【kaleidoscope】小组第9次作业issue50 by rjyuu

rjyuuUID: 2591508

TOPIC: ISSUE50 - "In order to improve the quality of instruction at the college and university level, all faculty should be required to spend time working outside the academic world in professions relevant to the courses they teach."

There has long been a voice calling for college and university teachers to step out of their ivory tower and do something practical. As far as I am concerned, in most respects this suggestion is advisable and should be put into practice, as discussed below.

Admittedly, for teachers of a certain subjects spending time working outside the academic world is neither necessary nor feasible. Hardly anyone could come out of names of professions relevant to mathematics, philosophy or ethnics. Then how could people expect them to do some relative practical work when no such work exists? Thus we should not demand all faculty to work outside their academic world.

However, for most other areas, the experience of working outside the academic world plays a vital important role in enhancing teaching quality.

To start with, this will enable teachers to have a better understanding of what they are teaching. On one hand, it will promote one to put what he learned into practice, and in turn better inform his students. A chemical engineering teacher with no experience may list some safety measures on the blackboard, requiring his sleepy students to put it down and keep it in mind; while an experienced old engineer will share the vivid story of the disasters he witnessed each time, the horrible consequences resulting from people's carelessness and aberration from the safety rule--making the students ' hair stand on ends--as well as how each time the accident was dealt with.  Obviously with no experience the teacher will by no means have an idea how much these safety rules mean and his students are more likely to make mistakes that others will not thanks to the experienced teachers’ discription. On the other hand, we are living in a world with knowledge undated at a speed much faster than ever and textbooks fail to keep pace with time. All too often not until students enter society will they find the machines they learned to steer have been replaced by new models for a long time. Undoubtedly, teachers having a close connection with the society can effectively avoid circumstances like this and are able to provide his students the newest knowledge in the society.

Besides, with working experience, a teacher will be able to help their students better prepare for their future. One of education’s major functions is to produce qualified screws for the huge machine of society. As is known to all, different jobs need people with different characteristic features and skills. And although skills can be trained and improved, characteristic features are mostly stable and hard to change. Thus it is important for one to find what suits his nature at an early age and prepare himself for his future career as early as possible.  Obviously, a teacher with working experience will be more aware of what job one can take studying this major, and which kind of people is most suitable to do this job, thus help the student choose their career, who will then spend their precious time on things that will benefit his future career most. To illustrate his let's take the example of a Chinese-major student. After graduation he could be a Chinese teacher, an editor, a journalist, a writer …. If the student likes spending time with kids, has a strong desire to express himself and does not emphasize much on high salary, With working experience his teacher will be able to figure out for him being a teacher may be the most suitable career, and in doing so it is advisable to learn some additional knowledge about education and adolescent psychology, also public speaking ability should be practiced.


In sum, although it is not possible for all faculty to work outside the academic world, for most of them this assertion is definitely positive and should be taken into practice.