On 8/25/05, Martha Battle Jackson <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> When possible, I try to hire graduate students.  It seems to take about 4-6
> months before they realize that the real world doesn't quite match what
> they're taught.

This has always bugged me. My grad work was in classroom education
which was taught by a bunch of profs that hadn't been in a classroom
in 20 years. They had all the latest theories and methods but hadn't
worked with kids recently enough to understand the challenges that
teachers today face. My mathematics methods prof was probably the best
of the lot because he regularily went into the classrooms to tutor and
teach other teachers how to teach math.

Given that profs in other areas like science and performing arts have
to keep up with their field by doing research or by
performing/directing, why aren't museum (and education) profs held to
the same standard?

I think theory is great but I also think there needs to be a practical
side where profs put down the textbooks and do more "and this is what
happens in the real world" type of work.

Deb

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