At Tufts, I am surrounded by curious students and knowledgeable professors. I have never been more cognizant of the inner dynamics of American politics, the countless Constantines of Byzantium or the various dynasties of pre-modern China. Outside the classroom, I have long conversations with my friends about politics and social dynamics.
Yet, though I have learned lots of intriguing information, I find myself missing the atmosphere of my high school classes. I feel like I am often regurgitating information onto an assigned paper, absently listening to a professor lecture or memorizing information for a test. In summary, I feel as if I am acquiring information or learning what to know but not necessarily learning how to think.
I love listening to lectures from my professors who are vastly knowledgeable about their subject areas. However, without a rich exchange of ideas, I tend to forget the majority of the course material after the final. What sticks in my mind is an engaging conversation like when I sit with my advisor, Marina Aptekman, talking about her life in Russia under the Soviet Union, or when I
talk to my friends in the Daily about the role of journalism. Or when I talk to my friends in the Daily about the role of journalism. In these settings, I learn about the world from those who have experiences vastly different from my own. I engage in a dialogue. I bring in my own ideas and actively respond to the new information I learn. When I memorize information for a test or listen to a lecture, this same level of depth is not required. The learning is more passive and requires less critical thinking.
Tufts professors should focus on creating more conversation in and out of the classroom. Attending a small boarding school, my teachers, who lived on campus, were also my coaches and advisors. Along with smaller classes, the bond between students and teachers subsequently resulted in better dialogues in which teachers would urge us to dig deeper.
Of course, I do not expect this level of engagement at Tufts, for the student body is far larger and the professors are busy writing books and doing their own research. But I do see ways in which professors could help form a tight-knit community. While the environment of intellectual exchange within a class at Tufts is largely shaped by an individual professor, the school itself can make changes to encourage beneficial dialogue.
Tufts needs to stop over-enrolling. My most interesting classes at Tufts have been on the smaller side, allowing for a rich back-and-forth among students and professors. The setup of such classes also influences our educational experience. When I am in a dusty, dim classroom with those small pullout desks stacked on top of each other, I struggle to learn, and I notice that other students have a similar experience. In fact, there is research that proves the desk setup sets the tone for the rate of idea exchange in the class. Tufts should research what desk arrangements work best for what class and give teachers rooms based on this data. Instead of creating new buildings, they should focus on simply revamping existing buildings with new desks and brighter lights.
Moreover, it is essential to push critical thinking outside the classroom. I am someone that has always wanted to dive deep into class material to expand on my thoughts with original papers. I find it far more rewarding to have research papers where I can come up with an original thesis. At Tufts, most of my classes have favored loose research papers that, while aiding writing skills, are often repetitions of in-class discussions.
Tufts prides itself on being a school of creative idea exchanges and collaboration. Frankly, this is harder to achieve if students are staring at the back of their classmates’ heads, pushed in the corner of a dusty classroom or writing a summary of a lecture or of online sources. Paying for a Tufts education is certainly not cheap and students deserve to have the best educational experience possible.
