I like studying. I don't want to come off as one of those 'teacher's pets/know it alls,' but the fact is, I simply like studying. I don't particularly like classroom teaching, though, just so I am clear. On the contrary, I like self study a lot, I find it to be the best way of learning. This is because a self study session can usually be tailored to meet one's needs, and one can move at one's own pace (which in my case, is usually faster than everybody else), and the teaching method can be highly flexible to suit one's own needs. Or at least, this is what my opinion on studying was. Twelve years in a large school in India, with class sizes varying from 35-49 students, had taught me that I learned best when I studied alone. And I yearned to learn.
I was looking forward to classes at Trinity, mostly because I couldn't wait to see how the classroom environment differed here in the US. Also, I had been assured that the average class size here was small, so that each individual student would get a lot more attention from the instructor. However, on the whole, I was not anticipating any particular change in my learning methods.
The last two semesters have proven me largely wrong on that front. As my classes at Trinity started, I realized what a difference a small class size could make. No, I did not have professors exclusively catering to my needs and demands (nor did I expect them to, that would have been selfish). However, almost every class I was in was structured as a discussion oriented environment, with every lecture being structured as an open two way interaction, either between the professor and the student(s), or between two (or more) students. Reading the textbook and answering questions from it was no longer the be all and end all of classroom learning- in most classes, I was expected to do the readings and then discuss my impressions on said reading. Where the class went depended entirely on our impressions of the reading.
There were discussion oriented classes in my school too, but almost never to this extent. This free form, free flowing, malleable and flexible classroom structure was intellectually stimulating, and it really engaged me like almost nothing else in the classroom had. I no longer wanted to miss classes, and I genuinely began looking forward to them. I was even excited about my homework and assignments.
Well, okay, no, I wouldn't go that far. I still hate doing homework, But the rest of it is all true! Put simply, I have newfound respect for classroom teaching, and it is all because of the excellent teaching methods that Trinity;s professors employ in the classroom.
I was looking forward to classes at Trinity, mostly because I couldn't wait to see how the classroom environment differed here in the US. Also, I had been assured that the average class size here was small, so that each individual student would get a lot more attention from the instructor. However, on the whole, I was not anticipating any particular change in my learning methods.
The last two semesters have proven me largely wrong on that front. As my classes at Trinity started, I realized what a difference a small class size could make. No, I did not have professors exclusively catering to my needs and demands (nor did I expect them to, that would have been selfish). However, almost every class I was in was structured as a discussion oriented environment, with every lecture being structured as an open two way interaction, either between the professor and the student(s), or between two (or more) students. Reading the textbook and answering questions from it was no longer the be all and end all of classroom learning- in most classes, I was expected to do the readings and then discuss my impressions on said reading. Where the class went depended entirely on our impressions of the reading.
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| The notebook is no longer the centerpiece of classroom teaching. At least, not here at Trinity. |
There were discussion oriented classes in my school too, but almost never to this extent. This free form, free flowing, malleable and flexible classroom structure was intellectually stimulating, and it really engaged me like almost nothing else in the classroom had. I no longer wanted to miss classes, and I genuinely began looking forward to them. I was even excited about my homework and assignments.
Well, okay, no, I wouldn't go that far. I still hate doing homework, But the rest of it is all true! Put simply, I have newfound respect for classroom teaching, and it is all because of the excellent teaching methods that Trinity;s professors employ in the classroom.
pencil by capl@washjeff.edu is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
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