Comment I disagree. (Score 1) 1260
If a textbook is provided, reading the section of the text before hand and then taking notes during class on what was most emphasized and on the teacher's explaination of material is the most effective way to maximize your time as a student. Not only are you prepared for lecture, but you also have the time to ask questions of your professor if you had some the night before.
"The students could then be issued with a DVD of the lecture, which covers the notes angle. In order for the students to bother turning up - and stay awake - the lecture then has to become more interactive, with students actually solving problems (for example) for which they are graded"
I understand the logic behind giving students notes so that they theoretically are more focused on the lecture itself, but there are a few issues with this assumption:
1. First of all, we're ignoring years of research which states that many students are tactile learners, in addition to auditory and visual learners. Many students need to write things down in order to PROCESS them (not necessarily remember. That's studying.). If we eliminate the note-taking process, the professor simply has to hand out notes, and read them. If these notes contain everything, including diagrams and calculations, (which a lazy student would love), there is no reason for a professor to write anything on the board. Thus, we have eliminated 2 of the 3 main ways that students process information while in the classroom.
2. Let's say we try to alieviate this issue by using more "interesting" lectures as was suggested in the quote above. Understand that more "interesting" in a college classroom is really limited to videos, perhaps a science demonstrations or a guest speaker. Still, with note-taking removed, these //aids// will not have much permanance- they may help with understanding, but they will not do anything an effective professor couldn't do. They're just bells and whistles.
3. So, the /average/ student has no incentive to go to class if all the notes are in powerpoint format online and he has a book at home. The person in the quote above suggests grading a student. While ideally a very nice suggestions, this is an execution nightmare. Attempting to have 50-300 students demonstrate a skill on paper AND grading all of these to ensure attendance is extremely impractical. This needs to be done regularly to ensure attendance, and it's just not possible to collect so many papers. Any instructor will attest to this- those not teaching should not dare insinuate that the instructor is just "lazy."
4. If we enforce an attendance policy to try to corral students in the classroom with their powerpoint packets in tow, we simply end up with a room full of resentful students who are simply daydreaming or casually listening. There will always be the very prepared student. There will always be the exceptional student. But if a student is given everything before hand, they no longer have to work for their education. The lecturer is reduced to a "Chapter Summary Machine".
There is an educational psychology term known was "constructivism", which states that each student comes into the classroom, takes imput in, and constructs their own educational experience. Everyone gains something else from the lecture. Having only an auditory imput with no tactile componant is like listening to music in mono. It's simply not enough to be enriching.
All these assume the average, liberal arts education. When you get into the classical sciences and mathematics fields, writing things down is imperative. Looking at multivariable integral or a Claussius-Clapyron solution on a slide is nowhere near the same as experiencing it in person during lecture with a professor present.
All of these points have also simply considered the manner in which information is obtained. There is an entire seperate barrel of fish which discusses the problems we have with how the average student manages their education. Someone previously mentioned that most educators are bad ones, and that most students are bad ones as well. In this country, our students are seriously lacking in what's called "Self-Regulating Learning" skills. In life, we have to be excellent listeners and be able to synthesize and integrate the information we receive. Not teaching good notetaking or reinforcing good notetaking, note-processing, or critical reading skills is negligant.
Finally, if we have the ideal situation where the instructor has provided a textbook and the students have read it and the students made their own notes or EVEN were given powerpoint notes -- the student MUST be able to take excellent notes on the "nuggets of wisdom" provided by the professor that are not available in the text or on sparknotes.com
- An educator.
"The students could then be issued with a DVD of the lecture, which covers the notes angle. In order for the students to bother turning up - and stay awake - the lecture then has to become more interactive, with students actually solving problems (for example) for which they are graded"
I understand the logic behind giving students notes so that they theoretically are more focused on the lecture itself, but there are a few issues with this assumption:
1. First of all, we're ignoring years of research which states that many students are tactile learners, in addition to auditory and visual learners. Many students need to write things down in order to PROCESS them (not necessarily remember. That's studying.). If we eliminate the note-taking process, the professor simply has to hand out notes, and read them. If these notes contain everything, including diagrams and calculations, (which a lazy student would love), there is no reason for a professor to write anything on the board. Thus, we have eliminated 2 of the 3 main ways that students process information while in the classroom.
2. Let's say we try to alieviate this issue by using more "interesting" lectures as was suggested in the quote above. Understand that more "interesting" in a college classroom is really limited to videos, perhaps a science demonstrations or a guest speaker. Still, with note-taking removed, these
3. So, the
4. If we enforce an attendance policy to try to corral students in the classroom with their powerpoint packets in tow, we simply end up with a room full of resentful students who are simply daydreaming or casually listening. There will always be the very prepared student. There will always be the exceptional student. But if a student is given everything before hand, they no longer have to work for their education. The lecturer is reduced to a "Chapter Summary Machine".
There is an educational psychology term known was "constructivism", which states that each student comes into the classroom, takes imput in, and constructs their own educational experience. Everyone gains something else from the lecture. Having only an auditory imput with no tactile componant is like listening to music in mono. It's simply not enough to be enriching.
All these assume the average, liberal arts education. When you get into the classical sciences and mathematics fields, writing things down is imperative. Looking at multivariable integral or a Claussius-Clapyron solution on a slide is nowhere near the same as experiencing it in person during lecture with a professor present.
All of these points have also simply considered the manner in which information is obtained. There is an entire seperate barrel of fish which discusses the problems we have with how the average student manages their education. Someone previously mentioned that most educators are bad ones, and that most students are bad ones as well. In this country, our students are seriously lacking in what's called "Self-Regulating Learning" skills. In life, we have to be excellent listeners and be able to synthesize and integrate the information we receive. Not teaching good notetaking or reinforcing good notetaking, note-processing, or critical reading skills is negligant.
Finally, if we have the ideal situation where the instructor has provided a textbook and the students have read it and the students made their own notes or EVEN were given powerpoint notes -- the student MUST be able to take excellent notes on the "nuggets of wisdom" provided by the professor that are not available in the text or on sparknotes.com
- An educator.
