McGee 1985

Lies We Live by: Some Academic Myths and Their Functions

1. Références

• Référence complète APA : McGee, R. (1985). Lies We Live by: Some Academic Myths and Their Functions. Teaching Sociology, Vol. 12, No. 4. (Jul., 1985), pp. 477-490.

• Auteur(s) : Reece McGee

• Revue : Teaching Sociology

2. Copies

• Copie en ligne : http://www.jstor.org/stable/1318068

• Copie locale : Fichier:McGee 1985.pdf

• Copie physique :

3. Mots-clés

• enseignant
• mythe

4. Abstract

This article addresses seven beliefs about college reaching prevalent among academic people, arguing that all are myths:

• (1) We are a self-governing community of scholars (liberté académique);
• (2) It is impossible to teach people to teach;
• (3) It is impossible to define good teaching;
• (4) It is impossible to measure or evaluate teaching (évaluation de l'enseignement);
• (5) Classroom observation of reaching is an infringement upon academic freedom (liberté académique);
• (6) Student evaluation of teaching is useless and/or meaningless (évaluation de l'enseignement);
• (7) Undergraduate srudents, or least, are generally stupid and unmotivated.

Analysis of these beliefs, all of which are demonstrably untrue, suggests that we maintain them for self-serving purposes: to define ourselves into a status and reward-bearing social category in which most of us probably do not belong; to free us from all accountability for classroom performance, and to rationalize laziness and irresponsibility in teaching. The article closes with some suggestions for rectifying the situarion.