Trevor_Blake comments on Course selection based on instructor - Less Wrong

10 Post author: VipulNaik 08 September 2013 07:13PM

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Comment author: [deleted] 08 September 2013 10:11:35PM 1 point [-]

A good instructor will often offer a good class that good students can take advantage of. A bad instructor will never offer a good class and no one can take advantage of it. Avoiding bad teachers is therefore always a move in a good direction, while selecting good teachers is only sometimes a move in a good direction.

I've been working in K-12 and college since 2005 as a sign language interpreter. The qualities of good instructors varies, but the qualities of bad instructors are shared. Late, unprepared, digressive without profit, argumentative, close minded, uses the class as political platform, uses the class as therapy session, uses the class as amateur comedy, unable / unwilling to earn respect (grudging or otherwise) of class - those are some of the things bad instructors share. Avoid those and you're more likely to succeed in any class.

Comment author: Decius 09 September 2013 02:36:22AM 0 points [-]

A list of what to avoid is not anywhere near as useful as advice on how to identify those characteristics before the cost of not taking that course is too high (e.g. add/drop deadlines, full classes)