- Surfed the net, watched Youtube videos or played a computer game, etc., while the lecturer's droning on about who knows what.
- Did stuff mentioned in point 1 but still listened to the lecturer because you work better when multitasking.
- Did work for one class in another class.
- Fallen asleep in class. As in literally fallen asleep. Snoring, drooling, Z's floating above your head.
I'm sure it comes as no surprise that my advice on all of the above is: don't do it. Let me address each point separately.
1. Electronic distractions
Pretty much every student that I catch not paying attention in class due to surfing, playing a game or having a long WhatsApp conversation would immediately stop what they're doing (usually with a guilty, sheepish expression), so it's clear that they know that they shouldn't be doing it. And yet, most of them go back to distracting themselves after 5 minutes, and I can only nag them so many times.
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| I really need to listen to what the lecturer is sayi... |
I assume that all students want to score well in examinations, (and, more importantly, use the concepts taught when they encounter it in practice in the future). Many students tell me that they plan to read up on the topic themselves later. To these students I ask, why not figure out the concepts now, when the lecturer is explaining the concepts and is available for questions, and do all your surfing and game playing later?
I don't buy the excuse that "I'm not in the mood to learn right now, I'll learn better later when I'm ready." I don't know about you, but I'm a lazy procrastinating bum. If I'm not forced to sit my butt in a classroom for lessons, I'm honest enough with myself to know that I'm likely to never do it on my own. Hmm, do I play a computer game, go out with my friends, or read a textbook on class diagrams? Decisions, decisions.
Besides, you knew your timetable beforehand. You know you've got 3 hours of lessons tomorrow morning. Make yourself ready. Trust me, it's easier this way, and you get to goof off on your own time without a nagging lecturer glaring at you.
2. Multitasking
While I always reserve the possibility that I'm wrong, I strongly suspect that people who say that "I work better when multitasking" are talking out of their behinds. Seriously, I don't think human brains work that way. Yes, I know that studies have shown that listening to music can help you study. However, note that it helps you study, as in "revise stuff you've already learnt." However, I doubt that playing a computer game while the lecturer is talking can help you learn stuff that you don't yet know. Trust me, I play computer games, and when I'm really into a game, nothing else penetrates my skull. The same applies to reading 9gag, watching NigaHiga or any of the other various distractions.
I worry about these students because, unlike the ones in point 1 above who feel guilty about not paying attention, they are rationalizing their actions by saying that they actually perform better. If you regularly multitask during lessons, um, stop it? Listen to your 'cher. Try focusing on the lesson fully, and I promise that you'll learn better.
3. Doing work from another class
This one I understand. There are two occasions when this happens most frequently: when the students have just left another class and are still discussing topics from that class, and when there's a looming deadline. However, I still try to put a stop to it because they're just replacing one problem with another. Here's a conversation I had recently with a student who was doing Developing Web Applications (DWA) homework in my OOAD class:
Me: Are you doing DWA work?
Student: Yes.
Me: In OOAD class.
Student: Uh, yes...
Me: So, do you do OOAD work during DWA?
Student: Uh...
Me: Do you see the problem?
In emergency situations with a looming deadline, sometimes there's no choice. This means that you're suffering the consequences of poor time management (that assignment to be submitted in 2 hours should have been done much earlier), and the only thing you can do is to plan it better next time. Most of the time, though, focus on the class you're in, not the class you're not. Otherwise you'll just be doing catch-up all the time.
4. Falling asleep
I've had students fall asleep in class. My insecure ego thinks, "jeez, am I really that boring? I'm a terrible teacher!", and then when I wake the student up for an explanation, they invariably tell me that they just slept late.
Here's a radical idea: sleep early. Seriously. You can say no to that DOTA game that will last until 3am if you know that there's a lesson at 10am the next day. And if your friends insist, tell them off. Please. You're a student whose only responsibility is to learn. Take your responsibilities seriously.
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| I was really tempted |
And don't get me started on the students who come to class late because they woke up late...
Listen, I understand. I've done similar things back when I was a student, all except actually falling asleep. Of course, this was back in the dark ages before the Internet (jeez I'm old). But yeah, I doodled, played countless games of tic-tac-toe and Hangman with my friends, and did all sorts of things to stop my brains from leaking out of my ears during particularly boring lectures. And let me tell you, I did get dangerously close to falling asleep on several occasions.
However, I always try to ensure that I understood the concepts taught before I goof off. I read ahead in the slides and took a look at the tutorial questions to see if I could answer them. If so, I relaxed. If not, I listened. I also took notes (I prefer writing notes on a piece of paper rather than typing them in a Word document) and asked questions, which kept me alert, attentive and awake. If I had Internet access when I was a student, I would be Googling concepts as the lecturer talked about them to gain a better understanding. That would be a good use of multitasking.
In summary, when you're in class, commit to it. You're there to learn, and you're responsible for your own education. And if you're anything like me, you'll enjoy yourself so much more when you goof off after a tough day of lessons because you're patting yourself on the back for a job well done.
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