Modern Classrooms

The Experience of Studying in Modern Classrooms

Modern, clean, well-lit rooms; internet networks; wireless sound-systems; capable workstations; microphones; bulletin boards; flexible design layouts; efficient student desk layout; acoustic ambiance including air conditioners, noise-proof rooms and multiple lighting options; white boards; video projectors; etc. Wondering where all this is leading to? Yes, these are the forefronts of modern teaching classrooms- the factors that can contribute to or distract from student motivation and learning.
Modern classrooms are the new wave that has hit the education system. They are basically more technology friendly with more interaction. The teaching methods are less formal giving importance to a ‘give and take’ relationship between the students and the teachers.
Rohini Kumar, a first year Media student believes that, “
With the advent of interactive whiteboards, there is no need for teachers to write on the board while talking to the class. The ability to display presentations, text, images, audio- visuals, etc on the digitized board while teaching facilitates convenient communication and interactive sessions.”
The world education system has become rigid and universal in the past century which does not always suit all kinds of students. Teachers are considered the ultimate holders of knowledge and the students the apprentice with no knowledge whatsoever. Student scholars are being boxed into the mold of conformity required by big classes, competition for grades, tests with multiple choice questions. They have immense pressure to perform, to get good grades, but no one is listening to the nuance of their minds. Students are discouraged to develop their own opinions leading the student- teacher relationship to fall apart causing resistance from both sides of the classroom, but times are changing.
Modern classrooms allow both the parties to reference content and raise questions while discussing relevant topics. The teachers may then guide the students towards and not teach them the answer. Participation, understanding and intrigue increases followed by self discovery, introspection and research and students understand through their own interpretations a subject and its concepts much more thoroughly. The use of technology, such as spreadsheets, graphical representations of data, and correlation of data for large groups allows students to quickly and easily understand the data being present. Also, using technology to give students individualized and group data about their performance is an example of a stimulus that can provide the desired response of student who is more dedicated during class and more willing to study outside of class.
Yet, there are negatives to everything. Critics argue, that modern classrooms and teaching methods like documents, presentations, e-books are alienating students from actual books and libraries whereas the laptops and spell- checks are helping people forget how to right and encouraging atrocious grammar and spellings. Also, when the students graduate to college, it may be difficult for them to adjust to modern methods of teaching followed in most colleges nowadays. Nupur Chauhan, a first year B.Com student says that, “The Indian education system in particular is strongly built around book-learning and regular tests, it is not easy to get used to the idea of not having books at all. Moreover, with all the notes and assignments being digitalized, the long hours in front of the laptops and computers are leading to increase in stress levels and also influencing health conditions like poor eyesight, headache and backache.”

Students are using laptops to record the lectures and take notes during class. With heads buried in screens and hands furiously typing you can never tell whether a student is paying attention or browsing through Facebook, checking out the newspaper, emailing, playing solitaire, chatting, editing photo collections, texting, reading books or magazines, or maybe even shopping online. It’s an information overload. Classrooms across the world have been overrun by the multi-tasking virus. Teachers are bereft. Students may defend this trend by citing their generation’s enhanced ability to multi-task. Unfortunately, studies have shown that the human mind cannot, in fact, multi-task without drastically reducing the quality of our processing. Brain activation for listening is cut in half if the person is trying to process visual input at the same time.

Teachers are mostly neutral to the modern education system with a few slightly biased towards it. Mrs. Poonam Chopra, a high school teacher for the past 25 years has to say that, “The modern classrooms have definitely made teaching convenient. There are no more hassles of dictate notes to the students or sitting through piles of notebooks to be checked. It is easier to make presentations and hand-outs which give the class more time for discussion and interaction.” She ends on a lighter note saying, “Also, the students can’t use ‘the dog ate my homework’ excuse anymore for not completing their work on time.”
With colleges today being more profession oriented, a lot of professionals from the respective industries are invited as visiting faculties. Modern classrooms create a very corporate environment to make the faculty feel at home and convey interest. Most of these sessions are very interactive with a lot of discussions and questions being asked to learn about on the job experiences as a part of modern education.

Although, this system may not work as well at the primary and intermediate school levels. Mr. Rohit Pandey, principal of Little Angels Primary School commented that, “Modern classrooms may create a sense of alienation and indifference amongst the students. With all the information being handed out to the students after class they may actually choose to not pay attention in class making the teacher’s hard work futile. Thus, modern classroom system should only be implemented at a stage in a child’s life when he has attained the intelligence and maturity level for self- study.”

Looking at an international point of view, modern classrooms have really made education a global process. Lectures and tuitions across the world via video- conferencing and cross border sharing of notes and presentations were unheard of a few years ago. Lauren Page, a student of biotechnology in UWS, Sydney approves of modern classrooms. “Ours being such a vast field with new developments in research taking place every day, it is amazing that we can attend live seminars from all over the world via live streaming and telecasts while sitting in the comfort of our classrooms. Moreover, it also facilitates distant learning programs including the work of international professors like documentaries, exhibits, documents, etc.”

Everyone is entitled to their view point and modern classrooms are receiving their fair share of both negative and positive, but the fact remains that like them or not, you can’t ignore the rapidly increasing popularity of modern classrooms, gaining even as you read this article.