Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) students are known for chit-chatting during lectures. Lecturers are used to delivering their presentations over a murmur of student chatter. I, however, find it most annoying, and my students are fully aware of my sentiments!
I really don't know why anybody should be chatting away when someone else is speaking, and, especially when that "somebody" is your lecturer. I am a bit schoolma'amish about this! So, my students constantly get an earful on classroom manners, ending in the conclusion which actually is the point I want to make, which is: "Please be quiet when I am teaching!" Hence, not surprisingly, my lecture classes are generally quieter than the rest! My students sit quietly -- as best as they can -- and wait impatiently for the lecture to end so that they can let out a howl of relief!
Don't get me wrong, I must interject here! It is not that I don't want my students to speak. I love questions from students, but not discourteous chatter!
But, in this semester which just ended, I had a group of students who surprised me with their contrary behaviour. They were attentive in class, asked questions, volunteered comments and responded to my questions. And, they didn't chit-chat during lectures! They exemplified my definition of good classroom manners!
And, in the last lecture of the semester, they did something that bowled me over! I gave the front page of The Star's classified section (Metro Classified) of various issues to each of the students to practise the reading skills of skimming and scanning. But, even before I could give them the instructions on what to do, I saw the most beautiful thing in UTAR.
Without any prompting, the chatter died down immediately. Heads bowed, attention focussed, faces in the pages, every student was engaged in the quiet activity of reading! There was not a sound in the lecture room. It was not the strangeness of pin-drop silence; it was the warm quiet of camaraderie of many individuals deeply engrossed in a mental activity of common interest -- reading the newspapers!
Every time I ask my students to do some reading and they immediately switch into chatter, I tell them: "No noise, please! Reading is an individual activity!" There will be a knowing gigle here and there!
But, when the students bent over newspapers, and began reading quietly simply because they were interested ... that was a treat!
I declared: "This is the most beautifual sight in all of UTAR!" There was not a response even to that -- because they were too engrossed reading!
I couldn't believe it! But, guys, that was a fitting finale to a very pleasant semester with all of you! Please continue to indulge in the lovely individual activity of reading!
