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What's big and rectangular, firm, yet pliable, and comes in black, white or any other colour of the rainbow? Bristol board; a lightweight cardboard, with a smooth unglazed finish, perfect for your every school need, and something every student becomes more than familiar with. Bristol board projects are just one of the countless assignments students consider to be "busy-work". Busy-work is work that takes time and yet requires no thinking, questioning, or consideration. It is work that is tedious, unproductive and usually boring. Busy-work isn't limited to one subject or one grade; students seem to be getting assigned busy-work in all courses. Take Bristol board projects, for example. From the Grade 2 science fair project to the Grade 11 history presentation, Bristol board projects have proved to be a popular choice of assignment and a part of every student's life. These Bristol board projects usually consist of one or two sheets of Bristol board (priced anywhere from $0.99 to $2.99, depending on the store or quality of board), magazine cutouts, Internet printouts, and the odd chart, diagram, map, or typed paragraph and are often used to assist a presentation. "I've had Bristol board projects in every subject, even math and gym," says Jessika Quinlan, a Grade 11 student. It seems most students agree that these projects do nothing but misuse time and waste money. "It's a waste of time and paper; no one actually reads them and it's just a distraction from the actual presentation," says Caitlin McCarthy, Grade 11. So what is the purpose of these projects? Mr. Walters, a History, Law and Society teacher says, "They [Bristol board projects] develop communication skills, thinking skills, and the ability to present information to the class. It helps demonstrate what they have learned." But students don't seem to be gaining anything form these projects. "The only thing I've learned from doing Bristol board projects is how to cut paper in straight lines," says Caitlin McCarthy. Of course, not all students dislike these projects; there is the odd student who actually enjoys them, "I like doing them 'cause they are worth a lot of marks and they're so easy. I don't need to do much work," says Federico Sapia, Grade 11. Is there a lack of communication between teachers and students? Are teachers underestimating the ability of students? Or is there a hidden purpose to this busy-work? Of course, Bristol board projects are not the only mind-numbing assignments students are given. Another form of busy-work is a fill-in-the-blank sheet where notes are copied directly from a textbook into one's binder. It is understandable that a student needs notes to study from, but copying notes is a mindless activity that requires no thought or analysis and wastes valuable class time. Besides, what can a student learn from copying someone else's work? Would preparing one's own notes not be more creative? Another similar form of busy-work, requiring no thought whatsoever, is spending an entire class copying pre-written notes off a chalkboard or projection screen. Countless hours are spent in class staring at a black board or white screen, copying notes that just become meaningless words as time progresses. "I have a problem with the way a lot of the notes are phrased and I know a lot of people who have difficulty understanding what the teacher is saying. The notes we copy are directly out of the text and the teacher doesn't try to tone down the language," says Alice Tseng, Grade 11. Mrs. Jovanovich, a Grade 10 Science and Grade 11 Biology teacher says, "You need to look at the purpose of the assignment. If you are trying to make sure students have information and have complete notes then I would write a note on the board. If it's a research assignment I would ask students to make their own notes so they can learn how to summarize and learn how to recognize important or key information." Writing your own notes allows you to present the information in a format that is understandable to you and at least shows that you have some understanding of the material. So why shouldn't students always write their own notes? Mrs. Jovanovich says, "I think that there are benefits to taking your own notes but it really depends on the grade level. For the younger grades you just have to make sure students have completed notes. In some senior classes you might want students to take their own notes." It is understandable that there is certain information a student must have in their notebook but is it necessary to copy this information from a pre-written note? If the notes are already pre-written by a teacher, could a handout not be distributed, maybe followed by a class discussion? This approach would not only save class time but would also allow for students to go over the information with the teacher and ask questions. This would also give students some one-on-one time with the teacher and eventually lead to a better understanding of the subject. Students seem to be getting a lot of homework these days and if class time were used more effectively maybe students wouldn't feel so loaded down with homework. "I get so much homework in all of my classes and it's usually boring and easy, but it still takes me so long to finish," says Cheri Ferrell, Grade 11. A lot of students are finding school to be boring, but at the same time they seem to be doing a lot of work. They are tired of this busy-work. So what are the alternatives? Alice Tseng suggests, "a more hands-on approach to teaching, maybe more experiments." Leo Lepiano, Grade 11, says, "Maybe we could have some interactive way of learning. We could take notes in a more exciting way because taking notes from a textbook is so boring. Maybe we could listen to a tape or read a story, just something more than reading fact after fact after fact. That's how I lose interest. There needs to be something between the facts to make it more interesting or else it's just like reading someone else's notes." Students need something that will get their minds working; some motivation, and they need to start doing some serious thinking. Sure, cutting out pictures is easy, and everyone can do it; and true, Bristol board projects can look pretty, but the truth is students would prefer to be learning. Please respect our writers' original works. If you wish to make use of their words, use quotation marks and footnoting. Thank you. Back to the top^ |
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