Say This, NOT That to Your Professor 36 Talking Tips for College Success

by Bremen, Ellen

• ISBN13: 9780321869173
• ISBN10: 0321869176
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2013-03-10
• Publisher: Pearson

Summary

For First-Year Experience, College Success, Student Development and any course where learning effective communication skills for college is a priority. In this award-winning book, tenured communication professor takes students "inside the faculty mind," and provides the words professors wish students would say to manage their classroom experience with confidence.

 

Say This, NOT That to Your Professor gives students inside tips on how to interact so professors will respond in a positive manner. They'll learn to create opportunities and properly stand up for themselves, rather than fumble over excuses. Students will have improved relationships with professors, better grades, and an amazing college experience!

Author Biography

A 14-year classroom veteran, Ellen Bremen is tenured faculty in the Communication Studies department at Highline Community College. Ellen is a professor who stops at nothing to help students strengthen their communication skills: Peanut butter and jelly to illustrate problematic messages, pipe cleaners to teach communication models, and Post-it notes to reduce speaking anxiety. Not surprisingly, Ellen has received national recognition for teaching innovation by the Sloan-Consortium (2011), the National Institute for Staff and Organizational Development and the National Council of Instructional Administrators (2003). Ellen blogs weekly as The Chatty Professor (http://ellenbremen.com), she speaks to college audiences through Samara Lectures, and is an insanely active tweeter (@chattyprof). Ellen lives in Seattle with her husband, daughter, and son.

 

Why is This Professor Willing to Talk?
It's simple: I started to see students, like yourself, unknowingly sabotage their education when a simple conversation could have helped their academic standing so much. Instead, students either dealt with class-related issues in a completely clueless way ("Can I turn in this paper late?" -- Me: "Sure, if I can let 27 other people turn it in late, too.") or, they just wouldn't say anything at all... which was even worse. Then, the problem never resolved, and grades suffered. Believe me, my colleagues all over the country report the same issues.

What's the bigger problem? When students fumble their words, most profs won't sit down later with the student and say, "Hey, this is how the communication should have gone down." I'll admit, even as a Communication prof, I was guilty of this, too! Why? Because a term has only so many weeks. Profs have to be swift problem solvers for students, and then we have to move on to the next issue. Also, many profs don't believe their job is to teach students communication.

 

I decided it was time to change all that and write the very first book in the college success genre to deal with this relationship that students will deal with every single day!

 

Students, college is the ideal place for you to practice excellent communication, and professors are among the first people in your life you'll interact with as an adult. And guess what? You don't text with them. You don't Facebook with them (even if you Facebook about them). You need to deal with most issues face-to-face and sometimes via e-mail.

 

My goal is to give you inside tips on how to interact so your professors will respond in a positive manner. I want you to learn what goes on behind the scenes of your classes so you can create opportunities, rather than fumble over excuses. I want you to confidently and properly stand up for yourself when you're concerned about your classes or grades. The result? Improved relationships with your profs, a stronger learning experience, and most of all, better grades.

Table of Contents

Section 1: Class Issues Your Professor Won't Discuss With You (But Wishes Someone Would)

Introduction

 

Parents

Chapter 1. Parents Handling Your Problems

 

Classroom Behavior/Your Peers

Chapter 2. Class Jokers

Chapter 3. What Other Students Think and Feel

Chapter 4. Distracting Classroom Behavior (Texting!)

 

Grades

Chapter 5. Comparing Grades With Others

Chapter 6. "Getting" Grades and Working "Hard" for Your Grades

Chapter 7. A Zero Grade

Chapter 8. Getting the Grade You Need

Chapter 9. Passing a Course After Absences

Chapter 10. A Do-Over

Chapter 11. Extra Credit

Chapter 12. Finding Out What's on the Test

 

Managing Your Assignments/Schedule

Chapter 13. Your Work Ethic

Chapter 14. Asking for Help or a Review (Early!)

Chapter 15. Procrastination

Chapter 16. Late Work

Chapter 17. Conflict with Work in Other Classes

Chapter 18. Leaving Early or Arriving Late

Chapter 19. Going Over What You Missed

Chapter 20. Figuring Out if You Missed Something "Important"

Chapter 21. Apologizing

 

Dealing With E-mail/Social Media/Technology

Chapter 22. Frequent E-mailing

Chapter 23. Your E-mail Address

Chapter 24. Sending Angry E-mails

Chapter 25. Sloppy, Casual, or Unrelated E-mails

Chapter 26. Responding to Your Professor's E-mails

Chapter 27. Using Facebook/Twitter

Chapter 28. Laptop Use in Class

 

Section 2: Class Issues Your Professor Won't Discuss With You (And May Not Want You to Know)

Chapter 29. Receiving Timely Feedback That Makes Sense

Chapter 30. Challenging a Professor

Chapter 31. Going Higher

Chapter 32. Professor Evaluations

Chapter 33. Teaching Style

Chapter 34. Accessing Your Professor In and Out of Class

Chapter 35. Learning About a Professor Ahead of Time

Chapter 36. Failure of the Entire Class

 

About the Author

Acknowledgments