the joke's on me

Some website I was reading has a link to a paper titled ‘The Attributes and Attribute-Consequences of Great College Teachers’. You can read the paper here.

But the short abstract of the same is as below:

"In personal interviews and questionnaires, students describe great college teachers as those who are dynamic lecturers, clear communicators, and make sincere efforts to relay their concern for students and student learning. Driving these preferences is students' desire to commit to class, improve class focus, and learn the material."

It sounds very right and I whole heartedly agree to this. It seems quite close to what I believe in. Its puts the teacher and the student together in a combined mission.

The only thing was I did not really understand the Dynamic lecturer part. What exactly does that entail? Reading further I got this laundry list of attributes that describe ‘A DYNAMIC LECTURER’. I miss the tone when I write this stuff. Imagine King Julian from Madagascar saying – a dynamic lecturer… did you get it? google King Julian, youtube him. Especially the dialogues in part 2.

Forget it… just read the attributes here for a dynamic lecturer (that tone again)


Gives an interesting and entertaining presentation
Provides good examples in class (1)
Provides good examples in class, real life and timely (2)
Lectures are relevant and interesting (5)
Make the class interesting by doing something other than lecturing all the time (6)
Fun; Descriptive; explaining why they are doing things in class; motivating the subject matter (7)
Witty / funny (8)
Tries to keep students entertained during lectures (10)
Relate to students, give personal examples of themselves (11)
Goes in depth to explain things in their lecture (11)
Relate the class material to stuff you're familiar with (13)
Have a dynamic presentation style; not monotone (13)
Entertaining, keep the students attention (14)
Apply the information to things that students are familiar with (14)
Entertaining, funny (15)
Entertaining, not monotone; keep students' attention (16)
Enthusiasm; presenting their information with a good personality and sense of humor (17)
Ability to lead and control the class (19)
Sense of humor; entertaining (19)
Funny, light-hearted personality (21)
Interaction with the class / Entertaining (23)
Give interesting presentations; activities, personal stories, etc (27)
Not monotone in their presentation (27)
Entertaining; tell jokes and stories (29)
Keeps the lecture relevant and appropriate (31)
Good flow in their lecture; don't jump around (32)
Keep the attention of the class; funny; entertaining (33)
Sociable; talk about other things besides material; relate subject to students (33)
Good personality; entertaining enough to keep students attention (35)
Keep the class's attention; entertaining (37)
Have voice fluctuation, not monotone (39)
Humorous (39)
Keep the mood light; not serious all the time (42)
Sense of humor; connects with their students (44)

If you read carefully, actually even if you read not so carefully, you will relaise that – the students don’t need a professor, they need a FU&*$NG joker. No wonder I seem to be doing decently well with the students.

While on the topic of jokers, I couldnt but help humming this really old song. What you have been exposed to in your early impressionable years is what stays with you till much later. complete irrefutable proof as below.