Over the past two weeks I have argued that professors often teach poorly because of how our training and early professional development is structured. Both graduate students and assistant professors are acutely aware that getting and retaining a professorship depends largely on the quantity and quality of their publications. So a decade or more will pass between the time that a student enters graduate school until she or he has the job security to focus on teaching.
But most associate and full professors continue to put more emphasis on publication than teaching. This is partly a matter of habit. Our recently tenured professor has been trained to value publishing. Raises and further promotions--or jobs at more prestigious institutions--usually hinge on distinction as a researcher. Publishing a prestigious book or in a top journal is a sure way to win the notice and respect of one's peers--inside and outside one's department and university.
And what about teaching? One of my professors at the University of Oregon back in the early 1980s referred to it as "making mud pies." Most professors wouldn't go that far, and I knew some very, very dedicated teachers at the University of Oregon. But being a good--let alone great--teacher is optional at far too many universities. We are trained to push the boundaries of research at the edges of our fields, not to get beginning or intermediate students excited about material we consider basic.
I have found that most people outside academia are surprised to learn that most professors focus on research rather than teaching. Given the daunting challenges that all of us face, the growing interconnectedness and complexity of the world, we need to find a way to get professors more focused on educating their students rather than researching and writing for each other.
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