GMAT Essays (AWA)

Analysis of an Issue

The best teachers are those whose classes include a large amount of discussion between teachers and students.

Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.

The issue above claims that the best teachers are those whose classes include a large amount of discussion between teachers and students. This is an extremely general statement. I can certainly agree that discussion between teachers and students can be extremely beneficial, but this discussion must be structured with a specific topic to discuss. If the discussions mentioned above are off topic or irrelevant, the discussion will only have a negative effect on students.

It is beneficial to first determine what qualifies a teacher as one of the best teachers. In my own personal experience, the best teachers tend to be the ones who invoke thought and actively promote learning. These teachers inspire students to want to learn as much as they possibly can about a subject. Each teacher has his own style to accomplish this, so stating that the best teachers include a large amount of discussion in classes is a bit general.

When discussion among students and teachers is structured, it can be extremely beneficial. Students are allowed to ask questions and clarify points related to the subject at hand. This allows students to relate to the subject matter and to better understand it. The students in the class become more engaged in the material and are inspired to learn more.
However, when discussion among students and teachers is not structured, the results are counter-productive. These discussions tend to get off-topic and become tangential. Valuable class time is spent discussing irrelevant material, and students don’t learn as much as they can or should. Students not involved in these tangential discussions become disengaged and less knowledge is transferred.

From my past experiences, some of the best teachers I have had did not include much discussion between teachers and students. While they certainly answered any questions students would have, the classes were primarily lecture-based. These teachers separated themselves from others, in my opinion, with their excellent techniques for presenting the class material. They were able to explain the subject matter very well and make the classes much more interesting and thought-provoking.

This would lead me to alter the issue noted above. The best teachers are not necessarily those whose classes include a large amount of discussion between teachers and students. The best teachers are those whose classes inspire and promote students to learn as much as they possibly can about a subject, regardless of their teaching style.