Responce to article: Is anybody listening?

Instructor Yi-Ming Shi
English Composition II 2020
Date: 18th March 2008
Response to article: Is anybody listening?

Diligence

Daniel’s contention in this article is that the inadequacy of lecture system nowadays harms the faculties as well as the students. The poor learning conditions such as extension courses which is too big to take attendance, the inactive and repetitive way of giving lecture by reading old notes bored bilaterally, and the courses designed hardly benefit the students overall have shown the shortcomings of lecture system. Also, he expresses his own idea that practice listening attentively is a difficult task for almost every student who basically chooses to avoid it. After all, he strongly suggests that “students should learn to listen before they can listen to learn.” In my opinion, this situation really needs to be improved in order to advance the intelligence of all students. To learn actively, to lecture adequately, and to raise a question frequently –these are the responsibilities of the participants involved in a lecture.

First, a student should take the initiative in study. Although a university is an institution for higher learning with teaching and it awards an undergraduate a bachelor degree, a student should promptly prepare or revise before and after a lecture to make a complete absorption for him or herself. Without the advancement of self-learning, a student might encounter a momentary study distraction as he or she fails to focus in lessons. In a growth of time, that student would totally burn out, losing the enthusiasm for study. To illustrate, take the students respectively the first and the first count from the back in the class as a lively example. Elizabeth who is the first in the class is conscientious about her own study. She asks some questions during recess time to solve her doubts. Even after back home, she habitually spends an hour to do revision, trying to recall and rememorize what she has learnt from the day lecture. Relatively, Bobo who is the last in the class abandons schoolwork and chooses to learn passively. She starts reading only a day before the exam; therefore, she could never follow up the schedule of the course.

Second, instructors, lecturers, and professors should try to act according to circumstances while giving a lecture. There is a small amount of faculties from any other universities teach without caring the students’ reaction. They neglect the feeling of the students and there is virtually no one dares to raise a question under their powerful tone. As a consequence, the courses are boring both the lecturers and students which is the most ineffective way to teach and to learn. It has caused not only the students learn nothing from the class, but also some sleep over the span. To lecture picturesquely involves how well a lecturer’s preparation before stepping into the class. A lecturer may ask some questions even though there is no one raising their hand. Furthermore, he or she can dispel the stuffy study atmosphere by holding a small discussion group or a student presentation weekly.

At last, a student should raise a question whenever he or she is in doubt. The best device to learn adequately is to question frequently. This helps a student to improve in expressing their ideas after rapidly receiving a satisfying answer. Moreover, it constitutes their critical ideas by the process of questions and answers. Once, I was sitting in the lecture hall among three hundred and fifty students. It was an extension course taken about two hours. Students cannot move freely while the entrance is closed and the lecture starts. I observed that third students had fallen asleep; no matter they were sitting in front or behind in the lecture hall. This circumstance seemed only the lecturer himself interested in the course, but I was wrong which I found later that someone raised his question in the middle of the lesson. After that, the one third of the students who were sleeping woke up as they were aware of someone’s speaking in their dreams. They joined in the questions raised by the boy and started to discuss with the people sitting beside them. Therefore, questioning is a way of learning too.

To sum up, diligence is the gate to success. The present lecture system is lacking in providing a student good lectures; hence, every student should catch up the lectures by doing self-revision studiously. Besides, lecturers should be considerate to their students who are readily understandable by observing their concentration, participation, and performance in a class.