The subtitle of Academically Adrift is "Limited Learning on College Campuses." The book is a sustained argument that, on balance, a surprisingly small amount of learning actually occurs in college for many people that attend. I agree wholeheartedly. The academic chapters of Thriving at College are my humble attempt to help students escape this sad trend - to actually learn a lot at college. Yet here's the problem that Arum and Roksa articulate so well: Many in college are happy with the way it is - they think limited learning is just fine, since social and relational goals are being … [Read more...] about Should College Students Aim for High Grades or Optimal Learning?
Archives for March 2011
An NYC Charter School that Pays Every Teacher $125K
60 Minutes ran an interesting story last night on a charter school in NYC that operates out of trailers so as to redirect funds toward teacher pay: $125K per middle school teacher. In exchange, the teachers have no union, no tenure, and no contract. They are retained at will and can be dismissed at any time. They have high accountability, are expected to engage every student, and to demonstrate and track student learning. After the students go home, they watch video of one another teaching, offering constructive feedback, and seeking to help each other improve. Check it out: … [Read more...] about An NYC Charter School that Pays Every Teacher $125K
Rob Bell’s Love Wins: A Response
Kevin DeYoung offers a lengthy pastoral, scholarly, and exegetical response to Rob Bell's new book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. DeYoung's summary on what the book is about: Love Wins, by megachurch pastor Rob Bell, is, as the subtitle suggests, “a book about heaven, hell, and the fate of every person who ever lived.” Here’s the gist: Hell is what we create for ourselves when we reject God’s love. Hell is both a present reality for those who resist God and a future reality for those who die unready for God’s love. Hell is what we … [Read more...] about Rob Bell’s Love Wins: A Response
Remarkable Raw Footage of the Japan Tsunami
A prayer from John Piper: Father in heaven, you are the absolute Sovereign over the shaking of the earth, the rising of the sea, and the raging of the waves. We tremble at your power and bow before your unsearchable judgments and inscrutable ways. We cover our faces and kiss your omnipotent hand. We fall helpless to the floor in prayer and feel how fragile the very ground is beneath our knees. O God, we humble ourselves under your holy majesty and repent. In a moment—in the twinkling of an eye—we too could be swept away. We are not more deserving of firm ground than our fellowmen in … [Read more...] about Remarkable Raw Footage of the Japan Tsunami
Doug Wilson Interviews Dave Kraft
Doug Wilson interviews (9 minutes) Dave Kraft on leadership. Kraft is the author of Leaders Who Last. The distinction between leadership and management, as well as some of the tensions that can arise, are helpful. Dave Kraft on Leadership from Canon Wired on Vimeo. … [Read more...] about Doug Wilson Interviews Dave Kraft
Limited Learning on College Campuses?
Richard Arum and Josipa Roksa write: "The typical student meets with faculty outside of the classroom only once per month, with 9 percent of students never meeting with faculty outside the classroom the previous semester. Although 85 percent of students have achieved a B-minus grade point average or higher, and 55 percent have attained a B-plus grade point average or higher, the average student studies less than two hours per day. Moreover, half of students have not taken a single course that required more than twenty pages of writing, and approximately one-third have not taken any courses … [Read more...] about Limited Learning on College Campuses?