I have a lot of sympathy for Geoff's point of view on this (copied below). My stock response to "this is boring" is "that's why they call it 'work.'" I think that the thrust to make education entertaining smacks too much of consumer culture. It assigns yet another responsibility to the instructor. > This teacher angst regarding student boredom ceased to haunt me > when I realized that it really isn't my job to make the subject matter > interesting. I remind students that people their age have found this > material endlessly fascinating over the centuries - in other words, I put > the responsibility back on them. So when a student complains "This stuff > is boring!" my response is "I really don't care! I love it. I'll explain > to you what makes it fascinating to me, and I'll keep on explaining it > until you understand it." So the response that it's hard to interest the > uninterested is really very well taken. Many students - the bored, the > apathetic, the cynical, dare I say the mindless - make it a career to be > uninterested and try to put the responsibility on the teacher to entertain > them. My former shrink used to counsel that a child's favorite toy is its > parents, and I think the same advice holds true for students and teachers. > It's a little late in life for me to become a game show host or, God > forbid, Vanna White. I've already had one mid-life career change, and I'm > not about to have another. And besides, once a student finds out that > lack of interest will translate into lack of a passing grade, interest is > suddenly rekindled. > ----------------------------------------------------- Sincerely, Robert Einarsson please visit me at http://www.artsci.gmcc.ab.ca/people/einarssonb To join or leave this LISTSERV list, please visit the list's web interface at: http://listserv.muohio.edu/archives/ateg.html and select "Join or leave the list" Visit ATEG's web site at http://ateg.org/