Good Teaching: A Guide for Students [Paperback]

Professor Richard A. Watson Ph.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 1997

From junior college to Ivy League university, the level of teaching ranges from "great to awful," according to Richard A. Watson, who explains not only how to survive but how to profit from and enjoy your college experience.

To help students make important personal choices—what school? what major? what classes?—Watson explains such broad areas as administrative structure, institutional goals, and faculty aspirations.

Charging the student with the ultimate responsibility for learning, Watson presents certain academic facts of life: teaching is not the primary concern of either the faculty or the administration in most institutions; few professors on the university level have had any training in teaching, and even fewer started out with teaching as their goal; senior professors do not teach much (the higher the rank and salary, the less time in the classroom), and those seeking tenure must emphasize research to survive; and almost certainly, the bad teacher who is a good researcher will get paid more than the good teacher who does not publish.

This is a book about good teaching and how to find it. Rejecting the conventional wisdom that a professor devoted to research will not be effective in the classroom, Watson advises that you take classes from the professor you may have been cautioned to avoid.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Richard A. Watson is a professor of philosophy specializing in Cartesianism at Washington University. In addition to a number of scholarly books, he has published a didactic trilogy: The Philosopher’s Diet: How to Lose Weight and Change the World, The Philosopher’s Joke: Essays in Form and Content, and The Philosopher’s Demise: Learning French.

Product Details

• Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Southern Illinois University Press; 1st edition (February 12, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809321114
• ISBN-13: 978-0809321117
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,559,521 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Richard Watson taught philosophy at Washington University in St. Louis for forty years. He is known for innovative work in Early Modern Philosophy: THE BREAKDOWN OF CARTESIAN METAPHYSICS (Hackett Publishing Company) and REPRESENTATIONAL IDEAS FROM PLATO TO PATRICIA CHURCHLAND (Kluwer Academic Publishers); and in Environmental Ethics and Philosophy of Geology. He is the author of three novels on the theme of obsession: UNDER PLOWMAN'S FLOOR (hb Zepyrus Press, pb Cave Books), THE RUNNER (hb Copple House Books, pb Cave Books) and NIAGARA (Coffee House Press), which is about the first man to walk across the Falls on a wire, and the first person (a woman) to go over the Falls in a barrel.

For more than fifty years he explored caves in the Mammoth Cave region, and with Roger W. Brucker he is the author of THE LONGEST CAVE (hb Alfred A. Knopf, pb Southern Illinois University Press), which has never been out of print since it was first published in 1976. He and Roger contend that it will never be out of print so long as people read books of adventure.

THE PHILOSOPHER'S DIET: HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT AND CHANGE THE WORLD (hb Atlantic Monthly Press, pb David R. Godine) has been translated into nine languages. THE PHILOSOPHER'S DEMISE: LEARNING FRENCH (hb University of Missouri Press, pb David R. Godine) has been translated into Italian. The French translation of NIAGARA (Coffee House Press) was featured at the Saint-Malo Etonnants Voyageurs Festival International du Livre in 1997, where it won a translation award. COGITO, ERGO SUM: THE LIFE OF RENE DESCARTES (hb & pb revised 2nd ed. David R. Godine) was chosen by the New York Public library as one of "25 Books to Remember from 2002."

William H. Gass characterizes Watson's writing as genere-busting, because he treats serious philosophical themes in uncoventional ways.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Telling it as it is, not as you wish it were., December 29, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Good Teaching: A Guide for Students (Paperback)

Watson describes the teaching to which a student is likely to be exposed, not only at prestigious universities but any institution of higher learning. The advice in this book is aimed at the thoughtful student who cares to take responsibility for his or her own learning. Keep in mind that we call these places "institutions of learning," not "institutions of teaching." Watson points out that, while most professors are not trained in the techniques of teaching, they are obviously trained in learning and scholarship, and those are excellent credentials for passing on knowledge. I wish every college-bound high school senior could have a copy of this book handed to them with their diploma. I wonder what percentage would read it and take it to heart? I gave this book four stars instead of five because I consider the title to be misleading; I thought it was a book for teachers who are interested in gaining insight into good teaching. Instead I find it is a book for students interested in getting an education.

4.0 out of 5 stars Student responsibility, July 6, 2006

By 

Library Lady (Madison WI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Good Teaching: A Guide for Students (Paperback)

Great book that tells the truth about obtaining any worthwhile education. College students, really all of us, need to take responsibility for our own learning. Blaming the instructor is just an excuse. Sure, some instructors help the magic happen for students, but real emotional intellegience moves the responsibility for learning onto the individual. 'Bad' instructors make it more difficult, but not impossible. We use this book as an extra credit option in our college success classes.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Glib and misleading, June 21, 2000

By 

S. Chew "PSYGUY" (Alabama) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Good Teaching: A Guide for Students (Paperback)

Weighing in at a little over 40 pages, this book is little more than an essay on what Watson believes constitutes good college teaching. Watson's perspective is that of a faculty member at a major research institution and his basic theme seems to be "We're not here to teach you and we don't care, so its up to you to accomodate to us." While this view is prevalent at many large universities, it hardly represents a fair overview of all college teaching. In Watson's view, any faculty member not at a major research university is a loser. And any college professor who wants to teach must be a loser. Fortunately for students, Watson is wrong on many counts. First, there are many first-rate academics who are dedicated to student learning. Second, Watson's view is increasingly coming under fire from legislatures and alumni insisting on quality teaching even at research universities. Even academic organizations now admit that the pressure to publish is negatively affecting the quality of universities. Oh yes, and the section on student learning shows Watson hasn't a clue. This book does have some useful information about what students can expect at major universities, but a lot of it is glib, incomplete or just misleading.