February 20, 2005

  • A Simple Guide to Student Mystification

    It's been a while that I have not presented more teacher survival techniques. So here is the third one.

    Fine Print

    The
    name of the technique suggests small writing. It sounds pretty simple:
    if you write small, then people can't read. Unfortunately, that's not
    the whole picture. There are several important points to remember in order to effectively apply Fine Print:

    1. Fine Print does not work on paper or in electronic form because
      then anybody can just use a magnifying glass or increase the font size;
    2. Fine Print works on blackboard and whiteboard (until students bring binoculars to class);
    3. A corollary to the two points above is to never distribute
      classnotes in paper and/or electronic form because it would defeat the
      purpose of Fine Print on blackboard/whiteboard;
    4. Fine Print works best in a badly set up classroom, ideally a
      computer lab measuring over 40 feet deep (from blackboard/whiteboard to
      back of the room);
    5. Depending on the subject matter, a bad accent in the teaching language may be helpful;
    6. You need an excuse to use Fine Print, even if it's a stupid one.
      Don't tell the students that you are writing small just because you
      like it.

    I will provide an example with a few photos later on.

    - SwordAngel