Respect lecture etiquette

An Oct. 10 New York Times article told the story of a student who was asked by his professor to speak less in class.

Philip Garber Jr. was taking classes at County College of Morris in Randolph, N.J. and suffers from a stutter that causes him to have labored speech.

After a few classes in which he repeatedly raised his hand to ask questions, professor Elizabeth Snyder sent Garber an email.

She asked him to pose his questions after class so as not to infringe on other students’ time and to write out discussion points in order to make communication easier. Snyder told the New York Times on Oct. 13 that these were only ever suggestions, and she never intended to keep Garber from speaking.

In the same article, college administrators stated that Garber had faced discrimination.

While Snyder’s action may seem harsh, it wasn’t inappropriate given the circumstances.

Asking multiple questions can derail a lesson and take a professor on a tangent that’s related to a particular student’s interest.

Snyder told Garber his speaking was disruptive, which was diplomatic and doesn’t necessarily have anything to do with his stutter.

While class participation is desirable, Garber should have taken into account the effect his questions and comments were having on the rest of the class.

Snyder was right to appraoch Garber outside of class instead of calling him out during lecture but such a delicate situation should have been dealt with in person.

Garber chose not to comply with the professor’s recommendations and continued to frequently raise his hand. He shouldn’t have blatantly ignored his instructor’s wishes.

Constant in-class questions and comments are the concern. Lectures aren’t meant to be one-on-one interactions and it’s up to the instructor whether or not to diverge from a lesson to take questions.

There’s an etiquette in lectures that is often disrespected at Queen’s as well.

It’s not fair to forbid a student from speaking at all, and the professor could have set a standard limit on how much each student is allowed to speak.

Snyder’s actions shouldn’t be seen as discrimination against a student because of a stutter. She made attempts to remedy a student’s disruptions, and her efforts have been strewn in an unfavourable light.

Every student has the right to learn, but if one person’s learning comes at the expense of an entire class, concessions need to be made.

Tags

Lecture, Student Issues

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