Topic37: Some people believe that university students should be required to attend classes. Others believe that going to classes should be optional for students. Which point of view do you agree with?
Some teachers demand university students to attend classes, other teachers do not impose it on them. I agree with the idea that attending classes ought to be optional for them because the aim of lectures is not attending classes, and attending class has nothing to do with students’ intellects. Also, students should learn about responsibilities caused by their decisions.
First of all, going to classes is not the aim of lectures. The reason why teachers teach in classes is because students learn specific knowledge. It means that what students should do is not attending every classe but understanding what is written in textbooks. Moreover, going to classes is not only a means to learn. Students can also get knowledge by doing with other ways, such as reading books in libraries. Therefore, if teachers want to examine students’ understanding, it is enough to impose tests on students.
Next, attending classes has nothing to do with students’ intellects. To be sure, taking lectures may be important for university students because they can learn some knowledge. However, it does not means that students who attend every class are the most intelligent students. Regardless of students’ attendance, students who do not study every day get bad grades. On the other hand, it is possible for students who study by themselves to get high scores in exams.
Finally, students can learn responsibilities about their decisions. If attendance is not students’ duty, some students may stop to study and get bad scores. However, their faults are caused by their choices. General speaking, university students are not only children but also adults. Therefore, they should understand about decisions and its responsibilities through various experiences in life. Deciding whether they go to classes or not is one of ways.
To sum up, students should be able to decide whether they go to classes or not. Students can study with other various ways. In addition, attendance to classes is not relevant to their intellects. At the same time, they should learn about the relationship between decision and responsibility.
TOEFL listening discussions: A conversation between two students (1)