University teaching may be the only skilled profession
for which no preparation, prior instruction or on-the-job training has been provided or required. You get a Ph.D., join a faculty, they show you your office, and then tell you "By the way, you're teaching Mechanics II next semester. See you later."
The assumption seems to be that getting a Ph.D. in a dis-
cipline somehow equips people with the knowledge and
skills to design courses; motivate students to learn and equip them with well-developed problem-solving, com-munication, and lifelong learning skills; lecture effec-tively; write good assignments and tests; and deal with the hundreds of problems that routinely arise when dealing with a class full of individuals with different abilities, needs, motivations, and problems.
The assumption is false, and it typically takes new teach-
ers 4-5 years to learn to teach effectively by trial-and-error, and some never learn. The result is the consistent
use of teaching techniques that have repeatedly been shown to be ineffective at promoting learning.
Many professors are surprised to learn that...
There are well-defined teaching methods that make
teaching more effective
a great deal is known from both research and experience about what facilitate learning.
Most methods do not require innate teaching ability or a particular type of personality, but simply involves a combination of easily implemented strategies and com-mon sense.
These methods can be introduced slowly and methodi-cally, without compromising coverage of the syllabus.
They do not require large expenditures of money, time, and effort.
Most importantly, the effectiveness of the methods has been validated by careful, documented, repeatable re-search. It is not simply a matter of opinion. They work!
http://www.ncsu.edu/effective_teaching/Papers/LiberatoInterview(JSciEd).pdf
The Dubya Report - Ugly American:
"The European stereotype is of a gun-slinging, Bible-bashing, Frankenstein-food-guzzling, behemoth-driving, planet-polluting United States, in which politicians are mere playthings of mighty corporations. "
The "Ugly" American:
"the stereotype is firmly entrenched , and not without reason. For those of you who are still unaware, picture this: a loud, demanding, obnoxious, xenophobic, fanny pack wearing, yell-louder-if-they-don't-understand-English American. I know what you are thinking , those people are few and far between , most American's aren't like that. That may be true. But, it doesn't take all those traits to create an ugly American : they can pop up when , and from whom , you would least expect."
Democratic Underground Forums - The Ugly American:
"I was talking to my (republican) but reasonable sister recently about this . She has lived abroad (in Europe and Japan) and she says that Americans are more likely to be rude and ignorant than Europeans.
Is this a stereotype , or is it true? "
Practical Planet: Avoiding the "Ugly American" StereotypeIs the foreign stereotype of the "ugly American" true?Embrace the American, Leave the Ugly at HomeThe "Ugly" AmericanUgly American Syndrome, How to Avoid Being an Obnoxious Tourist
Google Search: Polish citizen:
When Bill 1408 becomes the law of Poland, US citizens travelling to Poland will be subjected to arbitrary redefinition of their citizenship at the
Polish border, based on the
Polish authorities presumption of their
Polishcitizenship. The presumption of
Polish citizenship will be based on a crude and highly biased form of ethnic profiling, taking in an individual's place of birth, parental place of birth, language spoken, and/or an apparently
Polish surname. The
Polish Government authority charged with administering the profiling is the
Polish Border Guards. The critical computer databases of the
Polish Border Guards will not be open to the public or
Polish Parliament's scrutiny.
Once the
Polish Border Guards arbitrarily declare a US
citizen a
Polish national, he/she is deprived of the US consular protection, and his/her right to depart Poland on the US passport is denied. The US
citizen in this situation is forced to acquire the passport of the Republic of Poland through a process that may take many weeks, and has no guarantee of being successful. Meanwhile, the person may be denied access to the US Consul and prevented from leaving the
Polish territory, or indeed be held incommunicado at the discretion of
Polish authorities. It is important to mention that the
Polish Bill 1408 provides no exemption from this process for foreign Government officials and members of allied armed forces, many of whom are of
Polish origin by birth or descent.
The above described provisions of Bill 1408 are in violation of the United
States law. Sec. 1448. of the US Code (Oath of renunciation and allegiance)
requires all naturalized US citizens to "renounce and abjure absolutely and
entirely all allegiance and fidelity to any foreign prince, potentate, state, or sovereignty of whom or which the applicant was before a subject or
citizen". Accordingly, a naturalized (as well as a natural born) US
citizen owes allegiance to no other state but the United States of America.
The Government of the Republic of Poland offers a purported remedy from the effects of Bill 1408, by offering to the presumed
Polish citizens in the above described situation access to a process of renunciation of
Polish citizenship. According to the information available from
Polish Consulates in the United States, this process takes a year or more. Information from the
Polish-American community in the United States indicates that the renunciation of
Polish citizenship has been designed by the
Polish Government to be a deliberately punishing bureaucratic quagmire.
An applicant for renunciation is required to provide documents virtually impossible to obtain without physically being in Poland, and difficult to obtain while in Poland. His or her application will not be processed unless these documents have been presented in full. A Catch-22 paradox is therefore created where a US
citizen, rightly or wrongly presumed by the
Polish Government to be a
Polish citizen, cannot free him or herself of the presumed obligations of
Polish citizenship without presenting him or herself
personally in Poland, thus placing him or herself entirely in the hands of the
Polish Government, and outside the reach of the legal or consular assistance of the Government of the United States.
Many US citizens, in particular those who are former refugees from
Communism, may not be able at to obtain any documents at all to satisfy the
Polish authorities; this is due to the length of time elapsed since their emigration form Poland, obstruction by local officials in Poland, and the generally poor state of minor
Polish civil records that are the required source of these documents. The Bill 1408 makes no allowance for such situations.
It should be noted that the presumed
Polish citizenship cannot be
surrendered, renounced or resigned at will. While a
citizen of the United
States is free at any time to renounce his or her US Citizenship by making
an appropriate declaration before a US Government official, no comparable
liberty exists in
Polish law. A
Polish applicant for renunciation of his or her presumed
Polish citizenship is required to make a detailed application for release from citizenship to the President of the Republic of Poland. The President makes an executive decision to release the applicant from the presumed
Polish citizenship or otherwise. The executive decision is final, and is not appealable to
Polish courts. The matter will not be placed before the President unless and until all complex supporting documentation has been assembled and submitted, and high administrative fees have been paid to the
Polish Government.
Google Search: Polish citizen:
Please note that both the 1962 law and the proposed 2000 law, a person
in the situation that you describe is treated solely as a
Polish citizenonce on
Polish territory. Such person is subject to full privileges and
obligations of
Polish citizenship. Both the 1962 and the 2000 law
expressly prevent recognition of dual citizenhip by the
Polish state.
Google Search: Polish citizen:
"I agree, this is how it should be. However every dual
citizen should remember that in Poland you will be treated like
polish citizen only.
If
polish law requires that a
polish citizen needs
polish passport to
leave the country nobody should expect different treatment because of
dual citizenship.
BTW this is what I can read in my Canadian passport:
"Canadians may have dual nationality through birth, descent, marriage
or naturalization. They are advised that while in the country of their
other nationality they may be subject to all its laws and obligation,
including military service."
CyberExpress: "28/6/2003
Compulsory Citizens of the non-conscious kind So, you were born outside of Poland, elsewhere in the world. But at least one of your parents or grandparents was Polish. You've never been to Poland - hell, you can't even speak the language. Well, guess what? You're a Polish citizen! And next time you travel to Poland you'd better have a Polish passport, or you could be in trouble with the law!!
Sounds absurd? It certainly does. But it also happens to be true. Yep, buddy, matey, pal, old chum - in the light of the current Polish law, you're a Polak too. I know you hate flaczki (tripe) and you can barely stand the smell of Old Grandpa Jozek's bimber (moonshine). It matters not. You're a Polak"
CyberExpress:
"28/8/2003 Protest against Polish passport blackmail "
jabber: I took the day off today to catch up on12. While Polish law does not forbid Polish citizens from becoming the citizen of a foreign state by birth or naturalization, Polish authorities apparently recognize that national as
a Polish citizen only.
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