Others shrug and consciously or unconsciously lower their expectations and course requirements in an effort to successfully teach to some subgroup of their students. Still others become disenchanted with teaching and put their energies into other areas. A more productive response to student indifference or poor performance must occur on two levels. First, we must acknowledge that our own preferred learning style usually informs our teaching style. However, the one principle that educational researchers universally agree upon is that different people learn differently.
Some students respond well to lectures, some to Socratic dialogue.
Some students need practical examples to lock down a concept or idea, while others may need to visualize the same idea for mastery. The conventional wisdom is that we should use our creative energies to vary our teaching methods regularly to facilitate effective learning for a broad range of students. On another level, we must constantly endeavor to give our students some insight into the value of what we are teaching and show them how it fits together with what they have learned and will learn in school and need in their lives. Again, we may face a mismatch of our perceptions and the students'. I believe that part of our responsibility as professors is to share our enthusiasm for learning as well as our mastery of our disciplines.