Grad Students Discuss Bok's Book

Derek Bok's criticism of the effectiveness of modern educational institutions, "Our Underachieving Colleges," has been reviewed by the New York Times, New York Review of Books, Publishers Weekly and The Boston Globe. On Tuesday, Kinesiology graduate students and faculty threw in their two cents as well.

The department kicked off its semester with a social gathering to discuss Bok's book and its implications for in the classroom. Bok, a former president of Harvard University, concludes that students today are making sub-par improvements in the areas of writing, critical thinking, quantitative skills and moral reasoning, according to The Princeton University Press. He further criticizes institutions which continue using teaching methods that have been proven to be ineffective.

On Tuesday, the Kineseology teaching lab teemed with debates about the implications of one's cultural roots on his or her ability to learn, the effectiveness of Facebook in the classroom, and other topics on the processes of educating.

Jennifer Kleinhaus, a graduate student in the department, was in attendance at the book discussion. She considered herself lucky to be organized into a group that included individuals with a variety of backgrounds, including those with roots in Korea, India, Germany, Wisconsin and Illinois.

"We had different perspectives," Kleinhaus said. "It was very valuable."

Kleinhaus will be joining the force of educators this semester as a teaching assistant with Dr. Jae Kun Shim, who was also in the same discussion group. Kleinhaus believes that the points Bok makes will serve her well in the classroom.

"It'll put the day-to-day battle in a better perspective," Kleinhaus said.

The department kicks off every year with book discussions; this is the first one Kleinhaus has attended, and she was glad she did.

"It's a nice way to get to know a couple people in the department," Kleinhaus said.

Following the Kineseology department's lead, Dr. Elaine Anderson, the chair of Family Science, announced at Wednesay's graduate student orientation that that department will also begin holding department book discussions.