A major theme in Becoming a Learner is that the journey of learning and who we become at the end of that journey is far more important than the resulting accomplishment. Internalizing this theme will be helpful throughout college as well as within subsequent career and private life. Far too often we get caught up in titles and outwardly appearances and lose sight of what really matters. What really matters is how the journey of learning has impacted who we are on the inside. Sanders states, “It’s not just that you completed a degree; it is how you earned your degree and the cumulative effects of your education that matter” (9).
Sanders states that “your personal capacity will not increase if you avoid stretching yourself… Don’t shy away
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Whether to be courageous and get out of my comfort zone, or take the easy route and follow the norm. As an incoming freshman I need to take advantage of my education and have the courage to do hard things. I feel that if I apply these principles in my education, I will be a learner and not just a student.
My main question while reading Becoming a Learner was how to have a professional relationship with my professors. Sanders states, “I am impressed by students who strive to be learners by coming in with drafts of their papers” (44). Is it okay for a student to show a professor a rough draft? What other ways can I engage with my instructors in a meaningful way that will add to my education experience?
In Becoming a Learner, Sanders asserts that “the primary purpose of college isn’t learning a specific set of professional skills; the primary purpose of college is to become a learner” (49). Steven Johnson’s book How We Got to Now illustrates how an innovation in one field can dramatically impact another field. These innovators were perfect examples of what makes a learner. When inventing, they pushed the boundaries of science and innovation by leaving their specific set of job skills and exploring unique concepts to come up with an extraordinary solution. A learner thinks outside of the box and believes in the impossible. To make a difference in the world it takes a different set of thinkers; it takes
The importance of attending an institute of higher learning continues to grow as the job market becomes more competitive, and a diploma is essentially required to compete in it. However, with the growing demand for college and university successful students the concept of education has become clouded. In two commencement speeches, one by David Sedaris and the other by David Wallace, this concept of what education means and how it is viewed by the individual student is discussed as well as the process of thinking. David Seders, in his speech What I Learned, writes in a satirical format based on how education is being viewed. David Wallace in his commencement speech addresses the process of thinking and being self-aware with a college education.
The deaths per year done by guns, 80% of them are gang related. If I Grow Up, written by Todd Strasser shows the life of a male kid growing up in the projects in Chicago. DeShawn wanted didn’t want to join the gang and stay in school. But his family didn’t have money or food. His friend that was in the gang had a bunch of money. So DeShawn joined the gang because in school they didn’t teach them much, and the money that his family got was a lot more of it when he got in the gang. I think that DeShawn had a choice not to join the gang because he could get a job, could have gotten a better education, and other people have gotten out of the projects.
As Zig Ziglar once said, "If you are not willing to learn, no one can help you. If you are determined to learn, no one can stop you." Basically, Ziglar is emphasizing how learning can be accomplished, only if you put your mind to it. In “Learning (Your First Job),” Dr. Robert Leamnson shares his strong belief of beginning students entering the post-secondary education. Leamnnson discusses the many ways of learning that can be used in college, such as studying, notes, assignments, and exams. Leamnson continuously discusses how no one will learn unless they want to. Learning is a biological process that relies on the brain. Just like how our bodies need maintenance, the brain does too. College is a place where you learn things that help you later. Leamnson mentions how students are responsible for succeeding in college not by just showing up, but by putting in effort towards the classes they are taking. In order to succeed in the learning of the post-secondary education process, students should be aware of how to make notes, understand what they are studying, and take assignments seriously.
For most people who have ridden the roller coaster of primary education, subtracting twenty-three from seventy is a piece of cake. In fact, we probably work it out so quickly in our heads that we don’t consciously recognize the procedures that we are using to solve the problem. For us, subtraction seems like something that has been ingrained in our thinking since the first day of elementary school. Not surprisingly, numbers and subtraction and “carry over” were new to us at some point, just like everything else that we know today. For Gretchen, a first-grader trying to solve 70-23, subtraction doesn’t seem like a piece of cake as she verbalizes her confusion, getting different answers using different methods. After watching Gretchen pry for a final solution and coming up uncertain, we can gain a much deeper understanding for how the concept of subtraction first develops and the discrepancies that can arise as a child searches for what is correct way and what is not.
When having an education, people grow and expand their knowledge. By expanding and gaining knowledge from the experience of college, people are able to become independent learners. However, most people tend to start evolving into independent learners after leaving high school; from leaving high school, I started to evolve into an independent learner. Setting goals for yourself creates individual growth. In the article, “Why we are looking at the ‘value’ of college all wrong” by Valerie Strauss, Nelson discusses how an independent learner is able to teach themselves and learn from the challenges they tend to face.
How imperative is it that one pursues a traditional college experience? Although it might appear that Charles Murray and Liz Addison are in agreement that the traditional college experience is not necessary for everyone, Addison provides a more convincing argument that higher education is necessary in some form. This is seen through Addison’s arguments that college is essential to growing up, that education is proportional to the life one lives, and that community college reinvents the traditional college experience. Not only does Addison have her own opinions about college, but Murray does as well.
The story I chose for this analysis is “Why, you reckon?” by Langston Hughes. IN this analysis I will be focusing on how the great depression in Harlem had effect on the story, how racism played a part, and how or if the characters were justifyied in their actions. During this time period the intense racial divide combined with the economic harships that plagued the U.S. during the 1923’s makes for an interesting story that makes you think if the charaters were really justified.
In all, I feel that the author’s message was to prepare the reader being the college freshman on the journey to becoming a college student. The author wants the reader to know not to lose what they have learned before making the journey of becoming a college student. I believe that if you stick to what you have learned prior to becoming a college student, and know that this is a journey where you will find success, in not losing who you are you will graduate and will have fewer worries on the
The right and privilege to higher education in today’s society teeters like the scales of justice. In reading Andrew Delbanco’s, “College: What It Was, Is, and Should Be, it is apparent that Delbanco believes that the main role of college is to accommodate that needs of all students in providing opportunities to discover individual passions and dreams while furthering and enhancing the economic strength of the nation. Additionally, Delbanco also views college as more than just a time to prepare for a job in the future but a way in which students and young adults can prepare for their future lives so they are meaningful and purposeful. Even more important is the role that college will play in helping and guiding students to learn how to accept alternate point of views and the importance that differing views play in a democratic society. With that said, the issue is not the importance that higher education plays in society, but exactly who should pay the costly price tag of higher education is a raging debate in all social classes, cultures, socioeconomic groups and races.
By keeping the old ways of teaching, students are never prepared for jobs that actually exist. Instead students are forced to learn the standard way and lose the ability to apply their prior knowledge to current jobs. Modernized teaching allows an individual to form a creative side of thinking. This is done by using technology, where individuals are able to explore and think of things in new ways never thought of before. Davidson discusses how the education system strictly focuses on preparing students for higher education rather than properly preparing them for jobs in their fields of interest. She
Ralph Waldo Emerson, A well known author , wrote a quote stating " Unless you try to do something beyond what you have mastered , you will never grow ". This statement speaks true volume because you are not challenging yourself to improve the skill sets that you have and your are limiting yourself to what you can actually achieve. His quote should be used as an inspirational guideline to help encourage others to go beyond what they have already accomplished. Getting involved in certain activities or even trying something new can allow people to explore their potential in ways they would have never done prior. In order for someone to challenge themselves they should figure out new ways to improve their overall demeanor.
Nathan, R. (2005). My freshman year: what a professor learned by becoming a student. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Stepping up to a higher level of education as described by Bridges, is a very difficult transition to make. Family obligations and work pressure me to remain in an inert state of thinking; I was convinced that too many responsibilities and lack of time would not allow me to accomplish what I must accomplish to advance myself. Today according to Bridges’ Model, I am in the final phase or the “new beginning” (Bais and Hayes, 2011, p.5) because I have mustered the courage to overcome that way of thinking.
Studying a university degree is one of the biggest achievements of many individuals around the world. But, according to Mark Edmunson, a diploma in America does not mean necessarily studying and working hard. Getting a diploma in the United States implies managing with external factors that go in the opposite direction with the real purpose of education. The welcome speech that most of us listen to when we started college, is the initial prank used by the author to state the American education system is not converging in a well-shaped society. Relating events in a sarcastic way is the tone that the author uses to explain many of his arguments. Mark Edmunson uses emotional appeals to deliver an essay to the people that have attended College any time in their life or those who have been involved with the American education system.
The idea of education has been a big part of each and every culture on earth. However, as we all know, there are many questions on what it means to be educated in the form of higher education: questions we, as students, must face sooner or later. Here I am, my junior year in college. In a couple of years, I will be either prolonging my education or out in the real world trying to make a living. I must ask myself these questions: What is the purpose of my higher education? What exactly am I learning? Is the education I am receiving here at the University of Arkansas going to be good enough for a future employer? If I am educated does that mean I am trained to do only one thing? Am I one-dimensional?