Classroom Notes Battle Royale – Active Vs Passive Learning

             Classroom Notes Battle Royale – Active Vs Passive Learning

SABITABRATA MANDAL

As a teacher, one of the biggest struggles I face is finding the perfect balance between providing enough classroom notes for my students and not overwhelming them with excessive information. Students learn best by actively engaging in learning and not just passively memorising notes. This philosophy has often put me at odds with some parents, especially one memorable incident with a particular mother.

It was the start of a new academic year, and I was excited to meet my latest batch of students. During the parent-teacher meeting, I introduced myself and my teaching methods to the parents. Everything seemed to be going smoothly until one mother approached me with a worried look after the meeting.

"Excuse me, but can you please tell me why you have given my son so few notes? How is he supposed to prepare for his exams?" she asked concernedly.

I could sense the frustration in her voice as she continued, "In previous classes, teachers used to give detailed notes and questions were asked directly from them. How will my child score well if he doesn't have enough notes?"

I could understand her concern, as most parents want their children to excel academically. However, I couldn't help but chuckle at her last statement. "Well, I don't believe in spoon-feeding my students. I want them to actively participate in the learning process and develop critical thinking skills rather than just memorising notes," I replied with a smile.

The mother's expression changed from concern to shock as she processed my words. "But what will he study for his periodic test? Do you have a study guide or something?" she asked, still unconvinced.

I couldn't help but let out a small laugh at this point. "Oh, don't worry, I do have a study guide. It's called the textbook," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

The mother looked at me with a mix of disbelief and annoyance. "Are you serious? How can you expect my child to study the entire textbook for a single test?" she exclaimed.

I could tell that this conversation was going nowhere, so I decided to try a different approach. "Let me put it this way: do you remember when you were in school and had to study from thick textbooks without any notes from the teacher?" I asked, hoping to make her see my perspective.

She nodded hesitantly. "Well, how did you prepare for your exams?" I continued.

"I-I guess I studied from the textbook and made my notes," she replied, now starting to understand my point.

"Exactly! That's precisely what I want my students to do. I want them to learn how to study and prepare for exams independently. Consider it a life skill that will greatly benefit them in the long run," I explained, hoping to instil a sense of empowerment in the mother.

The mother seemed deep in thought for a moment before finally nodding. "I see your point, but could you at least provide some guiding questions or topics that will be covered in the test?" she asked with a hopeful look.

I couldn't resist making one last joke before ending the conversation. "Sure, how about I give them 100 funny words to study for the test?" I joked, earning a laugh from both of us.

 

"In all seriousness, as educators, we must strike a delicate balance between providing enough resources for our students to succeed and not overwhelming them with excessive information, which is quite frequent in the age of copy-paste and forwarding. While it may seem simpler to just provide detailed notes and have students memorise them, this approach does not foster critical thinking or active learning. As teachers, we must equip our students with the skills they need to thrive in the real world, not just in exams."

In the end, the mother and I came to a mutual understanding, and she even thanked me for explaining my teaching methods to her. From that day on, she became one of my biggest supporters and encouraged other parents to embrace a more active learning approach.

As for the periodic test, my students did well without needing 100 funny words or extensive notes. They could apply their critical thinking skills and prepare for the test using their textbook, just like I had hoped.

This incident taught me that staying true to your beliefs and teaching methods is important as a teacher, even if they may not align with what some parents expect. At the end of the day, our ultimate goal should be to educate and prepare our students for the future, not just for exams. And who knows, maybe in the future, my students will look back at this incident and have a good laugh about it, too.