By Lauren Sproule, TLS Freelance Writer
For the students of Carleton University, it comes down to subject matter. All classroom set-ups serve a purpose, whether they are lecture style or an informal in-the-round tutorial.
Conducting a lecture with little class participation in a large hall introduces students to an idea, but for fourth-year civil engineering student Bradley Davis and some of his classmates, the real learning takes place when they are able to “talk it out.”
Sitting in an auditorium listening to the professor explain a concept is the best way to “provide a base” for learning, says Davis. He is then able to solidify what has been explored in class by breaking away with his peers to discuss the material and work through problems together.
“A lot of it is self-learning,” one of Davis’ classmates adds. The content in the engineering courses is very structured and leaves little room for interpretation he says, so the lectures themselves are not very discussion-based.
Davis notes that smaller lectures or labs provide more opportunities for students to ask their professor or T.A. questions, and are far more conducive to conversation, which in-turn enriches the learning. Another of Davis’ classmates feels that it is intimidating to ask the lecturer a question in a larger classroom setting, referring to the number of eyes in the room.
Several graduate students in the School of Journalism and Communication agree with their engineering peers. Maggie Parkhill, a first-year Master of Journalism student, says she thinks more knowledge is gained through class discussion surrounding the subject matter at hand. In-the-round style seating encourages everyone to participate, she says, which enriches the conversation and gives more people the chance to contribute.
On the other hand, Rachel Levy-McLaughlin, who is also in her first year of graduate studies in the journalism program, acknowledges that students have very different learning styles. While she detests being “lectured at” and much prefers a discussion-based lesson, others in her first-year Introduction to Journalism course thrive when listening solely to the professor.
Ultimately, instructors at Carleton don’t have the luxury of picking which style of room they teach in. But with so many different student preferences for learning, more flexible spaces, like Carleton’s new active learning classrooms, can help support a variety of teaching approaches.
With movable furniture, interactive flat panel monitors and repeater monitors throughout, the classrooms are designed to encourage student-centered learning through technologies that facilitate collaboration.