Aversion to Busy Work

Even though I put a tremendous amount thought and effort into the design and implementation of my classes, and even though I encourage students to ask questions about my pedagogical motivations, the incessant rumblings still emanate from the back of the room -- "Ugh!" they exclaim.  "This is nothing but busy work!"

"There's no such thing as busy work," I tell my students.   "It's only busy work if you stop thinking while you do it."

They hate it when I say this, maybe because it sounds like I'm accusing them of not thinking (I am).  However, it bears repeating.  In our contemporary culture of quick fixes and attention deficits, it feels natural to shut down the ole noggin while you complete your homework assignments in front of the latest episode of Jersey Shore.  In part, at least, a show like Jersey Shore requires you to shut down your brain, so we become accustomed to operating without it.  Then, when someone asks us to use it, we find we've forgotten how it works, and we need to fish around in the bottom desk drawer for that darned instruction manual.  

As a student, it's important to ask yourself, "Am I thinking?"  When you are sitting in a lecture, are you listening to your professor?  Are you retaining information?  Are you benefiting from your education? 

If your answer to the above questions were "No," it might not be your fault.  A recent study indicated that lectures don't really teach anybody anything -- except, of course, the person who writes the lecture.  In fact, writing a lecture is one of the best ways to memorize and retain information about a subject, I've found.  Unfortunately, the audience tends to fall asleep as soon as the power point slide blinks up on the screen. 

A better way to teach, it turns out, is to engage students in their own education -- to give them situations in which to practice the art of your discipline, and to coach them on how to improve their skills and how to do a better job next time.  The professor as coach model is starting to spread to universities and colleges around the country.  The only problem is, you don't become a better player by sitting on the sidelines texting your roommate about what happened with that weird guy at last night's party.  If you want to improve your game, you need to play.  And when, I ask you, was the last time an athlete called practice "just busy work"?  If an athlete said this within earshot of the coach, what would the coach say?

While I admit that some students' seeming inability to learn anything in school is not always their fault, they need to accept some of the responsibility for doing their work and show some hustle out there.  When a teacher puts effort and thought into designing a "coaching-based" curriculum that intends to engage students, the students will get something out of it only if they are engaged.  When you meet your professor half-way, I think you're more likely to see the benefits of going the distance.