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[mfaer]

I don't have a problem with frequent contributors in class (I'm a PhD student).

However, I know too many students who use class "discussions" to think out loud, which is something that peeves me.  Think before you speak.

Then there are the straight up a**holes who just want to dominate the class and listen to the sound of their own voices; for these people, I say, "empty barrels make the loudest noise."

[prephd]

History_grrrl, were you thinking it would be mostly males who thought of themselves as *that* student? So far, it's mostly females. Interesting.

I (a female) am sometimes *that* student. Mostly because:

a) I hate those uncomfortable silences.
b) I am trying to be an active participator.
c) I often like to connect to comments that other students have made.
d) I am not afraid of speaking in front of groups, even to test out something that may be "wrong."
e) I often like to follow up on someone's too-easy "straight man" remark. I know, I know. But there's a place for humor in grad. school, too.

I know that I don't necessarily dominate the conversation, but I am often the first person to speak up. When I do speak first, I will wait until others have had a chance to speak before speaking again (as hard as it may be at times). If the moment passes, it passes, and I let go of what I was thinking. As others have mentioned, I have to train myself to listen instead of just waiting to talk. An outcome of this is that I often get "voted" to present information to the class when we work in small groups. (This is fine by me, because I'm working hard on my presentation skills.)

It took me a long time to get to this point. I was a year younger than my class all the way through my junior year of college. I was the student who always had the "right" answer, but was never the first to speak up because others were much quicker than I was. Then I took a year "off," moved back home and took a couple classes at community college. I returned to college in my senior year. It was that year that I finally found my poise, my voice, and my ability to add to the conversation thoughtfully. So, I am glad to be able to speak up and add to conversation... I just have to be aware that I'm not dominating the conversation.

This came to the forefront recently during a mixed-cohort class. For 2 years, I've taken classes with the same set of people. We had a reputation as outspoken. This semester, 3 different cohorts came together to take a class... and the members of my cohort and I were the only ones responding and talking. The second day of class, I made a huge effort not to speak up every time. It was hard, but it was good to make space for others, and, yes, they finally did start to speak up.

[lottelenya]

Wow, your post brought me out of lurk mode. When I was in the United States, I nearly always had to restrain myself from talking too much, especially when no one else would answer a question. But now I am in New Zealand, and things are different here. There is discussion, but it seems that lecturers here do not actually ask very many questions of students. If they do, it's always a hypothetical, which they immediately go on to answer. I can think of maybe one time this semester when a lecturer asked a question in class and then expected people to figure it out and come up with an answer on the spot. There is a far less competitive feeling here -- if you don't say a word in class the entire period, no one seems to notice or care. However, the final exam is worth 60% of the grade, so you ultimately do have to know your stuff. You're just expected to learn it on your own rather than in class, I suppose.

I'm curious -- frogfactory, I know you are from the UK -- what are classroom discussions like there, as compared to the US or New Zealand?

[der_gadfly]

I have one in my class now who has some 'challenges' and often blurts out something irrelevant....

a few years back I had one in the class who was (unknown to me at first) on pain killers. These made him all whacky and I must say, some of the comments that did come out were just too funny.

Some people are genetically inferior: they lack the STFU gene.

[frogfactory]

I'm curious -- frogfactory, I know you are from the UK -- what are classroom discussions like there, as compared to the US or New Zealand?

There's definitely more emphasis on straight lecturing in the UK - there is certainly none of the clicker nonsense and game-type activities that seem to be encouraged in the US to dumb down make the material more accessible to students with weaker backgrounds.  (seriously - I took a graduate level class in genetics that included, among other things, a class broken down such that we could play a game of evolution with M&Ms.  And were given the M&Ms to eat afterwards - it was like primary school!) 

My last degree in the UK consisted mostly of seminar type lectures with questions and discussion throughout, but the cohort was small and engaged enough that we essentially drove the format.

I certainly found that in the UK students were expected to take responsibility for our own learning to a much greater extent than here.  I'm mildly amused that, in the class this thread is about, we've been asked to submit first: an abstract for our term paper, then two weeks later: an outline for our term paper, before finally turning in our term papers, with the purpose explicitly being so that the instructor can ensure we're staying on top of the work.  I've never encountered this degree of handholding in the UK, and I must admit I much prefer, as a student, instructors who take a sink-or-swim approach to instructors who micromanage and coddle.

Anyway, that's a whole 'nother issue.  1.5 semesters 'til comps and an end to classes - woo!

[kedves]

(seriously - I took a graduate level class in genetics that included, among other things, a class broken down such that we could play a game of evolution with M&Ms.  And were given the M&Ms to eat afterwards - it was like primary school!)...
I certainly found that in the UK students were expected to take responsibility for our own learning to a much greater extent than here.  I'm mildly amused that, in the class this thread is about, we've been asked to submit first: an abstract for our term paper, then two weeks later: an outline for our term paper, before finally turning in our term papers, with the purpose explicitly being so that the instructor can ensure we're staying on top of the work.  I've never encountered this degree of handholding in the UK, and I must admit I much prefer, as a student, instructors who take a sink-or-swim approach to instructors who micromanage and coddle.

The things you describe above, and some of the questions other graduate students have asked elsewhere in the fora, surprise me very much--to such an extent that it would be hard for me to generalize about U.S. graduate programs.

[asteria]

My last degree in the UK consisted mostly of seminar type lectures with questions and discussion throughout, but the cohort was small and engaged enough that we essentially drove the format.

This is what my seminars are like--in the U.S. None of the 'dumbing down' you ascribe to U.S. institutions. Good luck surviving 1.5 more semesters of that.

[chicklet]

Thought: instead of working on talking less, work on listening more

Yes, please.