Comment on "Students need more interaction" (China Daily, Nov 22)

I was interested in the article written about the format of classrooms in China since many college classes are the same in the US. It has been my experience that students perform better and enjoy class more when it is smaller, and more interactive.

If students are just sitting and listening to a lecture for an hour without interaction, it becomes easy to lose interest. Although I realize it is not the professor's job to entertain students, and it is the student's responsibility to do the assigned reading and pay attention in class, everyone benefits when care is put into the planning of a lecture.

College students are not always easy for a professor to deal with no matter how passionate you are about what you're teaching. Many students can be lazy and put little effort into their studies. However, I have seen the laziest of students perform well with a good professor. I truly believe that professors in my school who get the most praise and recognition among students and the ones whose students perform best are the ones who show a passion for teaching and realize that education does not have to be boring.

Gretchen Dann, via e-mail

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(China Daily 02/22/2012 page9)