X & Y & Education

Week Five

Though we study the X & Y Theory so it may be applied management, it can also great for our learning environments.

Some professors don’t realize the importance of the biases that their students bring to on the first day of class. They snag these expectations from other students who had previously taken the class can effect their motivation and eventual success in the course they’re in (Markwell 323). Whether students have good or bad thoughts about a teacher can be greatly be based on their X or Y teaching style. These two quotes and lists of descriptions are each an example of what an X and a Y teacher would view their students as:

X Based Teachers:

“Education: the inculcation of the incomprehensible into the indifferent by the incompetent.”—John Maynard Keynes

·      Students have low desire to learn new things.

·      The teacher must control all situations to prevent cheating.

·      Students want to be directed and not have responsibilities.

·      The teacher has to be the source of information.

·      “Many students are not capable of learning the necessary material and can be expect to earn a low grade" (Markwell 324).

Y Based Teachers:

“Education is the leading of human souls to what is best, and making what is best out of them.”—John Ruskin

·      “Learning is as natural to students as play or rest.”

·      Students aren’t really lazy; and threats towards grades aren’t necessary.

·      Students have motivation to achieve own goals.

·      “Students will naturally accept responsibility for learning.”

·      They are naturally creative and will apply it to their work.

·      “The intellectual potential of most students are being only partially utilized in the classroom" (Markwell 324).

Most teachers aren’t strictly x or Y; there are always ones in the grey area. Also, many students will and have the ability to succeed no matter who the teacher is. But there is still a large amount of students that will be affected by the way their professor sets up the class and their style of teaching (Markwell 324). I don’t believe teachers should be soft and allow their students to take advantage of them, but with personal experience the classes with non-flexible teachers were my poorest and most miserable classes to slug through. I, and I’m sure many other of my peers, enjoy it much more when my teacher gives me the chance to be more responsible for my education and learning outcome. Not just given a massive amount of information to absorb, but to actually get the chance to have personal learning experience and grow, but still have the skeleton of a schedule and given deadlines.

Work Cited:
Markwell, John. "The Human Side of Science Education." BIOCHEMISTRY AND MOLECULAR BIOLOGY EDUCATION 32.5 (2004): 323-25. Web. 17 Nov. 2013.