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Foreign students being bad at English is a concern - it's a disservice to the international students, teachers, and other students if a substantial subset of st
by huac 11y ago
Foreign students being bad at English is a concern - it's a disservice to the international students, teachers, and other students if a substantial subset of students can't participate effectively.
- imglorp 11y agoAnd also to the students they TA.
- tnecniv 11y agoI've had group projects where I couldn't communicate effectively with half of my team.
- spacehome 11y agoI think it's great that colleges are preparing our young people for the challenges they'll be facing in the workforce.
- bsilvereagle 11y agoThat's the problem, colleges aren't supposed to be workforce preparation. They're supposed to be a place of higher learning. If students/TAs/professors can't communicate, learning and intellectual discussion (the entire point of a university) isn't occurring.
- Zigurd 11y agoHumor vs. HN. Humor loses.
- spacehome 11y agoI agree with you 100%, but my comment was a joke.
- autotune 11y agoThat's the problem, HackerNews comments aren't supposed to be humorous. They're supposed to be a place of higher discussion. If users/mods/OPs can't be serious, learning and intellectual discussion (the entire point of HackerNews) isn't occurring.
- handedness 11y agoThere's a big difference between humor-as-end (reddit) and humor-as-means (HN, ideally). I'm the first to complain when HN feels like reddit, but I found the comment insightful and incisive. Their use of irony to make their point wasn't at all antithetical to the serious, intellectual discussions you're asking for. Pedantry, on the other hand, is much more likely to prohibit meaningful discussion.
- imron 11y ago> Pedantry, on the other hand, is much more likely to prohibit meaningful discussion So are accusations of pedantry when you don't get the humour of a joke ;-) Your parent was clearly not being serious.
- kbenson 11y agoThis whole thread has devolved into a Poe's law fugue.
- intjk 11y agoYour comment made me spit all over my laptop. I'm just letting you know because I think I'd appreciate knowing if something I wrote caused such a reaction. I actually worry a lot about whether or not a comment I make or want to make is "HN enough" or "too much like a reddit comment", what with the emphasis on comments contributing to the conversation. Maybe "a lot" is too strong for what I feel. It feels like a lot for internet comments. I hope expressing this anxiety somehow contributes. :P
- enraged_camel 11y agoI've had projects where I was the only fluent English speaker, AND the rest of the team all spoke another language (the same one) and decided to communicate almost exclusively in that language.
- bazqux2 11y agoThe same happended to me. It was for an Accounting class in Australia. They switched to mandarin to make it easier on everyone else.
- _lce0 11y agoOn the other hand, what a great opportunity to learn another language! A couple of weeks of duolinguo while using the language for daily talks will do the trick
- zootam 11y agoit's also a disservice to domestic students- when your TA/lecturer barely speaks english- they can explain important concepts very easily to chinese students directly in chinese in office hours- but try talking to them in english? You'd have a hard time communicating. English speaking students can actually be at a disadvantage in this sort of environment.
- paulryanrogers 11y agoActually I recall an Asian math teacher who used basic English but did so to great effect. Her way of breaking problems down really helped me grasp them more effectively. Of course other non-native instructors were not as good, so I'd guess it depends.