self studies vs class room studies explain brlfily
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When it comes to making a decision about studying, there has always been a debate about Self study vs Classroom Study. The two mediums could not be more different, their merits and pitfalls have been pulled apart and analysed in great detail by supporters on both sides of the fence. Historically, there has been a balance of campaigners for both classroom training and self-study.
While in school, I had a lot of trouble figuring out what worked best for me when it came to learning. I found it very difficult to keep pace with the classroom teaching and owing to my short attention span, I often found myself staring into blank spaces. I gave up trying to focus in class because no matter how hard I tried, it all went too fast. However, I managed to keep my academics on track because I devoted long hours to self-study. It never really occurred to anyone during classes that I was on the losing side. On the other hand, as a young student relying solely on self-studies was not an easy task.
Right from the length and breadth of the curriculum to difficulties in grasping concepts on my own, I got stuck quite often. However, my chemistry classes were an anomaly to this trend, where I was alive as a bird. Lost; but not in wasteful fancies, rather ideating and imagining. Though, Chemistry is often thought to be a subject about laborious periodic tables and nasty equations. For me and most of my classmates, it was a catalyst which brought the much-needed effervescence in our otherwise dull study routines. What isolated these lectures from the rest was one thing- the level of engagement of teacher with the student. The simple idea of acknowledging the diverse needs of each and every student and incorporating the same in the teaching methodology worked wonderfully for both the students and the teacher. The pace did not lead to anyone gasping for breath. In addition to this, we had ample time to contemplate and come up with our queries. However, this is one rare phenomenon.
The basic premise of the ‘Self-study Vs Classroom Study’ debate is the fact that the whole classroom teaching set up has been accused of being ineffective and exclusionary. The major drawbacks of the system being, boring, monotonous and not being able to cater to the individual needs of students owing to a high student to child ratio. Classroom study also has little consideration of the diversity in the learning curves of various students. On the other hand, the self-study system comes across as a flexible and incorporating alternative where a student has the leeway to grasp and learn at a comfortable pace. Students may choose from a variety of combinations of study resources and tools, and manage their study schedule according to their own convenience. They don’t have to wear a cloak which has been crafted in oblivion to their individualistic needs -the one which says – “one size fits all’.
However, Jumping to a quick fix conclusion has its perils. We may fall prey to the same negligence that we accuse the classroom teaching pattern being guilty of. Just like the classroom education is inefficient in incorporating the different needs of different students, a self-study paradigm can also have contradictory outcomes. The fact that both, classroom teaching and self-study paradigms have serious deficiencies is evident from my personal experience and interactions with friends. More often than not, classroom lectures go on like monologues, much like an arrow shot in the dark. The curriculum is often designed keeping in mind the course requirements rather than the capability or curiosity of the students. Information is randomly bombarded upon the students, one after another, with no time or opportunity to ponder over it. Taking to self-study does open up a lot of possibilities for the student, to get the best fit for oneself. At the same time, with the self-study alternative, students often complain of being lost and complacent, and the difficulties they face in time- management.In my discussions with some friends, regarding which mode of study suited them the best, they had many perspectives to offer. One of them suggested that self-study definitely is a preferred alternative to the cliché classroom routine but then, it does not seem to work for everyone. One may be wasting time due to lack of motivation and dedication. The students may simply end up banging their head against the wall if there’s no one to guide when unable to understand a particular topic or concept.
“Self-study will work only if we are really passionate about it and study diligently. Practically, very often, this is not the case. Classroom teaching makes it difficult to skip studying/learning…But then classroom gets boring and monotonous. If we could discipline ourselves and/or find a partner or someone to help, then self-studying rocks.”