Where Won't You Go This Summer?

News

Kitty Cheung Staff Writer

Zach Siddiqui Copy Editor

Paul Choptuik / Coordinating News Editor Onosholema Ogoigbe / News Team Member

May 13, 2019 news@the-peak.ca

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News

Paul Choptuik / Coordinating News Editor Onosholema Ogoigbe / News Team Member

news@the-peak.ca

Kitty Cheung Staff Writer

Onosholema Ogoigbe News Team Member

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Opinions

Nicole Magas / Opinions Editor

May 13, 2019 opinions@the-peak.ca

Kelly Chia Staff Writer

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Opinions

Kitty Cheung Staff Writer

Nicole Magas Opinions Editor

Nicole Magas / Opinions Editor

opinions@the-peak.ca

Opinions

May 13, 2019

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TEACHING METHODS

SFU needs more creativity and interactive learning in the classroom Cognitive research shows students thrive with diverse learning, so why are we so reliant on lectures?

Mishaa Khan Peak Associate Despite how far research has come in studying cognition and learning, the field of psychology still relies on an archaic, top-down mode of lesson delivery: hour(s)long lectures by the instructor in which students are passive recipients at best. This is somehow meant to stir interest and maintain focus in the subject matter.

In my experience, the teaching methods in science departments at SFU and other universities is outdated and largely does not cater to varied learning abilities.

Everyone has a different best way to comprehend information, such as student-led learning, interactive lectures, discussions, et cetera. To cater to the range of ways students process information, SFU needs to expand their teaching methods.

In the 22 courses I have taken at SFU, 21 have been very heavily lecture-based. Most of my classes did have a complementary lab or tutorial component to them, but the lectures themselves proved to be dry more often than not.

WHAT GRINDS OUR GEARS? The reflecting pond is not your trash can After I wrote my last exam, I figured I needed some sunshine and fresh air to feel alive again, so I cut through the AQ’s courtyard. You know, the pretty one on all the promotional materials that made you think, “Wow, this is the university for me!”

The courtyard was beautiful as always.

Picturesquely, folks were studying and conversing on the grass, somebody was napping on a bench, the grass was green, the birds were chirping . . . Because of who I am as a person, I wondered if the koi fish were back. So as I crossed the pond, I looked over the walkway and what did I see?

Trash. Literal trash — which I feel the need to specify given how often we use this adjective to describe all things SFU. The sun had been out for all of three minutes, the koi fish had just been released, and somebody had already thrown an empty plastic soda cup into the pond along with assorted candy bar wrappers.

Let me be clear here: there is no legitimate reason to pollute campus. There’s no reason to pollute any place, really. It costs $0 to hold onto your trash until you find a garbage or recycling bin, and if you’re enough of an adult to be on this campus you should know better than to litter. But doing it as soon as the weather clears up enough for people to step outside and enjoy nature seems particularly hateful. We already talk trash about our campus and how ugly it is; we have no reason to make it trashier.

So to the random pond-polluters out there: stop.

We can all do better than this to take care of our school and the planet until the incoming ecological apocalypse takes us all out of our misery.

Written by Gabrielle McLaren

The one class that didn’t fit this mold was a seminar where we spent three hours discussing our assigned readings. It proved to be one of my favourite classes despite being held at 8:30 in the morning. Perhaps if my other, lecture-based classes had implemented a different teaching style than just sit-and-listen, it would have helped me (and others) enjoy and appreciate the content a lot more than we did.

I’ve often had to buy coffee for some of my lectures, even after getting adequate sleep; I feared I might fall asleep or let my attention wander out of boredom. I’m sure there are others who echo these sentiments. Students should not have to rely on coffee to keep

themselves alert and focused through a monotonous class. It is the job of the professors and the university to implement better, research-affirmed instructional techniques to aid our learning, not the students’ job to compensate for the faulty system.

For example, a meta-analysis done by Neil Bradbury suggests that lectures alone aren’t enough to solidify knowledge and contextual application in students’ minds. Students need to be doing as much as listening to fully comprehend the information they are taking in.

I’m not saying that we should get rid of lectures entirely — they can be an effective way to deliver knowledge under time constraints

— but they should not be the only mode of teaching instructors rely on. Instead, I’m arguing that students should be given diverse methods in how they consume and show their understanding of course material.

The limitations of current teaching styles hinder students from reaching their full potential. As a result, students who are discouraged by their classes and grades may underestimate their intelligence. This could lead to students being less likely to pursue their passions all because of our stagnant educational system.

This generation consists of our future leaders, so why are universities suppressing their abilities instead of strengthening them?

10 Arts

Alison Wick / Arts Editor

arts@the-peak.ca

Kelly Chia Staff Writer

Arts

May 13, 2019

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Arts

Alison Wick / Arts Editor

arts@the-peak.ca

Humour

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Zoe Vedova / Humour Editor

May 13, 2019 humour@the-peak.ca

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Humour

Zoe Vedova / Humour Editor

humour@the-peak.ca

Humour

May 13, 2019

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16 Diversions

Yuri Zhou / Business Manager

business@the-peak.ca

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The Peak Publication Society Board of Directors will have its first meeting of the summer 2019 semester on Tuesday, May 21 at 11 a.m. in the The Peak's office (MBC2900).

All future meetings will be held at 11 a.m. on every third Monday of the month in the The Peak's office.

CORRECTION NOTICE: On May 6, 2019, in the Opinions article "SFU event shows LGBTQ+ movement falls short of full inclusivity," Ashley Moore was credited as a PhD candidate. Moore is a PhD student.