New findings

Telling a student s/he is dumb does not magically transfer knowledge.

Contrary to popular belief, telling a student s/he is dumb does not magically transfer knowledge of the subject matter being taught. Extensive research has been conducted, and specialists have concluded that directly or indirectly acknowledging that a student is dumb often discourages learning. This conclusion comes as a surprise to many who have used this teaching method for many years. One popular technique of this teaching method involves not answering the problem asked, but instead asking the student if s/he has looked in the textbook, or been listening in class, and subsequently looking annoyed and refusing to answer the question. Another technique, especially useful for math courses, is to write down the final answer, and when asked to clarify certain steps, claim that it is purely "high school math" and again refuse to elaborate. Showing no respect for the student is also popular. The intention of this technique is that the student magically finds the answer to his/her question before the final exam. Once the student learns this magical method, no further questions will be generated, which in turn must mean that the student learned the subject.

Unfortunately, recent studies are questioning this traditional technique. The law of conservation of frustration states that for every frustration there is a resolution, but unless the two meet, the frustration exists and is only transferred. This law leads experts to believe that when a student is turned down on a question, the question still exists and is only transferred as the student seeks other means of resolving the question. In other words, the student does not magically learn the subject matter, but has learned it from another source! Experts are now encouraging instructors to simply answer the questions in detail instead of deflecting them. "If the student does not understand, try a different approach to the answer. Using visual aids, examples, and real life scenarios often help explain the subject. Because the student does not understand does not mean s/he is dumb. It only means s/he is not seasoned in your particular field, which is a good thing if you want to keep your job!" said Dr. Showre Spect at the Conference for Better Teaching.

Believers of the traditional method are skeptical. "I do not believe it. I have used the traditional approach and no student ever come back with another question!" Sounds like the new teaching method will not be employed in the near future.