Baffled by the light of enlightenment

Elon University - formerly Elon College in the 60's

When I was in College in the 1960’s and when writing a Research Paper, was told by my Professors that if we found the same information in three completely different sources that we did not have to quote the source because we could consider the statement as “common knowledge.”  With that philosophy in mind, the following table should be considered “common knowledge.” 

Teaching Method//  Knowledge Retention

1.      Lecturing                         5%

2.      Reading                           10%

3.      Audio Visual/Video        20%

4.      Demonstration                30%

5.      Discussion Group            50%

6.      Practice by doing                75%

7.      Teaching Others                 90%

8.      Immediate Application       90%

the pondering
 educator

I am baffled and find it strange that the above table is true, when in so many of our Colleges and Universities, Teaching Methods 1-5 are predominately the methodology used to transfer knowledge to our tuition paying students under the guise of Academic Freedom in the classroom.

And, what is equally as alarming is the fact that College and Universities administrations assume and presuppose that moving from freshman to senior to alumni status that knowledge is cumulative and by default retained; whereas, in my opinion, nothing could be farther from the truth.

Perhaps this next comment is of no real concern, but once students have graduated from a College or University, they are never again tested for knowledge retention other than where performance at work requires a specific knowledge be performed.  For example, Accounting Majors who become CPA’s will demonstrate retention in performance of their daily work tasks.  However, retention of freshman and sophomore classes may never again be challenged.

So, one might ask: 

what purpose did taking all those first two years of classes serve other than meeting graduation requirements? 

Possible responses might be:

1.       Difference professors exposed us to possibly having to work for different supervisors.

2.       Provided a potential employer that we have determination.

3.       Helped us become well-rounded in our foundation of knowledge

And, I am sure that there are many other important reasons; but, the fact remains that we may never again in our lifetimes be put into a situation where we might have to use that knowledge, providing it had still been retained by us.

College Grad

So, we continue to use the teaching methods that are the least effective and we continue to have students memorize for the test and do a “brain dump” afterwards, and after 4 years of repetitive teaching methodologies, we award or confer a degree upon those student and pronounce them to be “educated.”

Hooooorah . . . 

but, I am still baffled by this light of enlightenment.