basilmarket

DrHye

[quote=Ecoutie]Part of the problem with what you're describing is not all teachers have the time to give each student that one-on-one individualized help where verbal communication can really be effective. (With lectures it's usually a hit or miss, especially if pressed for time.) I find that a lot of my peers give up too easily and do not even know how to try to do work or read a book on their own. For me personally, the best way to learn something is to read before class, work out problems on my own, then approach someone else (internet, professor, tutor etc.) for help. Then do more problems. Rather than viewing the text as a guideline, I view it as the journey. Teachers, peers, tutors, & other resources can all help give you pointers along the way and keep you moving forward if you get stuck. To get to the end it ultimately requires lots of practice and learning to reach out for help when you need it (preferably not the night before an exam). Yes text books are often considered quite boring but the people with the skills required to self-teach and ask for help with necessary will go farther than those who sit and QQ or wait to be spoon fed material.

And to OP if your teacher AND your book aren't explaining concepts in an understandable way, look for other resources. If you're still in high school Khan Academy might have a video covering the topic you're trying to learn. If not, ask around for resources that are applicable to you. I'm sorry your teacher "sucks" but don't dwell too long. Think: Challenge Accepted. [/quote]

The debate's been black and white: teaching or text, not the combination of both, because obviously if you take the best of both worlds, you will be expected to be better off than anyone who only focuses on one method of learning material.
However, I believe you're exaggerating the press for time teachers have in high school or college. Even though they're not teaching individually during lectures, they always make sure to ask if any parts are unclear (an therefore have time to clear them). And to add to that, teachers in high school or college both make or can make time to meet individually for personalized tutoring. Furthermore, there's usually a way or two to explain ideas that the majority of a group will understand above the wording of the text, but if some don't follow, that's why the contact the teacher for extra help if necessary.
And to finalize, if I haven't said it yet (and I won't check because typing on this phone has been a nightmare this whole time), I agree that anyone who can teach themselves through use of the textbook or other sources available today will have an easier time learning future lessons and will have a stronger mind. My argument is that a lecture or live teaching is more effective at explaining information to a student than a book. But a student who can use a more challenging resource and still be successful is better off than one who cannot do so.

That should have explained my whole side pretty clearly. If not, I can try again at a later time because right now I am ready to kill this phone.

Reply September 25, 2012

Ecoutie

[quote=DrHye]That's because the textbook is the guideline for what must be taught to the class for that semester. But I want to pose this example: try teaching someone some complex concept regarding graphs. It can be done by book, but it's much easier to teach in person where you can point and slide your fingers across the graph and speak simultaneously. The book has text set in stone. If the student doesn't understand the text (edit: including the still and uneditable pictures) given, and repetition doesn't help, that's too bad. Teachers, professors and even tutors can attempt this again and again using different wording, constantly trying new ways to speak the student's language until you hear the classic "Ohhhh!"

The combination of verbal communication and physial gestures and physical props make live teaching a clearly more effective method of sharing knowledge than a textbook. The biggest benefit a book has over a lecture is that you have it forever, but even that can be combated against with a video camera, YouTube, or other technologies of today

Now for things like history, I'd usually agree with you and just memorize the text because it's all facts after facts, but as a math tutor, there's been cases where it's undeniable that the live help with the factors I mentioned above are more successful than reading the book. In geometry, I can cut out shapes to match the problem, break them down into pieces and make sense out of it with a student. For graphs, I kinda already explained that. But I think you get where I'm coming from now[/quote]

Part of the problem with what you're describing is not all teachers have the time to give each student that one-on-one individualized help where verbal communication can really be effective. (With lectures it's usually a hit or miss, especially if pressed for time.) I find that a lot of my peers give up too easily and do not even know how to try to do work or read a book on their own. For me personally, the best way to learn something is to read before class, work out problems on my own, then approach someone else (internet, professor, tutor etc.) for help. Then do more problems. Rather than viewing the text as a guideline, I view it as the journey. Teachers, peers, tutors, & other resources can all help give you pointers along the way and keep you moving forward if you get stuck. To get to the end it ultimately requires lots of practice and learning to reach out for help when you need it (preferably not the night before an exam). Yes text books are often considered quite boring but the people with the skills required to self-teach and ask for help with necessary will go farther than those who sit and QQ or wait to be spoon fed material.

And to OP if your teacher AND your book aren't explaining concepts in an understandable way, look for other resources. If you're still in high school Khan Academy might have a video covering the topic you're trying to learn. If not, ask around for resources that are applicable to you. I'm sorry your teacher "sucks" but don't dwell too long. Think: Challenge Accepted.