Classroom Settings -- Here and There
So I have now gone to five lectures -- 2 each in Legal Philosophy and International Civil Procedure, and 1 in Internation Criminal Law (that class was cancelled this week because the professor had a conflict). Here are some interesting differences I've noticed between law school classroom settings in Germany and in the U.S.
1. Classroom Noise level
I can't believe how loud German students are WHILE THE PROFESSOR IS LECTURING. It's like the professors are so intent on making their points that they don't care about any extraneous noise going on in the class, and the German students are sometimes jabbering away like they're sitting in a cafe rather than in a classroom. This makes it very difficult for foreign students to hear/understand the professor, and every American student I know over here complains about this. My friend AB told me that in the really large lecture halls it's worse because it sounds like the kids in the back of the hall are practically partying like it's Friday night, making so much noise that no matter how close to the front you sit, you can't hear the professor over the students. This absolutely would not happen in an American college classroom (the professor would merely ask the student to leave), and every German I have ever met who has not studied in America is shocked by this.
I have a couple of theories about this noise thing:
(a) German university students just finished high school, in which they had to write very difficult exams to earn their leaving certificate (Abitur). To me there appears to me to be a feeling of invincibility among kids who just got their Abitur and got a spot at university, so they feel like they don't need to work hard, pay attention, etc. in the beginning. They think they already know a lot, and what they don't know they'll just figure out later (in time for the exam).
(b) Compared with American students, German students pay very little to attend university, and they just don't appreciate the value of what they're getting during a lecture.
Both of these might also explain why lecture attendance among German students is viewed with a very cavilier attitude -- they feel like they shouldn't have to go if the professor is bad/boring because they can just learn it on their own. In my law school, attendance is mandatory and the professor passes around a sign-in sheet. Germans see this as too much hand-holding, but I have no problem with making attendance mandatory.
2. Laptop Computers
Yesterday I was shocked to see a kid using a laptop in my philosophy class. Of course, it was the type that looks like a clipboard and you write on it, and not a standard notebook computer with a screen that sticks up. Honestly, I think the Germans do this right. One of my biggest pet peeves about American law school classrooms is the amount of internet surfing, online gambling, instant messaging, and game playing that goes on during the lectures.
Apparently I am not alone in this feeling. Some college and law school professors ban laptops in their class, not only because of the "availability of distractions" problem, but also because they feel that taking notes on laptops turn students into zombies who can't remember anything that was discussed during the class. I agree with both of these points. In fact, I am considering abandoning my laptop when I go back to law school for my third year and just using regular pen and paper to take notes. I think I would be a lot less distracted and a lot more engaged in the class (which will be made easier by sitting as close to the front row as possible, another one of my plans for next year).
I guess the bottom line is that there are plenty of ways to be distracted in class. The professor has a job to do -- deliver informative lectures that, if possible, are also mildly entertaining; in short, whatever he/she can to keep students interested in the material. I think this is one of the most important aspects of professorship and it, rather than writing scholarly articles, should be the main criterion for judging a professor's effectiveness. But the students have to meet him/her halfway and pay as much attention as possible. Germany has it partially right (no computers) but then so does the U.S. (no talking). A combination of both elements would, I think, ensure maximum effectiveness for everyone.
1. Classroom Noise level
I can't believe how loud German students are WHILE THE PROFESSOR IS LECTURING. It's like the professors are so intent on making their points that they don't care about any extraneous noise going on in the class, and the German students are sometimes jabbering away like they're sitting in a cafe rather than in a classroom. This makes it very difficult for foreign students to hear/understand the professor, and every American student I know over here complains about this. My friend AB told me that in the really large lecture halls it's worse because it sounds like the kids in the back of the hall are practically partying like it's Friday night, making so much noise that no matter how close to the front you sit, you can't hear the professor over the students. This absolutely would not happen in an American college classroom (the professor would merely ask the student to leave), and every German I have ever met who has not studied in America is shocked by this.
I have a couple of theories about this noise thing:
(a) German university students just finished high school, in which they had to write very difficult exams to earn their leaving certificate (Abitur). To me there appears to me to be a feeling of invincibility among kids who just got their Abitur and got a spot at university, so they feel like they don't need to work hard, pay attention, etc. in the beginning. They think they already know a lot, and what they don't know they'll just figure out later (in time for the exam).
(b) Compared with American students, German students pay very little to attend university, and they just don't appreciate the value of what they're getting during a lecture.
Both of these might also explain why lecture attendance among German students is viewed with a very cavilier attitude -- they feel like they shouldn't have to go if the professor is bad/boring because they can just learn it on their own. In my law school, attendance is mandatory and the professor passes around a sign-in sheet. Germans see this as too much hand-holding, but I have no problem with making attendance mandatory.
2. Laptop Computers
Yesterday I was shocked to see a kid using a laptop in my philosophy class. Of course, it was the type that looks like a clipboard and you write on it, and not a standard notebook computer with a screen that sticks up. Honestly, I think the Germans do this right. One of my biggest pet peeves about American law school classrooms is the amount of internet surfing, online gambling, instant messaging, and game playing that goes on during the lectures.
Apparently I am not alone in this feeling. Some college and law school professors ban laptops in their class, not only because of the "availability of distractions" problem, but also because they feel that taking notes on laptops turn students into zombies who can't remember anything that was discussed during the class. I agree with both of these points. In fact, I am considering abandoning my laptop when I go back to law school for my third year and just using regular pen and paper to take notes. I think I would be a lot less distracted and a lot more engaged in the class (which will be made easier by sitting as close to the front row as possible, another one of my plans for next year).
I guess the bottom line is that there are plenty of ways to be distracted in class. The professor has a job to do -- deliver informative lectures that, if possible, are also mildly entertaining; in short, whatever he/she can to keep students interested in the material. I think this is one of the most important aspects of professorship and it, rather than writing scholarly articles, should be the main criterion for judging a professor's effectiveness. But the students have to meet him/her halfway and pay as much attention as possible. Germany has it partially right (no computers) but then so does the U.S. (no talking). A combination of both elements would, I think, ensure maximum effectiveness for everyone.
posted by Jennifer at 04:58
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