former physics profs will surely not like — everything I know about physics, I learned from my theory classes. You see, science classes come in two… Continue reading Labs and Learning
We Never Run Out of Voucher Threads
I’m going to be away from the computer for much of the weekend (I may schedule some posts, so the site doesn’t go completely dark, depending on how much time I have this morning), so I’m not able to do a really thorough discussion of this. And, honestly, I’m kind of getting sick of the… Continue reading We Never Run Out of Voucher Threads
College Readiness and Advanced Placement
There’s an article in Inside Higher Ed today on the problem of college readiness: We must come together in postsecondary education on many of these points if we are to prepare far greater numbers of students for college. ACT Inc. estimates that 60 percent to 70 percent of its test takers are not well-prepared for… Continue reading College Readiness and Advanced Placement
Fire Bad Teachers or the Terrorists Win
Kate’s in Rochester to argue a couple of cases, and the Queen of Niskayuna is being Difficult this morning, so I don’t have as much time as I’d like for this. As a result, it may come out a little more inflammatory than I intend, but then, that’s half the fun of blogging. Or something.… Continue reading Fire Bad Teachers or the Terrorists Win
Teacher-Firing Followup
There are some comments in the earlier post about firing teachers that probably deserve responses. They don’t deserve the responses they would’ve gotten yesterday, though, as I was grading lab reports all morning, and the snark level was high. Having cooled off a bit, I’ll try to get back to that today (day job permitting).… Continue reading Teacher-Firing Followup