so I'm an auditory/kinesthetic learner, and I recently decided to start bringing my knitting to class, to see if it kept me more engaged in the lecture and off my electronics. It's pretty much a silent hobby, so I was surprised when a friend/classmate mentioned that she felt it was distracting and rude to the professor and other students. This is a class with many people on their laptops/tablets for lecture. Anyway, I grew up with a knitting mama who had hers everywhere, so I've never really seen it as inappropriate. Just curious what you all think? Would it bother you? More or less than people using electronics or eating in class?
I used to sew during some of my prerequisite classes. Doing something helps keep me engaged - I'm less likely to mentally wander off into lala-land. I asked the instructor first, and she was fine with it. I sat in the back to minimize annoyance to anyone else.
I definitely would ask first, as obviously some people are very offended by it. If you are doing it, show that you're engaged in the class - keep your eyes forward as much as possible, ask/answer questions appropriately, things like that.
In nursing school, I took extremely copious notes. The few times I printed out the powerpoints instead, I felt like I was really missing things because I didn't have to write as much.
No it's not. Tapping your finger is not the same as playing a trumpet during class. See where I'm going with this? Knitting is highly distracting - let's stop pretending like it's something everybody can ignore like someone using their cell phone.
The thing is though, its all about perspective. I don't know how distracting knitting would be because I having experienced it. But I routinely hear eating and slurping noises, people on phones, interrupting professors, all of these very obnoxious and distracting to me. I think all of the above are unacceptable in class. I'm old school myself. I guess I fail to see how what op is doing is any more rude than what else is going on. Oh, and the guy that hits on EVERYONE. On the bright side, our work environment will never be without distractions either, so we can just get used to it, I guess!
I think you all sound pretty snotty and self righteous in my opinion. I know exactly what the young lady means. When you're sitting in class for 3-4 hours it tends to get a little boring. I mean,come on ladies. The methodology we employ in teaching our newbies and the material they're taught is SOOOOOO irrelevant to actually being an RN she might as well be knitting. The young lady is simply trying to occupy herself whilst listening to expend her nervous/bored energy. It's the same reason I am typically singing to myself (under my breath) in the trauma bay while taking care of some bloody pulp. It's not that I am not paying attention or "being unprofessional" its that I am just doing what I need to do to get it done and keep rolling through the shift.
The downfall of our profession is the tolerance of you self righteous, self important, snarky ladys with a chip on your shoulders. Either offer support and help for those trying to learn or shove it and stay OFF the student page. Get a hobby or something instead of needlessly beating up on the greenies. Maybe YOU ALL SHOULD START KNITTING.
BTW, if you didn't say something mean then this is obviously not aimed at you so dont freak out.
Wow, talk about the pot calling the kettle black. The OP from there first post had never cleared it with their instructor first of all if it was even acceptable by that instructor to knit during the class. Along with that in her post she had even stated that it had bothered another classmate.
Yes sitting in a lecture for 3 to 4 hours can get boring, I do so myself 3 times a week along with working a full time job. When the instructor only gives you a 5 minute break during the entire meting time, it can be difficult to focus, but as a student part of your job is to focus on the lecture. There are different things that a fidgety student can do in class that is not going to be distracting and will keep them engaged, which has been suggested in other posts. If a student decided to sit next to me in class and proceeded to knit, sew, or engage in another activity that was not related to the class, I would ask them to find another seat. If the behavior continued I would go to my instructor about it. You may think that this is being snobby, but I have used my hard earned money to pay for the class, I invest an enormous amount of time out of class to study and do well, and as a student I have a reasonable right to be in a classroom environment that allows me to give my attention to the instructor and to the material. I have worked hard to get where I am at, and I assume that my classmates have also. When in class my responsibility is to be engaged in the lecture, and to make sure that to the best of my abilities that I contribute to a positive learning environment of others, by keeping anything that is not related to the class to a minimum.
So I guess if this makes me self righteous, self important , snarky lady, with a chip on my shoulder, oh and lets not forget snotty, then oh well. All the years that I have spent in college, with major changes and what not it was always expected that students had a certain amount of respect for their instructors and for their peers. Maybe things have changed in the last 7 years since I was last a college student or even in the past 16 years when I first started college.
Oh and by the way I do knit, crochet and do cross stitch, but would never dream of it being an appropriate activity to do during a traditional lecture.
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
You got me at air trumpet!! Hahaha!
I think you all sound pretty snotty and self righteous in my opinion. I know exactly what the young lady means. When you're sitting in class for 3-4 hours it tends to get a little boring. I mean,come on ladies. The methodology we employ in teaching our newbies and the material they're taught is SOOOOOO irrelevant to actually being an RN she might as well be knitting. The young lady is simply trying to occupy herself whilst listening to expend her nervous/bored energy. It's the same reason I am typically singing to myself (under my breath) in the trauma bay while taking care of some bloody pulp. It's not that I am not paying attention or "being unprofessional" its that I am just doing what I need to do to get it done and keep rolling through the shift.
The downfall of our profession is the tolerance of you self righteous, self important, snarky ladys with a chip on your shoulders. Either offer support and help for those trying to learn or shove it and stay OFF the student page. Get a hobby or something instead of needlessly beating up on the greenies. Maybe YOU ALL SHOULD START KNITTING.
BTW, if you didn't say something mean then this is obviously not aimed at you so dont freak out.
Welcome to Allnurses!
:hrns&wlcm:
(I myself prefer to play Air Kazoo while doing the Touchdown Dance)
Sorry, but I'd have to say that it's up to YOU to turn your eyes forward and listen to what your instructor is explaining, not ME to try to keep you from daydreaming.
You might be someone who stares at the scrunchie holding a classmate's ponytail and wonder "is that a bean or a marble sewn in? Is that a sequin or just a shiny bit of something else? I wonder where she got it....I used to have one similar to that....hmmm, wonder what happened to it? I think I gave it to my cousin Martha....wonder how Martha is doing nowadays?"
Would you then suggest that no one in class be allowed to have a ponytail holder that piques your curiosity, thereby forcing you to daydream? Boy, I'd hope not!
It's ombre boucle yarn in shades of green (mostly a very distracting shade of lime green! I'm just going to keep knitting that sucker til I run out of yarn. It will wind it's way out the classroom and down the hall by Christmas.
Your role as a student in a lecture is to pay attention to the speaker, focus on the material being presented and to take notes.
As an auditory learner you should be able to attend a lecture without something to occupy your hands. As kinesthetic learner you should do well in skills lab and with return demonstrations. These are not disabilities which entitle you to special accomodations.
We all learned in psychology 101 that it is impossible to attend to two different stimuli simultaneously. Doodling and knitting do not help anyone to focus, they are a distraction and they help inattentive people pass the time. Knitting is for leisure time. How do you take notes when you are knitting and counting stitches? You have insulted a professor by sending the nonverbal message that nothing you are presenting is worth writing down.
In Speech 101 you learned that 90% of communication is non verbal. If you want to pass this class, and care if you make a good impression, don't insult the professor by knitting in class.
The student with an attention hyperactivity disorder has no rights to distract others and make his or her problem everyone else's problem.
If a student can not pay attention during a 50 minute lecture, can we trust that this person is going to be able to focus during an invasive procedure? Listen and take notes during report or even focus long enough to program an IV pump? I think not.
Using smart phones, talking, surfing the net, eating noisily and texting during class is rude and distracting to others. This is basic good manners.
For those who complain about being annoyed by someone with restless legs, move to another seat.
Disrespect from nursing students as described above and low salaries are the two main reasons for the shortage of nursing instructors.
I was being sarcastic but in a playful way. :-) Some how my brain numbing post has been attached to another nurse in the thread. I think if you are using a phone then the quotes are messed up. Ha! I love Allnurses!
I think I just read enough posts from people who likened the activity of knitting in one's lap to dancing a naked twist in front of the whiteboard that made me danged near snap, LOL....
Maybe I read it wrong, but I didn't take the OP's original question to mean she was claiming a disability....? I think she was just saying she liked to occupy her hands; knitting and not "figeting" per se helped her focus. At least I think that's what she was going for.
As far as attending to two things at once, and not being able, I agree to an extent. However, there ARE things that some can do so easily, so routinely, as to NOT be a distractor to oneself while learning. I mentioned my bringing crochet to religious services, and how I not only can pay attention to every word the person giving the d'var torah (sermon) says, but I have found that later on, while continuing the same piece of crochet work, the sermon runs through my head. I actually find it REINFORCES what I heard while I was moving the crochet hook and yarn in my lap.
Just offering my own thoughts on the subject, to add to what I believe has been an interesting, constructive thread for the most part :)
Maybe I read it wrong, but I didn't take the OP's original question to mean she was claiming a disability....? I think she was just saying she liked to occupy her hands; knitting and not "figeting" per se helped her focus. At least I think that's what she was going for.
As far as attending to two things at once, and not being able, I agree to an extent. However, there ARE things that some can do so easily, so routinely, as to NOT be a distractor to oneself while learning. I mentioned my bringing crochet to religious services, and how I not only can pay attention to every word the person giving the d'var torah (sermon) says, but I have found that later on, while continuing the same piece of crochet work, the sermon runs through my head. I actually find it REINFORCES what I heard while I was moving the crochet hook and yarn in my lap.
Just offering my own thoughts on the subject, to add to what I believe has been an interesting, constructive thread for the most part :)
It is very interesting how our other senses can trigger different parts of the brain such as the hippocampus for memories and amygdala for emotions. Neuropsychology is really interesting. In synagogue, on an airplane or on your own time, it is fine.
Knitting or crocheting while in a classroom, or working at any place of business just conveys a real lack of interest in focusing on anything else.
benegesserit
569 Posts
I used to sew during some of my prerequisite classes. Doing something helps keep me engaged - I'm less likely to mentally wander off into lala-land. I asked the instructor first, and she was fine with it. I sat in the back to minimize annoyance to anyone else.
I definitely would ask first, as obviously some people are very offended by it. If you are doing it, show that you're engaged in the class - keep your eyes forward as much as possible, ask/answer questions appropriately, things like that.
In nursing school, I took extremely copious notes. The few times I printed out the powerpoints instead, I felt like I was really missing things because I didn't have to write as much.