TechIntersect

When I was an undergraduate, I once took a Principles of Design class taught by a teacher… (how do I put this tactfully?)… a teacher with some issues. While the class was not a complete and utter waste of time (I actually did one or two projects that I continue to refer back to from time to time) there were some tense and uncomfortable moments in that class. There is one day I will never forget, because the teacher was trying to teach us how to critique a work of art, looking for elements of design.

That day was very strange, because the teacher brought in a hideous ceramic sculpture, that we soon learned was her own creation, and she wanted the class to critique it. There we were, staring at this thing that included among other things, a 3-D representation of our teacher’s late middle-aged bare breast. She became agitated with the class because no one was brave enough to offer any comments at all. Even I, a normally vocal and active participant in the class, was speechless that day. She cajoled, pressured and even yelled at us, but we weren’t about to say anything, knowing that we were in a very precarious situation.

It Happened Again!

I was reminded of this experience again today as I completed my last assignment in a class I am currently taking. This time, the teacher had us read two research papers, one of which the teacher authored. Not quite the same as before, but it still brought a similar uncomfortable feeling back. This paper was so full of $20 words, this simple hick from the sticks in Kansas had to refer to the dictionary repeatedly just to make sense of it all. (I was thinking that if I am required to write in such an obtuse way to earn a Ph.D., maybe this whole effort wasn’t such a good idea after all!) But once I figured out what was being said, I knew the same ideas could have been easily expressed much more simply and with more clarity.

Again, no one would dare to speak up and question the writing style used. I muddled through and am moving on. But I pose this question to my guests reading this:

Should a teacher use their own creative work for class assignments that require a critique or analysis of that work?

I admit, I am guilty of using stuff I have made in my classes. Indeed we all create handouts, slide shows, visual aids, and supplemental materials. But is making that work the center of attention wise? Doesn’t this put a lot of unnecessary pressure on students in a class? Or am I making too big a deal of this? What do you think?

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