One of the best articles I’ve read on the situation of college students not being proficient in English grammar. Kim Brooks, a professor and writer tells of her frustrations and her efforts into researching the problem.
It appeared to me, as an older student returning to the college classroom that the curriculum was geared to the student’s abilities and that in general, the solution was to lower standards and make the learning “fun” to ensure that the students would take part, interact. I found this odd; all through my own elementary and secondary education I’d been expected to learn and raise my knowledge up to a level, and work hard to do it. It amazed me that my first English class at a community college that was required, despite my achievement on the placement test, was “Composition.” I thought I’d been done with that in eighth grade. Composition?
Screw fun in the classroom. If they don’t want to learn, they ‘ll flunk or require remedial studies until they learn how to learn. The offer to impart knowledge is generous; at the college level it’s worth gold.
The Lost Children: A Charity Anthology