Reflections on a talk by Michael Wesch
How did listening to Michael Wesch make you feel? Do you recognize yourself in what he says?
After listening to Michael Wesch’s video made me relate to the way students ask questions regarding
the class because me being a student I want to know what the class is about and what the expectations
are right away. I do recognize myself in what he sys and understand when he explains “what theses
walls say..” and “what students say in these walls..” because I am the person what the student says and
not pay attention to the wall. By watching this video it help me understand a lot more about the
classroom and how everything works in the classroom.
Listening to Micheal Wesch did not make me feel anything for say, but it did give me an understanding
of how some people perceive the class room when it is in a big lecture hall setting as opposed to a small
class room setting. I do recognize myself asking questions such as "How many points is this worth?" And
"How long does this paper need to be?" because in the past I would actually plan to do the bare
minimum.
Intimidation in the classrooms. Michael Wesch’s presentation focuses on a lot of main points of the role
of the classroom architecture. Listening to Michael Wesch made me think on how us students, think of
the classrooms. The architecture of a classroom for me is the same as he described. I agree in the part
where he mentions that students take the expectations of the big classrooms into the small classrooms.
Usually, when I’m in a big classroom I’m more quiet than normal because I feel like I’m there to acquire
information not to discuss anything. Indeed, I take these same expectations to the small classrooms. In
most cases students just listen and it shouldn’t be that way. Small classrooms are made so students can
discuss a topic. Most of the students feel intimidated by being in a big class packed with students and
that’s what makes us feel like we shouldn’t comment. For example I don’t feel comfortable when I’m
around fifty students or more. I feel like if I comment they are going to judge my answer or comment
something bad. Also, another thing that Michael Wesch mentions at the end of his presentation is that
students are just in class to get a grade. I actually believe that most of the students just want to pass the
class without learning anything. I still come across this type of students and it’s sad to know they think
this way. Times have changed but we still see how the same problems are affecting our education.
Listening to Michael Wesch speech made me think more in depth that we as students only tend to do
what is asked and only ask “What is this assignment being scored out of? What are you looking for in the
assignment? How long does it have to be?” We only ask practical questions so that we can fulfill the task
we are given but not to actually learn about it. I agree with what Michael Wesch says. The “Crisis of
significance”, that is a great way to call it because it’s true. Most students only focus on how much
points the assignment is worth. Most don’t really pay attention to actually learning about the topic that
has been assigned; rather it’s what the score will be. Everything in a classroom has to do with points.
Whether its assignments, attendance, or even participation. The motivation that is given in a classroom
is that in order to tally a good grade in class is to participate, to answer questions, to ask questions, and
to be outspoken in class. I do see myself or rather I do see similarities in what he says. Once a professor
is put in charge of the class, the professor is the one who knows the material, he is the expert who is
guiding us and nurturing us with the information that we need. It’s a sad crisis that we as students only
focus on the point matter than actually caring about learning and expanding the topic.
Michael Wesch made me feel disappointed at how students generally act in a college classroom. I’m in
complete agreement with his point. When I start a new class, there are always students that seem to be
concerned about points and grading before a professor or doctor can begin to talk about what the class
is about. I notice that even after my class is well into the semester and the students already know the
professor’s grading and testing style, students ask “What do we need to know for the test?” I do not
recognize myself as one of those students that ask that and it honestly frustrates me a lot when I hear it.
Michael Wesch sounded inspiring and interesting like most professors here at CSUDH, but it seems like
so many students these days seem bored. It seems like most students are interested in just passing as
opposed to being more passionate in their major. I feel like if they were truly listening then I wouldn’t
see that as much and people would be more engaged in classrooms.
Listening to Michael Wesch made me feel that he does have a point by saying how students think
differently from what the professor's expect students to obtain the course. Wesch has a point when he
said that students work only for the grade but do not really find interest in actually learning from the
course because they want to the minimum of work as they possibly can and I should know because I
have done that before for some of my classes. I realize now that what he was trying to say does apply to
me because that should not be my mentality towards courses I have no interest in, if anything those
courses are the one's I should pay attention to the most.
Watching Michael Wesch made me realize the reality of how students are in schools and their behavior
is to get only a good grade. Listening to Michael Wesch did open my eyes and realize that students, even
myself, care about the grade more than the education. It made me feel guilty to what he said in the
presentation because students are looking for ways to only get the grade in the course and not retain
the information that we go over. The reason for us to only care about our grades it is difficult to put time
aside to read, study, and practice the material for each course when students are taking other courses
and juggling work at the same time.
Michael Wesch brings up many valid points. I had never given it much thought but the more I kept
listening to his speech the more and more I agreed with him. He described the classroom setting as
being an “information dump” where professors dump the information onto the students. We are
expected to sit there and take notes until our hands fall off. For the most part, we are to soak up all the
information being presented and at the end of the class walk out feeling overwhelmed by the
information overload. He also described the classroom as being very authoritative. Also, that we the
students are to trust the authority for good information. The average classroom has fixed chairs that are
facing the front of the room designed to acquire information and not open for discussion. We are taught
to obey authority and follow along. I can definitely relate to what Michael Wesch is saying in his
presentation. I have to asked the same questions asked by other students. Questions like, how long will
the test be and how many point is this assignment worth? Going forward I will not focus so much on the
end result or the grade but more so learning from the assignments and applying those skills to my career
path.
Listening to Michael Wesch’s video excerpt made me feel melancholy. What he says is sad but true. He
discusses the fact that classrooms are designed in a way so that students acquire information from the
authority figure, the teacher, in the front of the class. Classrooms are not typically designed to foster
conversation or discussion. I feel that what he says is very true and disturbing. I do not believe it is just
the classroom design though. I believe we as a society are taught to not question authority. We are
taught to listen to our teacher and learn from them; therefore society is just as much to blame about
this “crisis of significance” as classroom design. I very much recognize myself in what he says. I was
brought up to trust authority and not to question them but rather to learn, obey and follow along. I
have asked all the same superficial questions that he mentions students typically ask and I unfortunately
have not fully learned to ask the really good questions for meaningful discussion, at least in subjects that
are not interesting to me.
At the beginning, the video of Michael Welsh actually brought me back to when I first went to College. I
was in school then, because it was expected of me and so, I was like the other students that Michael
Welsch was describing – students who are in school for the bare minimum just to pass, graduate and get
hired. Towards the end of the video, I actually had to ask myself why I am back in school after several
years and I realized that I actually want to better myself, and to learn new things not just for the
bachelor’s degree or for a higher position at work.
I agree with Michael Wesch the large class rooms such a lecture hall are architecture design for students
to acquire information. Since student seating is arranged to face towards the front of the class, which
limits movement interactions among students. As a college student I have taught large classes, limited
interactions the information was quickly lost and forgotten. Students who took lectures in large classes
minimize the amount of questions they ask. In several moments throughout my college education I have
minimized the number of question I asked during these large classrooms due to imbursement of
asking the wrong question, and humiliating myself in front large audience.
After listening to the video of Michael Wesch, which speaks of his observation about how students see
the meaning of learning, made me realize that he is so true. That for many students the typical learning
experience is to attend a class, acquire enough information for a passing grade with very little of
participation.
I can relate to Michael Wesch point of view. I have attended a class where I only went to the class
because it was a requirement, and I did not find the class interesting, so I only got the required
information that helped me obtain a passing grade. From this experience, I noticed that years later, the
information obtained from a class did not last enough to do better in my other classes. Therefore, I
have changed my attitude towards my future classes, by participating in asking more questions and
sharing the information that I know.
In conclusion, by participating in a class with questions, criticism and with information, not only makes
the class more interesting but also helps you enforce your knowledge. : )
The presentation given by Professor Michael Wesch was very interesting. I never thought about our
educational system architecture and format to be so archaic. It seems logical that this architecture is
designed to be forceful acquisition of information; to obey authority and follow along. The layout of the
classroom does assume this is an “information dump” and the student is required to trust the authority
for the correct information. This does make it extremely difficult for a student to acquire the
information and retain as knowledge. After hearing his presentation, it almost seems unfair to expect a
student to sit in a classroom lecture and assume the student will learn. There are so many distractions in
this environment that prohibit the student from learning. I’m definitely not stating that this is the fault
of the system and not the student. The student does have to want to learn and have the desire to be
present to even have a chance at learning and retaining knowledge. A good way to learn and retain the
information is to allow discussion and feedback. The active dialogue and cognitive thinking allows the
student to understand the information and has a better chance of retention. But the fact of the matter
is, the classroom is not designed to promote discussion of the information presented and it never has
been set up in this fashion. All through elementary, junior high, and high school has been this same
design. So how are we expected to change this habit to promote discussion and question the authority
when a student has experienced this for so many years.
There were some points throughout the presentation where I recognized myself and was able to identify
with the student. I was once a student asking those same questions, specifically the “what do we need
to know for this test?” I was like so many of my fellow students trying to attend class and participate at
the bare minimum to pass the class and receive a degree. I am not positive if my change in behavior and
thinking was due to maturity or me finding my career, but I have since altered my approach when taking
classes. I now have the desire and motivation to learn the information and become a well-rounded
individual in both my personal and professional life.
What Wesch said really hit home for me. This is my first semester at Dominguez Hills and I am coming in
with a different approach then I have at previous schools I have attended. This time around, I actually
want to learn when before; this was just something I did to please my parents. I was okay with receiving
a C and now I am putting in the extra effort to work for an A. I normal just sit in classrooms half paying
attention half day dreaming. I ask the questions Welsh stated, such as “What questions will be on the
test?”. What Welsh is saying is what am I now trying to apply in school. What I have realized is that this
is my future, not my parents.
This is my last semester at CSUDH and I totally agree with him. Every semester I had to take 5 to 6
classes to graduate on time. I feel like most of the time I was rushing to memorize what was needed to
do well in my classes. Many times I asked, “How long does this paper need to be?” I did not want to
waste too much time in my papers since my other classes required to write papers as well. I feel better
this semester since I am only taking 4 classes, life is less stressful.
Listening to Michael Wesch definitely made me recognize myself in what he says. He mentioned that to
learn is to acquire. When being in a classroom, you are to trust the authority which is the expert at the
front of the room with whatever information either he/she is sharing as the instructor. I agree when he
mentions that students now a days admit they can only learn so much from the instructor in which ever
course taken and that they rather just know whatever will benefit them in future references before they
forget the lecture. He mentions crisis of significance, who I myself honestly feel a part of, meaning;
students find no meaning in education besides getting a grade.
What stops you from participating in class discussion?
What makes me stop from participating in class discussion is that I might respond to the question wrong
or might embraces myself for answering in a way that a professor would not understand.
What normally stops me from participating in a class discussion is not being able to express my points
clearly. I am terrified of having to explain over and over what it is I am trying to convey. Another reason I
don't like participating in class discussions is my fear of giving the wrong answer, and having to sit
through a lecture of why the answer I provided was the wrong one. Finally, the reason why I don't like
participating in class discussions is because I am scared to ask the wrong question.
Some of the things that stop me from participating in class room discussions are touched on in the
Youtube video posted by Dr. Larry Press of Michael Wesch in the video “A Portal to Media Literacy.”
The issue of blindly following authority is what bothers me. I will always respect authority, however I
like to think for myself. I see a lot of students who will simply obey authority and follow whatever
information the book or professor might lead them to believe. Students become sheep and will accept
anything that the majority of the students in their class want or expect. Most people are eager to follow
and don’t want to rock the boat. This behavior keeps people from thinking for themselves and left with
uncertainty on how to handle unscripted problems.
Something that stops me from participating in class discussions is usually the instructor. If the instructor
can really make the course relatable to me then I can easily participate and give my insight. Most of the
time however, I feel like what I have to say has nothing to do with what is going on in class. Sometimes I
just feel lost and confused and although everyone says there are no stupid questions, there is always
that possibility that the class or instructor will giggle before answering your question. For the most part
what stops me from participating is that I like to hear what others have to say before I can actually say
something; this sometimes means that people say what I would of said causing me not to participate in
class discussions.
I think that what stops me from participating in class discussions has most to do with the professor’s
teaching style. If the professor is friendly, knowledgeable and begins calling on students from day one,
everyone gets comfortable enough to begin voluntarily participating in class discussions because we
have broken the ice. If the professor has a dry personality, is not knowledgeable and unfriendly, it is
harder for me to participate in class discussions because of the vibe that that professor has created in
the classroom for us students.
What usually stops be from participating in a class discussion is that half the time I'm afraid that what
I'm going to say is not going to be correct and sometimes I'm not brave enough to express what I have
to say about the topic. Another thing is that if I have the chance to say what I have to say, I feel like it's
going to have nothing to do what the topic the class was talking about from the start.
There are many factors that stop me from participating in a class discussion. I don’t participate when the
professor seems unprepared. When a professor is unprepared, it shows the lack of interest a professor
has in educating the class. There are some professors that show a real passion with what they are
teaching, while some are obviously only there for a paycheck. When professors are not interested in
teaching us what it is we should be learning, it makes me not want to learn. If professors are only doing
the bare minimum to only teach because they have to be, then I feel like I am only there to do the bare
minimum, to earn the grade I want.
I also don’t like professors that can’t take a challenge or intellectual questions from their students.
Sometimes certain professors refuse to answer further questions I have about a topic, and that turns my
interest away. A professor’s lack of interest in engaging in discussions with the students makes students
not want to discuss at all. If all we are forced to do is absorb and not engage, then I am not interested in
discussing when the professor asks us to.
What stops me from participating in-class discussion involve with many factors. One of these factors
would be how open-minded the instructor is in providing answers and lead discussion. Instructors avoid
being questioned and become resistant to following-up to open-ended question in order to move along
the lecture. Another factor is I don’t understand the material provided and I become confused. Then I
have a much harder time articulating my thoughts and become too worried with how I should say it
correctly in front of the class. I also experience discomfort to ask questions when seeing students
uninterested in listening during discussion. Lastly, some students who love to dominate the discussion
and become defensive with their answers really impact others from participating.
What stops me from participating is the fear of public speaking, as well as getting the answer wrong. I
hate being wrong, especially if I am way off. I'm in my senior year and have yet to take my speech class,
and when trying to I dropped it twice. I never grew out of my shy ways. I do a lot of second guessing as
well, and majority of the times I am right. I hate group projects. I hate having to talk to my neighbors,
but I love working with people or having a customer service friendly job. I don't know it's weird. I guess I
have some preconceived idea or fear of what happened in my childhood.
What stops me from participating or answering questions, is the fact that it might be wrong answer, and
people will stare at me and maybe laugh, however, I learned to overcome this fear, and what really
helps me is I keep telling myself if I have a right answer every time, then why I am taking this class, and I
am not learning anything new!! Which is a false statement, and us as human make mistakes all the time.
I stop participating in class discussions because I'm only there for my requirement for my major and my
grade. Sometimes I only go to class because the teacher will assign work or have a quiz, not because I
want to learn. I believe if I was interested, I would pay more attention and discuss the material with the
class. The teacher has a big part on keeping the students interested. Sometimes classes are so boring, I
daydream. Therefore, I won’t pay attention and will not know what the subject is about. Another reason
why I don't participate is that I'm not familiar with the subject being taught, so I'll just be quiet and write
down the information.
What stops you from participating in class discussion? What stops me from participating in class
discussion is the fear of answering a question that is being asked wrong and people staring at me. Also, I
am a shy person, and I do not like participating do to previous experiences. I am scared to be laughed at
by my classmates, I know I am in college, but public speaking is my biggest fear.
I stop participating in class discussion due to the fact that I am only there for the grade. Sometimes I
only go to class because the teacher will take role that day, not because I want to learn. I believe that if I
was interested I would pay attention and discuss the material with other students as well as with the
teacher. Sometimes the class is so boring I am falling asleep therefore I won’t pay attention and will not
know what to discuss about.
Which online discussion tools have you used? What were the pros and cons of each relative to fruitful
discussion?
The discussion tools that I have used are the discussion tools provided on blackboard. It has a thread
that lets you create discussions and other students can comment on it. It is a very effective way of
communicating without being in a classroom and sharing ideas with other students on the same topic.
The downside is that sometimes one can lose internet connection and not be able to post or some
students might take a while to respond. Although this is a good way to communicate with other
students, I still prefer the classroom.
I have used online Discussion Board on Blackboard.
I think the pros of the discussions online were:
• Students participated anytime, anywhere
• They expressed their ideas freely even if they were shy to participate
• There was no pressure for an immediate response
• Answers were thought more deeply as there was more time to think about the question
As for the cons, I could say that:
• Students participated in the discussions boards because discussions were graded assignments;
students were most likely forced to enter into the discussions or they would miss some points
• As we could not see any facial expression in the online discussions we didn’t get the feeling of the
person given his or her comments
• If the answers were not written correctly, they could have been misinterpreted