Comments on: In Class or In Prison? http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/10/03/in-class-or-in-prison/ Self-Experimentation, Scientific Method, the Shangri-La Diet, etc. Fri, 30 Jul 2010 10:29:19 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.0.7 by: michael vassar http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/10/03/in-class-or-in-prison/#comment-48909 Thu, 04 Oct 2007 05:10:22 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/10/03/in-class-or-in-prison/#comment-48909 Public school basically sets a precedent for our whole society defining universal prison as what we should all aspire to. Public school basically sets a precedent for our whole society defining universal prison as what we should all aspire to.

]]> by: Bob http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/10/03/in-class-or-in-prison/#comment-48809 Wed, 03 Oct 2007 18:16:49 +0000 http://www.blog.sethroberts.net/2007/10/03/in-class-or-in-prison/#comment-48809 As a student I have a couple suggestions for lecturers who wish to increase attentiveness in science classes. 1) Do not hand out copies of the notes. When I already know what a professor is going to cover it's easy to take a superficial glance at the material and convince myself that I already know what they're going to say. Also, a student who needs to record the material themselves won't have time to devote to other distractions. 2) Do not present from PowerPoint. Slides allow too much information to be thrown at a student at once and they won't know what to pay attention to. Figures are almost always too complex to reproduce in notes, and slides are too verbose. If it's not possible for the instructor to draw or write out a concept in the time alloted to it, the student won't be able to either. 3) Show partial derivations, including algebra. It's often obvious to an expert in the field what simplifying assumptions can be made for a problem, but when it's first introduced to a student these can be huge road blocks in their understanding. A lecture I can follow is much more interesting than one where I become lost. 4) Finally, take a hard line from the beginning. Confront students who have open laptops or other distractions as soon as they're noticed. Lectures should be attended voluntarily, if students don't want to pay attention they shouldn't be present. As a student I have a couple suggestions for lecturers who wish to increase attentiveness in science classes.

1) Do not hand out copies of the notes. When I already know what a professor is going to cover it’s easy to take a superficial glance at the material and convince myself that I already know what they’re going to say. Also, a student who needs to record the material themselves won’t have time to devote to other distractions.

2) Do not present from PowerPoint. Slides allow too much information to be thrown at a student at once and they won’t know what to pay attention to. Figures are almost always too complex to reproduce in notes, and slides are too verbose. If it’s not possible for the instructor to draw or write out a concept in the time alloted to it, the student won’t be able to either.

3) Show partial derivations, including algebra. It’s often obvious to an expert in the field what simplifying assumptions can be made for a problem, but when it’s first introduced to a student these can be huge road blocks in their understanding. A lecture I can follow is much more interesting than one where I become lost.

4) Finally, take a hard line from the beginning. Confront students who have open laptops or other distractions as soon as they’re noticed. Lectures should be attended voluntarily, if students don’t want to pay attention they shouldn’t be present.

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