We were put into groups to do a “research discussion”. As a group the first envelop we recieved was empty. It was supposed to represent the fact that you can’t make up history or without anything, you don’t have history. I, myself, thought it symbolized that in research you get out what you put in. If you’re not putting in the effort or time to invesitgate your research, you can’t expect the facts or the information to come to you.
I know this might be shocking to some because I’ve seen a lot of students get upset with this philosophy. When I think about it, I guess it applies to many aspects of education. In my english class, I read an essay about a physics professor who was upset with his grad school students. After final grades were submitted and the students recieved them, they complained thinking that that would give them a better grade. The professor’s response was that “why didn’t they care that much during the semester?” or “why didn’t they flat out do their work?” Students just expect that, in a way, tuition buys their grade.
