Q & A: The Dummest Dumbest Generation | The Emory Wheel - The Diigo Meta page

• 24 Mar 08
  

  Wisely

  literacy

  • Now the obvious question: Why?
     Because in my limited experience as a teacher, I’ve noticed in the last 10 years that students are no less intelligent, no less ambitious but there are two big differences: Reading habits have slipped, along with general knowledge. You can quote me on this: You guys don’t know anything.
  • But isn’t it a variation of an age-old lament? That the current generation is worse than the previous one?
     I think there’s a big difference. The deterioration in learning can be traced to the screen. The screen on the cell phone, on the TV, on the computer. The stuff that appears on the screen is junk, adolescent fare. Students aren’t going to the Smithsonian website, they’re logging on to MySpace and Facebook.
  • What happens when you tell your students how stupid they are?
     Some of them resent it. But that’s good, because it shows they feel ashamed. They should feel ashamed that they don’t know the three branches of government, or the fifth president of the United States.

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