What I Really Mean About Style in the Classroom

Knowing your classroom style and finding your perfect fit doesn’t necessarily have to mean that you can stop getting glares from the girl that insists on wearing Uggs into class, even in the summer (she always exists, doesn’t she?).

In fact, let’s not think about Uggs-in-the-summer-girl, lets consider what style really works for you. Uggs aside, I’m talking about ASSESSMENT style!

Sometimes you can’t help what kind of assessments you’ll run into: online tests, bubble sheets, fill in the blanks, essays… you name it, you’ll probably find it in most American classrooms. Though my studies abroad and travels have shown me that while the array of assessment styles is wide, not all classrooms choose to use the same methods.

For example, if you find the typically American system of scantron sheets doesn’t jive well with how you learn, consider the British method where you’ll typically be assessed in long-essay format at the end of your module. For my study abroad undergrad component and all of my MA work in the UK, I was assessed solely with essays and it can really shape how you approach coursework and studying.

Without the advantage of being able to take a guess on a question, you really have to do a bit more proper cramming at the final countdown to make sure you can back up your case when your pen hits the paper. Of course, on the other side of the fence, those who were good at fluffing up their answers in a nicely worded paragraph may fall into some traps when using some of the multiple answer or testbank online quizzes.

Now this argument is simplistic at best, assuming you prefer to have your brain picked in a certain way. But let’s also consider the limitations of the very nature of these styles. The American style of assessment tends to be concerned with broad coverage of topics within a course. This is reflected in the testing and how you would have to study the chapters from start to finish of a text in order to make sure you’ve got all the jargon down.

Which for some degrees, may be a great approach.

Now consider the British system (which, by the way, if you’re not familiar with cultural imperialism, google which countries use these methods… because this doesn’t just apply to the UK and US, these systems are adopted by other countries.).

The concept of picking a topic to form a long essay with to demonstrate mastery within a course module allows the student to exclude other class material from their reading in order to form their paper to address one or two main questions (yes, the essays are often focused and not comprehensive). While this encourages the student to do more background research and spend more time mastering the ins and outs of perhaps just one week’s material, it can also potentially create gaps in what else they will cover for the course.

This could easily be a great way to assess major types which lend themselves to specialization and communication but isn’t perfect either. Note that not all classes in the British style will let you pick your essay topic beforehand, though some will.

For example, I’ve been given a list of semester-end topics that we could pick one from at the beginning of the year and I’ve also been handed a black book and told to pick three from the list and do it off the top of my head. If you’re not a cunning linguist or quick thinker, this could give you the cold sweats, especially if more than half of your grade is resting on these three answers!

There’s upsides and downsides to either approach, so know what works best for you and your course type. If you know you want to demonstrate your skills on paper or if you want to prove to the world you’re a class-act by getting top marks on a comprehensive exam… well, that’s up to you. My job is just to make you aware that the classroom you’re in may not be the classroom to expect if you go abroad… and that isn’t always a bad thing!

Just make sure if you have problems adjusting to the study styles that you talk to your professor or student union and see what kind of assistance is available. Not that assessment should dictate where you study, but it’s best that you know before you go.

Studying in the US >

Studying in the UK >