Wasting Time in the Classroom

Although the maturity to age ratio of college students varies a great deal across the range of students currently enrolled here at A&M, most students are at the point in their lives where they are either in the process of learning responsibility or they have not learned it yet. This spills over into the classes that we attend throughout a given week. Personally I believe that attending a class and not paying attention is a waste of time, and I prefer to not do it if I know my mind will not come to class with me. Many students go to class mindless. They attend because it makes them feel better or because their teacher takes attendance and it is a big part of their grade, but they are not coming to learn or ready to absorb knowledge. During class they are not engaged or often even listening. I know because I’ve been there and because of the amount of people I see working on their Sudoku or crossword puzzle from the Battalion. I truly believe that this is a waste of time. Perhaps students occasionally absorb a subconscious thing or two from the sound waves passing by (but rarely allowed into) their ears, but more likely they are just trying to make time pass more quickly to get out of class and get back to life.

This article discussing a college in Nebraska describes some of the views of teachers on technology in the classroom. They value the potential that technology such as computers can offer, but the negative effects are not worth the benefit. Students can do in class research, calculate difficult math problems, or take notes on their computers. Students will be surfing the internet, checking facebook, playing calculator games, etc. Schools (and workplaces) design their web browsers to ban online games or time wasting sites like facebook, but students use an endless number of proxies to get around them. In the end, students will find a way to disengage their mind from what is going on in class unless the class is able to reach out to them and really become of interest. The problem should not be trying to stop or block every potential way to waste time in the classroom. This is the way that middle and high schools approach the problem, which is likely beneficial because the students have not matured enough to realize the value of learning. However much easier it is said than done, I believe that the effort should instead be focused on creating a learning environment that is interesting and engaging.