2.9
Quality2.4
Difficulty75%
Would Retake93
Reviews75%
Would Retake
93
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
30
4
12
3
11
2
14
1
26
What Students Say
“DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS”
SED511 - 1.0 rating“Don't God forbid have an opinion”
SED511 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
92%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.77 avg changeRatings by Course
SED511525SS
5.0
(1)SEDETHN
5.0
(1)SED525EN
5.0
(1)SED411
4.0
(1)SED525S
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
511
4.0
SEDETHN
4.0
SEDBOTH
4.0
SED525S
4.0
ED511
3.3
Reviews (93)
No Comments
This teacher is more concerned with self-propogation and money making schemes than in teaching those in his class. Additionally, I found him to be extremely biased against anyone not of the mexican culture. This class is a ripoff in more ways than one.
No Comments
He needs to focus his teaching on the material for each week instead of repeating the same information every week, felt as if lesson plan was being improvised and had no logical sequence. Pearls of wisdom do not constitute great teaching!
Nava is full of balony. He actually repeated the exact same lecture two different class periods. Anyone who uses his tips for teaching will surely find themselves running away from their class as fast as possible. Avoid him like the plague.
No Comments
this man is sooo boring and sooo full of himself that you will find yourself couting the seconds until his class ends - literally - staring at the second hand on our watch
Nava Tells it as it is. He does not make education come off as warm and fuzzy. As a result, many don't like him. He is a cynic and a realist. I found his lectures extremely beneficial and would take him again. Good grader, interesting class. Not for all.
Nava, is a no nonsense teacher, just show up everyday and make sure your portfolio is fat.
He teaches his class w/a my way or the high way attitude and treats students as if they were in elemenary school (is this the kind of teacher you want to be? exactly...it's depressing). While he sometimes gives very good tips he drags out 3/4 classes of material over a tedius semester.
As a Mexican-American I was appalled by his methods. He hated his teaching experience and it shows, and he writes books that have nothing to do with teaching. He forces students to buy his books so he can get paid. It is unfortunate that this educator is tenured and he knows the tricks of education.
If the teaching profession is a war than Nava is your drill sergeant. He will teach you how to survive in an urban school.
No Comments
This class was such a joke and waste of time. Be prepared to listen to him talk about politics for 3 straight hours. I can't believe he is teaching at a university. This man should not be teaching anywhere. He should be embarrassed for making us pay to take is class. The material in his portfolio is a a joke!
Cool guy. Easy going. Likes to talk. Odd ball, but funny. Gives a lot of inside information about how things work in schools. Gives you homework for the portfolio, but no rocket science.
Want a practical course that will provide you with tools to immediately succeed in the classroom? Take Dr. Nava's class. He's clear, insightful,helpful and realistic. No ego, very approachable. The portfolio is alot of work, but all useful info for success as a teacher. His class is practical,not theoritical; you'll need practicality as a teacher.
Some people don't like his class, but he is cool because he gives you real life advice, rather than just a bunch of theoretical crap.
Excellent teacher... really helpful with understanding the content. His book is essential for beginning teachers. Fun guy, fun to listen to. Very attentive, and understanding of individual student needs.
Somewhat helpful,interesting,very attractive,good looks can be distracting.
I thought Dr. Nava was a very thorough professor. He taught what I believed to be real situations that occur in the classroom and strategies that will be beneficial for the students.
No Comments
GREAT!!! has taught me the ropes of becoming an effictive teacher. I recommand that you take this professor. Not boring and very funny.
Interesting if you think teaching is just classroom management. Don't speak up--he knows everything! If you are liberal, stay extra quiet. Likes to hear himself talk and tests you. Makes you feel like failures before he lifts you up. What a hero.
I enjoyed Dr. Nava in both classes I had him for, Classroom Management and Methods for Social Science (although the former was better). There are complaints that all he does is tell stories, but ten years after the first class, I'm still using management techniques he taught me. His anecdotes are hilarious, and the Mexico trip is worthwhile.
Excellent teacher with an attitude, but excellent teaching ideas to help students relate inventions to their lives, develop interest in science, make students understand the contributions of men and women of their culture to the defence of this country. I appreciated all of his teaching, inspite of his attitude.
I love this professor. He is not your easy, give me an A professor but you work for your grade. He updates you on how to be a good teacher, very informative and caring. Sometimes harsh but it's for our benefit. Good guy.
I learned a lot in his methods class. Doesn't sugarcoat what teaching will be like in a real school like many education professors can. If you can get past his sometimes demeaning personality, you'll enjoy his stories and appreciate his humor.
He's an ok teacher. very caring. He knows his stuff. If you're not involved in class he wont know you. if you're quiet dont take this class. you need to show him that you are passionate about teaching. i am thinking about being a teacher over because of this class. he scares you a lot.. how troublesome kids are and how hard to handle they are.
I hold a masters in English & have been teaching for 4 years. Nava is absolutely the worst professor I've ever had. An easy A but comes with a lot of BS, on his high horse & full of himself. He talks so confidently that you think he's knowledgable but most of his advice to be useless. He is forgetful & inconsistent, personally attacks and rude.
Insensitive to student needs and shows lack of intersest in essential student learning.does not plan lessons well, assigns busy-work and textbook cost is high of which he requires 5 textbooks all compiled and published by Alfonso, Nava
Way too many negative considerations to list! All of the other negative reviews I've read are accurate, but not complete. - I'll just add a few that I didn't see mentioned yet. - You really need to be careful about the trust you place in this professors statements. He can be very engaging, even entertaining, but much of what he says is complete
He makes you buy all of his books, admits that his grading is completely subjective, and bashes other teachers. Waste of time. Take Sima's class instead!
Try a different professor.
Gives honest useful information, not the usual nonsense found in education courses
he is a horrible teacher.....likes to hear himself talk and likes to waste your time. Repeats the same lecture over and over and makes his students want out of his class 5 minutes after it starts.
Teaches the same lecture over and over, projects are ok.
Very kick back class. The work is time consuming but interesting.Professor is very knowledgable and willing to share it. If you go to class, participate and complete the portfolio you should be okay. This is not an academic course it is a training course for fututre teachers.
The biggest waste of time I have had in all of my school experiences. I hated every second of this class. Could have been taught in a weekend.
Everything has already been said. I don't recommend him. 90% of the class is BS. 6% is actually helpful and 4% is where he actually discusses the assignments. He only says it once so be sure to get it. Also, I think he only read some of the assignments in the portfolio because some of what I turned in was bad. Yet, I still got credit for it.
This class was a total waste of time. Nava is so full of himself I'm surprised his ego fits through the door. Don't try to correct him if he is wrong, it's the fastest way to see your grade drop. His books are all written by him and are useless and his classroom management tools range from silly (if you are teaching high school) to illegal.
Assignments were confusing, especially because he didn't clarify them well. However, it seemed like he just skimmed through the assignments when grading, so it was relatively easy to BS the assignments. Picked up a few interesting tips, though most of the class seemed rather redundant after awhile.
Do not take this professor. Class is hard and professor is horrible, rude and not helpful.
Professor Nava is an interesting man. His assignments are competely useless in the teaching field. He tends to repeat the same lecture for the first few weeks, he as no standard grading scale and he is known to make very rude comments. For the last 6 weeks of a class we did not do anything but sit and listen to him lecture about himself.DO NOT TAKE
Do not take his section if you have a choice. His assignments were unclear and grading was arbitrary. I had no idea what grade I was getting. I never understood what his goal for the class was other than listening to his stories. The course reader was a mess. He was often rude to the students. Class morale became very low. Very disappointing.
Many of the negative comments are WRONG, and likely come from "C-" students that can't take the heat and tension real teachers face. Dr. Nava's class management suggestions, ideas are brilliant. I applied them during my student teaching and both my master teachers ranked me "outstanding." For future teachers with high standards, Dr. Nava is IT!!!
Secondary Education
This was the rudest instructor ever
Quite possibly Thee Worst Teacher at CSUN. He wrote the book on What every teacher should not do in the classroom. Double standards, goes off topic consistantly,stands on his soapbox and spouts off his own biases and is a bitter angry man. Very unpleasant and painful class to sit through. Most everyone drops out except die hards like me.
Nava is an extremely insightful, and experienced educator, and his approach is offensive only to feeble minded, status quo adherents. This no nonsense attitude is what education needs. For those Nava bashers out there, "Daddy isn't paying the car insurance anymore" grow up, as only the strong survive in the real world.
Dr. Nava's class offers you with reality based outlook on the teaching profession. He offers you practical approach for securing a teaching job. His field trips are great! I learned so much and was exposed to different teaching environments I did not know exist. Very fun.
Dr. Nava is one of the best teacher that I've had so far. He's very experienced in the field of education and if you want to learn about classroom management take him because his class very interesting and fun. I enjoyed this class a lot and learned a lot of stuff about classroom management.
best class ever!!! learned alot.
DR. Nava was a great teacher with great humor! His information was useful and gave us helpful tips that will help future teachers with classroom management. I enjoyed his class and will take another class with him, if it was available!!!
This has been a great class. I feel that I have learned so much about classroom management and the educational world in general. Dr. Nava is very funny with tons of knowledge and experience. I am looking forward to taking another class with him next semester.
first 5 weeks, biased uneducated viewpoints and fact incorrect stories. Mean and angry until Midterms, then gets nicer. Lectures are painful and scattered. No due dates on assignments just a list of what we will do. Expect more assignments thrown in last minute. Got an A but not sure if he really looked at my work. Didn't learn anything unfort
I don't even know where to begin. Just shocked, amazed that he teaches "at all" let alone at Uni. People who say they learned so much must be morons. He wanders and is so scattered, and "wings it" every class period. As he says, he only one who teaches this class - he has a monopoly and people have tried for years to get him out, no success.
Alot of work!!!
I'm not even sure where to beging. Yes, he is very knowledgable and experienced, but that is only about 10% of the class. The rest of the time, you sit in class and listen to him spew his ideas, beleive, political agendas etc. Cocky and over-confident, beleive there is no one smarter or better then him. Imposes ideas onto the students!
Dr. Nava is a great professor. He comes with a wealth of experience in teaching secondary education. He gives extremely helpful tips in classroom management, and how to survive in the teaching profession!
Great professor! Very responsible.
excellent professor! I would take a class again with him.
The best, there is no other prof. that keeps education on the real level. He should be the only intructor for this course He is fantastic, I recommend to take classes with him. There is no hard work unless you wait for the last week. HE IS A MUST to TAKE.
Nava can be awkward and very condescending. However, he attempts to expose the politics of working for any school system to potential teachers. The class is valuable in the educational readings and in-class group dialogue, other than that it is a very easy class, as long as you put in some work and average effort. A valuable ?A? grade as long as
Today I had something to add to our discussion, to which he promptly replied, "Who cares?" It's very frustrating to have a professor, who is supposed to be helping future teachers, be so disrespectful to a student.
Nava is real. When it comes to education he doesnt cherry coat reality. and thats great! hes preparing students for struggling schools that actually need good leaders. diverse schools who are tired of cry baby teachers. If you can't handle Nava, then good luck managing punk HS students. I hope you end up teaching somewhere in Iowa or Thousnd Oaks
Nava shows up and babbles about nothing for 3 hours. He has no apparent lesson plan, and never actually conveys information that might be useful in a practice. Most of his lecture is either warning us about how awful the situation for teachers is or condemning "liberals" for creating that situation. One of the worst professors I've ever had.
PRO:Very Knowledgeable-great classroom management tips: CON:little clarity w/projects & assignments. Email correspondence-yet responds w/1 sentence "See me in class". Doesn't practice the TPE which he stresses to students.Like's his "soapbox". Often no lesson plan. Arbitrary grading-no rubric or criteria for projects.DON"T RECOMMEND!!!
Nava has some great information for new teachers and will open your eyes to some of the reality that we will experience. I applied alot of what I learned in the class with great results. Check your ego at the door and consider that you don't know as much as he does in the field. The complaints about him are baseless and trivial.
Anyone who says Nava is a good professor is an IDIOT. This comment does not come from a "C" student, but from a straight "A," bachelor's from USC, 2 Master's degrees from CSUN (with a 4.0) student. I was literally DUMBFOUNDED that people considered his class to be "higher" education. The work he assigns is SO easy and useless, just like his class.
I totally agree with the poster below. I would like to add that many of the stories he tells in class seem to be made up. I don't believe a word that comes out of his babbling mouth.
Although he has a defensive "cult" following who thinks that he keeps it "real" nothing could be further from the truth. A rambling, incoherent liar, his remarks border on the homophobic and misogynistic. He openly despises his peers, talks about "queers" in control of school districts (the district changes with each telling). Stay away from him.
Why do people feel that he hates his students? Never felt anything of the sort. His insight into the educational field is extremely helpful & valuable. Students seem to take things entirely out of context. Dr. Nava has never spoken about "queers," the only time this word was mentioned in class was by a student in conjunction with "queer studies."
Smile. Nod. Keep your Mouth shut do exactly what he says for assignments. Don't God forbid have an opinion.
Professor nava helped me out very much in order to become a teacher he assigns work that will help you later on. If you can take professor nava do so hes a great guy and is very helpful. I found him easy since i love the subject :)
I'm not going to sit here and say that this class is hard, because it was my easiest A this semester. The problem is that you really just waste 3 hours a week with this man. He repeats himself over and over. The material he caters to is better suited for elementary school classrooms. He thinks he is alot more profound and educated than he really is
This man is ridiculous. His workload is easy, but his ability to conjure up assignments in thin air is laudable-and I mean I would clap for him, because his capability to literally BS through three hours of class is a talent in itself. He's not terrible and he does have his moments, but otherwise? Definitely not a good professor.
This class was the most easiest A. Class is boring and pointless. The professor can talk forever but he's not that bad. Just work on portfolio and you're good.
Easy class - just keep up with the assignments (write it down as soon as he says it). Nice guy - brings up some good issues about the education system but doesn't dialogue about it enough with the class and repeats himself a lot. Not awful but can be tedious at times. I wish he practiced more of the techniques he teaches.
I really like Nava as a person. He has a big heart and some good advice. He has taught me the most about classroom management. I would highly recommend the Mexico trip! It will change your perspective on the world. The major cons would be that he does not give you a list of assignments, there is no real syllabus, and is easy work but a ton of it.
Dr. Nava is a fantastic guy. He is very knowledgable and gives a lot of great tips based on his teaching experiences. He talks a lot so you have to keep up, but the assignments are super easy. Plus he gives a lot of extra learning opportunities that were super helpful.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS. Nava is a running joke in the credential program. We say that he teaches one of the first prerequisites in order to "thin the numbers" of the program. He just talks about nothing, no structure, for 3 hours. If you must take this, smile, be friendly, and act like everything that comes out of his mouth is divinely inspired.
He is an excellent teacher and the class is easy and interesting. It is more like a conversation between him and the students. You will learn a lot from all his experiences and opinions about the profession. He is funny and always there to help you out. Attendance is a must and a there is a portfolio due at the end of the semester, it Is not hard.
Dr Nava is quite frankly amazing. Yes, he will tell you to your face YOU ARENT CUT OUT TO BE A TEACHER, QUIT NOW. and thats why you see so many negative reviews. He is a master teacher and won't sugarcoat it. You can learn a lot from Nava, but you cant fake it thru his class. Either you have what it takes to be a teacher or not.
Professor Nava simply keeps it real and gives some real life advice, something the credential program as a whole is lacking. Other professors are wishy washy about education and too "liberal" about the actual teaching profession, Nava instead tries to tackle the present issues in education and he allow his students to connect the dots.
Sadly, Professor Nava is the only person who teaches Social Science methods. Rather than offer tools and pedagogical insight, he lectures on the political realities of teaching in 1987. To ensure your success in the classroom, be prepared to rely on your master teacher and your own industriousness.
Nava really does just keep things real with his students about the teaching profession. Commonly overlooked do's and don'ts are explained. He has a passion for upholding a certain quality of education for all. Highly recommend.
Nava is a weird guy, but in a good way. Very knowledgeable, very kind. Yes, the class is mostly just listening to his personal stories. His class is mandatory so do yourself a favor and go talk to him after class. He is extremely helpful. I don't understand the Nava haters on here.
Dr. Nava is a Latin American Harvard graduate. He is very in touch with the dominant culture served in LA County. It is sad to say that the politics of the education system neglects this culture in terms of preparation for the future. I sense that his goal is to change the system by ensuring that culturally sensitive teachers make it through.
Great teacher. He is very aware of the harsh realities of the teaching profession in Los Angeles.
Attended Fall 2000. Dr. Nava was correct about everything. YOU will become the GUARDIAN of these children for all of their life. YOU will become the enemy of the School District and the Parents. YOU accepted a fiduciary responsibility. YOU have their lives in YOUR HANDS. YOU must not fail to TEACH THEM so that they have CHOICE IN LIFE.
It has been nearly 25 years since I've taken this class, and it is the only class I've ever taken where I thought the professor should not be teaching. He simply tells stories about himself and repeats himself over and over. He is mean-spirited and judgmental. I can't believe he is still teaching at CSUN. I received an A but learned nothing.
Take some cookies to class and sip your coffee to keep you awake during his lectures about nothing substantial. Easy A but at the expense of your own wasted time and money paid to the school. He would not make it himself in a real classroom. Outdated teaching methodology.
Dr. Nava provided a survivors guide to maintaining employment in the field. He taught me aspects of Latin culture, I never knew. I would consider this information valuable to connecting with the dominant culture of youth in LA. The school system fails to meet the needs of this demographic because of a lack of cultural awareness and/or compassion.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
100%
Textbook Required
92%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Improving
+0.77 avg changeRatings by Course
SED511525SS
5.0
(1)SEDETHN
5.0
(1)SED525EN
5.0
(1)SED411
4.0
(1)SED525S
4.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
511
4.0
SEDETHN
4.0
SEDBOTH
4.0
SED525S
4.0
ED511
3.3