there's something else i forgot to mention. it's so normal it just doesn't stand out in memory very well.
20 minutes into class. the teacher has said about 5 sentences of content. she's written each one on the chalkboard. I look around. Everyone was taking notes. Everyone. (2 ppl or so i couldn't tell. has to be over 9/10 though)
the teacher writes worthless crap on the board. they copy it down. copy. maybe a few weren't copying, but the general note taking strategy is to copy everything. not understand it, and jot down a couple memory-triggers. not put the arguments in ur own words (ie, as u understand them). not figure out which parts are important and just write those. but just plain copy down everything.
it's horrid
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totally true
best prof I ever had, he forbid note-taking. just forbid it. he handed out xeroxed copies of his lecture notes each day. but you weren't supposed to be looking at those either. you were supposed to be paying attention and asking questions and answering his questions. guy was awesome.
It seems like the traditional school set up is: learn only what you need for the test and then forget it. Class notes are good for that, but not so good for actual Remembering.
i've heard that sort of teaching described as a transfer of the profs notes from his piece of paper to the students' pieces of paper, without passing through anyone's mind on the way. pointless.
the only worse style i know is where they put up an acetate with all the points on, and then read the acetate to you. shaddup already.
there's a wonderfully terrible prof in Ferris Bueller's day off ("anyone? anyone?")