Should students be required to attend classes? - Revised -

 Writing Topic

Some educators and students believe that it should be required for university students to go to classes. Other people think that attending classes should be a choice that students have the right to make for themselves. Which opinion do you share? Explain your opinion using specific reasons.

 

 

 

☆Let’s Think

1.        Why do some educators and students believe that it should be required for university students to go to classes? What are the problems of allowing students to skip classes?

2.        Is attending a class always necessary for acquisition of knowledge and skills? What kind of classes requires full attendances?

3.        How does university differ from junior high school as educational institution? Academic tasks that are different from those in high schools are held in universities. What are they?

4.        Do university students have the right to make a choice on whether to attend a class or not?

 

 

☆ Hints for points

Students should be required to attend classes.

1.        Many students drop classes because they use the time slots for part-time jobs or other activities. Some even become lazy.

2.        Students cannot decide whether they already know what is taught in class or not. Even if the content of the text is familiar, the professor may say something different and provide you with new information or inspire you to reach an insight.

3.        Attendance is the first step of the communication between professors and students. People tend to be fond of those whose faces they regularly see, and so do professors.

 

Students should not be required to attend classes.

1.        University leaves students free. Unlike compulsory education, many things such as what subject to take are left to individuals at university. Also, unlike high school, which is not really compulsory but many things are decided by the school authority, university allows more freedom and promotes self-discipline.

2.        It is waste of time if the student is already familiar with the content of the class. Class contents are set for the average level and those who have higher knowledge but are taking the course because it is the prerequisite for the higher-level course should be allowed to be absent for more productive usage of time.

3.        Class attendance requirement is not always necessary to create or discover something, which is what university is for. Rather, students need to be set free in terms of their academic pursuit, including how to use their time for studies.

4.        Free mental activity is indispensable for creativity. Mind works in many ways. Very often, regular attendance, or activities on schedule, is an obstacle of deep thought or creative brain activities. Many people do their real work during their free time because autonomy in studies contributes to the bloom of their studies.

5.        People tend to lose appetite for learning if they are forced to.

 

 

☆Sample Body Structures

Sample 1: You write deductively, starting with a general idea and moving to the specific case

   (1) About freedom of university

   (2) About attendance policy

   (3) About drawbacks and the solutions

 

Sample 2: You write about each of the two ideas in the question then and make your choice by giving reasons.

(1)  Advantages and disadvantages of the first idea of the writing topic

(2)  Advantages and disadvantages of the second idea of the writing topic

(3)  Your choice and reasons

                                                                                                                                                     

Sample 3: You deal with the other choice as the counterargument.

(1)  Point 1: The first reason why you prefer one to the other

(2)  Point 2: The second reason why you prefer one to the other

(3)  Counterargument-treatment: about exceptions or why the advantages of the other choice do not matter to you

 

 

 

 

☆ Paragraph Development

Read the following sample body paragraphs. Which would you find easier to read? Which do you think is better developed? Discuss the reasons.

 

 

Sample 1

For instance, Descartes needed to sleep 10 hours a day. Young Bill Gates never minded when his friends visited him in his dorm room late at night and stayed there all night for discussion. Takashi Tachibana, an award-winning Japanese journalist, kept reading novels all day every day without attending classes at all for eight years when he was a student of Tokyo University. Also, people in creative industries are happy to work for a company that has flexible working hours. In addition, there is a very good student in my class who always sleeps in class. I once asked her why she sleeps in class, and she said she cannot stay awake in the day time because she studies all night. I understood her because I also sometimes stay awake studying and want to skip the first class. Therefore, university should allow students to skip classes so that they can learn better and be creative.

 

Sample 2

Requiring students to attend classes can disrupt studies. This is because it ignores the nature of creativity. In other words, mind does not work as orderly as class schedules. For example, many successful people had irregular lifestyles. Descartes needed to sleep 10 hours a day. Young Bill Gates’s dorm room was always open to anyone for late-night discussion. Takashi Tachibana, who later became an award-winning journalist, kept reading novels all day every day without attending classes for eight years at Tokyo University. People in creative industries also favor flexible working hours. Some students who sleep in class get good scores on examination because they study at home at night. These facts show that people have their own learning styles and university must respect them so that students can reach their full potential.

 

 

Many may find Sample 2 easier to read than Sample 1.

 

Sample 1 starts with specific examples before presenting the point of the paragraph and this makes readers wonder what exactly the writer wants to say.

 

Sample 2 presents the general idea at the beginning, has a sentence that explains the general idea and a sentence that connects the general idea to supporting details or specific examples, and makes a conclusion after examples, making the idea of the writer flow into the reader’s head smoothly.

 

 

While it may not always be true, a body paragraph like 2 that starts with a short sentence that is to the point is easy to read. Putting your idea simply before you go into the details would be a good idea, especially when you are taking a test. A main idea (topic sentence) is the pillar of the paragraph to which you attach other parts (details). Making it straight and firm in the beginning is safe.

 

The development of Sample 2 can be dissected in the following parts.

【Main Idea】Requiring students to attend classes can disrupt studies.

【Explanation】This is because it ignores the nature of creativity. In other words, mind does not work as orderly as class schedules.

【Example in General】For example, many successful people had lifestyles that are different from the norm when young. Descartes needed to sleep 10 hours a day.

【More Specific Example】For example, many successful people had irregular lifestyles. Descartes needed to sleep 10 hours a day. Young Bill Gates’s dorm room was always open to anyone for late-night discussion. Takashi Tachibana, who later became an award-winning journalist, kept reading novels all day every day without attending classes for eight years at Tokyo University. People in creative industries also favor flexible working hours. Some students who sleep in class get good scores on examination because they study at home at night.

【Conclusion】These facts show that people have their own learning styles and university must respect them so that students can reach their full potential.