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Students turn tables on teachers

It was a case of the students giving the teachers a lesson when a group of Murdoch University masters’ students outclassed a team of lecturers in a debate staged in front of their classmates.

The debate, held last week, saw the team of four Masters of Education students successfully outmaneouver the four staff, from a range of faculties, when they argued that social media did not distract young people from their studies and stop them reaching their full potential.

Speaking for the moot, media lecturer Saba Siddiqi said what no teenager wants to hear, that social media use is bad for young people.

“It is a tool that can be used for the good, but the fact is these are children we’re talking about ... and their online interaction is not used for good ... I’m not saying we should ban social networking sites ... but they need to be curtailed and controlled because they’re marketed in a way ... that is not healthy or productive for them.”

The lecturers argued a series of points, linking social media to worse grades, distraction and absenteeism.

But the student team countered strongly, led by the very passionate Asha Sanjay who was voted the joust’s best debater.

Sanjay used the story of how her own son had learned to play music by downloading free material, rather than through traditional music lessons that were too expensive.

“Are you going to say schools and universities are the only place you should be learning from?”

She also showed her own commitment to online learning, discussing a compelling paper she had read on the internet.

“It’s brilliant, I’ll send you the link.”

The student team fleshed out their winning position using anecdotal and statistical evidence that suggested students’ learning was enhanced by the use of social media, an environment they were at home in — student Arezou Setoudegan, who is also a high school teacher, describing Generation Y as ‘digital natives’.

The debate outcome was decided by popular vote — though the students had the advantage as the voters consisted of their 36 other classmates.

Siddiqi said it was wonderful to see the students excel, and the team of staff had not taken it easy on their rivals.

“We were trying to massacre them ... if we don’t try to beat them down, how will they grow?”

Sanjay said she had relished the opportunity to vocalise the things she had been learning, and there was no better way to do that than taking it to the educators themselves.

“(It was) brilliant, absolutely brilliant. Very motivating, also. I love the fact they came and (sparred) with us.”

The debate was the fourth such to be held by the university, which hosted the event in association with Khaleej Times.

amanda@khaleejtimes.com