Do you agree or disagree with the following statement?
Students learn more in large lecture classes than in small discussion classes.
There are two different types of educational classes in schools and universities worldwide, large lecture classes and small discussion classes. Although a considerable amount of knowledge and information can be exchanged in large lectures, the concentration on every details and adequate explanations in small discussions can not be disregarded. The following essay deals with the reasons supporting this point of view.
Undoubtedly, in seminars and large presentations there would be the possibility of communicating more people and benefiting from each other’s knowledge and experiences. One reason is that attendants would be able to listen to the speech of several scholars and professors who are educated and proficient in their field of study and to broaden their horizon. Another reason is that not only does it provide the opportunity for a large number of students to ask their questions, but also it helps the other audiences and students take advantage from the various and different concepts and issues brought to the lecture.
However, students would have the chance of more precise and sufficient learning in any issue discussed in the small classes for several reasons. First, they would have more self-confidence and courage to tell about their problems or nebulous understandings. Since, they feel more convenient among limited number of other students in small discussions rather than feeling nervous of being under the attention of a large number of people. Second, they would not hide their questions due to the fact that they are afraid of being humiliated by others who already know the answers or consider the questions ridiculous. For, in small classes they feel more intimate with other students who are often their close friends and trust them. Consequently, when their issues are addressed and tackled in a peaceful environment, they would have a more efficient and exact comprehension of the subject.
Finally, it can be concluded that besides the beneficial influences of large lectures which contribute to extend the students’ information and abilities, the great positive effects of comfortable atmosphere in small discussions should be taken into consideration.
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Attribute Value Ideal
Score: 26 in 30
Category: Very Good Excellent
No. of Grammatical Errors: 0 2
No. of Spelling Errors: 0 2
No. of Sentences: 13 15
No. of Words: 340 350
No. of Characters: 1824 1500
No. of Different Words: 182 200
Fourth Root of Number of Words: 4.294 4.7
Average Word Length: 5.365 4.6
Word Length SD: 2.929 2.4
No. of Words greater than 5 chars: 130 100
No. of Words greater than 6 chars: 111 80
No. of Words greater than 7 chars: 77 40
No. of Words greater than 8 chars: 56 20
Use of Passive Voice (%): 0 0
Avg. Sentence Length: 26.154 21.0
Sentence Length SD: 8.402 7.5
Use of Discourse Markers (%): 0.462 0.12
Sentence-Text Coherence: 0.347 0.35
Sentence-Para Coherence: 0.572 0.50
Sentence-Sentence Coherence: 0.059 0.07
Number of Paragraphs: 4 5