Does correcting a lower ranking student count as "talking down" to them.

[Mrlonelyone]

I am a graduate student in a hard science. Some undergraduates were sitting around struggleing with a problem. How to figure out the magnetic field of a coiled wire with a steady current in it.

 

They were at the stage of choosing what coordinate system to use. If one chooses wrong the math becomes much harder. Many professors mark one wrong/ take off points for making the wrong choice of coordinate system.

 

They had started out well but one of them was unable to visualize how the system I know to be correct would work. Another undergraduate told him the correct reason that system is a good choice he blew her off. Then he began to try to convince the others to go with his wrong choice. He wouldn't just drop it and let them do it their way.

 

At that point I felt I had to do something. That professor had essentially left them under my supervision. What he was saying wasn't just wrong it was Billy Madison wrong. Everyone who listened to him was being steered away from the correct answer by this guy. If I let that happen on my watch, that would be a red mark against me.

 

So I tried to talk some sense to him. Explaining that what coordinates one choose had no bearing on the physics of the problem. All coordinate systems are equivalent in that one can be transformed into another (at the level of classical physics they are working with this is true enough). I could not get out more than three words before he would talk over me.

 

Then I told him he needs to do more listening than talking as I have taken the class before. Which worked for a while. He did listen. I demonstrated for him with a couple of simple physical examples just how coordinate systems other than xyz cartesian work. I showed him that one set of basis vectors can be mapped to another and vice versa. ( It turns out he was confused by something he read online which deals with math from a computer science perspective... in which xyz is preferred for numerous reasons. Yet is not always appropriate when doing math by hand.)

 

Once I had shown him the error of his ways he started to get agitated. Then stormed out of the room saying he was offended that I called him by first name.

 

That was a few weeks ago.

 

In this course the exam has had to be pushed back at least a week, and the prof was struggling with how to grade these peoples homework without dealing out a lot of cripplingly bad grades.

 

So was I talking down to him?

 

____

 

For the technically oriented. He wanted them to make a choice which would result in math like this.

 

X(t) = Cos(t)

Y(t) = Sin(t)

z(t) = t

 

The correct choice gives

 

r(t) = 1

\theta(t) = t

z (t) = t

 

The choice he tried to convince people of would result in a painful integral. The correct one results in a almost trivial integral.

[D-Lish]

No, you weren't wrong, you were doing your job.

 

Being in a leadership role means having to assert yourself, you did.

The student had a reaction that had nothing to do with you.

 

A part of taking on a leadership role has to do with managing people as well as knowing your stuff.

 

If you know you're right, you don't have to justify yourself, end of story. You say what you need to say for their benefit, and if they don't like it- tough crap. That's the attitude you should adopt.

 

Welcome to the world of academia- If you want to succeed, you will need to learn how to manage egos.

 

Don't take it personally.

[RecordProducer]

So was I talking down to him?

Who cares? Seriously! He's not a little disabled child, he's a sassy college student - and it doesn't sound like he hurt your feelings, so all is good.

 

He stormed out of the classroom because he's not there to learn: he's a little arrogant pisher. With people like that I always say: don't open his eyes, let him make the same mistake where it really counts!

[denise_xo]

No, you weren't wrong, you were doing your job.

 

Being in a leadership role means having to assert yourself, you did.

The student had a reaction that had nothing to do with you.

 

A part of taking on a leadership role has to do with managing people as well as knowing your stuff.

 

If you know you're right, you don't have to justify yourself, end of story. You say what you need to say for their benefit, and if they don't like it- tough crap. That's the attitude you should adopt.

 

Welcome to the world of academia- If you want to succeed, you will need to learn how to manage egos.

 

Don't take it personally.

 

+ 1. This student has some kind of problem, but it isn't yours.

[Mrlonelyone]

Ok. Thanks. That has been the opinion of basically everyone but that student and a friend of his.

 

It just really bothered me for some reason.