Who am I as a Thinker and a Student
Being able to connect our ideas about ourselves to an audience through appropriate language is an essential life and professional skill. Because we are our own first (and often most critical) audience, let’s start there.
Directions
Write two paragraphs wherein you discuss your intellectual nature, your epistemological centering, and/or your philosophy of learning. These are all big, weighty words and concepts, but at the end of the day, how do you approach learning and why do you think you do so in this way?
Grading
This is class discussion work for our online course. Please post your response as a comment. These are due by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. during the Week they are assigned, making this one is due 9/6/20. A complete response is worth up to 15 points.
I have always been the type of person who works best under pressure, which has been my main reason for putting things off until the last minute. Up until 7th grade, if assignments were given way ahead of time, I would do them as soon as I could. Then, I began involving myself in school and realized that I did not have as much time as I did before. Somehow, being put under pressure made me work harder, and in a way, better. I am not one to call myself “self-directed.” I do my best when I have the help of other people, more specifically, my teachers. I like being given specific instructions, that I can then use as guidelines to complete my work. Coming up with my own ideas has never actually been something I am good at, in terms of doing things without instructions. Instructions help me keep myself in order, and do things better because I know the steps I have to take to reach my end goal.
When it comes to my vision as a student, I want to be able to work on my own. Without specific instructions, or directions. While they provide me with organization, I have begun to realize as I have gotten older, that there are times when I may have a way to do things that may seem better. Perhaps this can be labeled as “stubborn,” when I refuse to do things one way, but instead I want to do them my way, because it just seems better to me. Not because I see myself as better, but because it just seems like a more logical approach. I have also realized that doing things on my own can lead to mistakes, because I am obviously not as experienced as the people instructing me. However, the benefits from this can be that I can always grow and learn from mistakes. I am the type of student to work best under pressure, but I also need to learn to trust myself more and develop and build my own way of doing things.
I approach learning by asking many many questions to re ensure my work and I do my best when i’m stressed because I always end up overthinking my work. What i’ve done throughout my education is always asking for help from my teachers staying after school for tutoring just to make sure I do the work correct. When i’m just stuck I ask my friends to clarify things for me when teachers aren’t available. I believe I read the directions given about 5 times sometimes . Many people say that listening to music while doing work just putting you behind and harder to concentrate but I love listening to music while doing work and drinking coffee it’s just a habit i’ve picked up. Listening to music is just my zone if i’m not listening to music and listen to the background nose at home it’s just annoying for me. I also time myself to make sure I keep track on my work, watching videos on the subject also helps when I don’t comprehend. Actually being in school is also how I approach learning because there’s the advantage of having the teacher in front of you being able to ask questions whenever needed other than having to wait for an email and sometimes they don’t even answer on time.
Abi — I’m listening to Amazon Prime Discovery Mix right now as I write this. My Prime Music HD account is a luxury that I can’t do without since working from home.
I’m wondering what it would take for you to develop this answer further? You kind of get into how, but what about the why of learning? What do you hope to get out of learning something new? What makes it worthwhile to you?
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I approach learning in a calmly manner because I work best when Im calm and relaxed instead of being stressed. Most times when doing school work I tend to follow what Im used to, I’m able to complete homework with skills and tools that I learned in high school. When learning Im more of a visual and auditory learner, it usually depends on the type of subject because when it comes to math I can see an example of a problem and I’ll be able to understand what’s being done in order to get the answer. Im the type of person who likes to write things down, whether its pre written notes or simple lessons and examples. One of the things I focus on is being organized, I personally feel like having everything organized will encourage me to do school work. Im also an observer I’ll ask questions or pay attention to what others ask in order to help myself out because I tend to doubt my work, my work can be good but I’ll still feel as if something is missing.
If I were to change my ways I would ask my classmates for help in order to feel confident in the work I’m submitting. Another thing I could change would be planning out my work so that I can make sure I met every point and didn’t leave anything out. I don’t tend to plan everything out because I feel like its a long process and I’m not used to it, I’m used to answering, editing and submitting. Although there are things that I could change I feel like my learning routines are stable enough to help me succeed. Im used to my routines because I always try my best to stay on top of my work so I don’t fall behind, the second I fall behind my working just doesn’t come out as good as it could be. I feel like I have always adapted to this environment to the point where if I don’t see myself succeeding I realize that something was off and I have to better myself. After man years of experience my skills have helped so much when learning and I don’t think I would change it but I could always add to it in the future.
I approached learning by finding different ways to absorb new information in the class. In the academic world, I help myself by learning the way that meets requirments. I like to know what is expected from me and meet those expectations. I rely on a rubric to help me get a better grade in schools. In class, I approach learning by trying learn from the teacher and to absorb information from class. But at home, I approach learning calmly and trying not to stress out.
A different way that I approach learning is to practice till I get it right. I would use the tools that are provided for me just to help me get a good grade. For example, if I was given a reading than I would use that reading to help me get a good grade on the certain assignment. I also like to test myself on the knowledge that I already know. When I learn something new I like to write flashcards. To help myself remember.
I approach learning differently depending on the subject and who is teaching the subject. I say this because the way I’ll approach math will be different from the way I’ll approach reading or writing. For example the way I’ll approach learning math is by asking questions and making sure I get the hands on experience to understand the concept and aim that’s being taught. But the way I’ll approach learning English or writing is by taking my time and doing it on my own and writing the questions I have on the side to ask my teacher when I have them alone. I handled those two subjects differently for the simple fact that I know that english and writing is more difficult for me so I actually have to take the time to understand everything that’s been given to me but math is one of my stronger subjects and I understand math very quickly so I’ll only have to learn it once to grasp the concepts and I’ll be able to do it on my own.
If I wanted to make a different approach to learning I will ask my peers because I know that they’ll be able to explain it in a way that I could understand them without having to ask a teacher to constantly explain what they’re trying to tell me. I feel like when it comes to not knowing a subject or an assignment going to my peers has always been beneficial for me and for them. I feel that way because not only do my peers know how to explain something to someone but I’m able to understand someone my own age then having an adult explain something to me. In high school my teachers always made sure that we all were able to learn and help one another and not have to rely on the them to be able to do our work. The only problem with this approach is that I’m always scared to ask someone for help but asking for help does help a lot.
I am a student dedicated to learning new ways of thinking. In the academic world, I develop myself with the tools that I learned in high school, and those that I am developing in the college with the professors. I get involved with the changes of the moment, such as learn new languages, virtual classes, although I am new using these educational tools, I am looking for a way to learn and put it into practice in a near future. My vision as a student is to develop and apply new knowledge in the academic and work area, committed to my intellectual nature, that is, my abilities, capacities, and goals to apply it to the real world.
The professional field of which I will be part, is demanding and competitive, even more so, with competitions worldwide, because in many places of the world we find a hotel, a restaurant, a place that we like, where we identify ourselves, where we feel comfortable. Therefore, I am going to invest my time in this project.
The nature of the student approach qualities, abilities, performance in a focused field, so it complements the student with achievements and effort. My vision as a student is to perform in the area of study of which, now, I am part to develop my knowledge in the real world. My weaknesses, more than my strengths, are present at the time of preparing my work, the stress that it causes, sometimes, does not continue to the desired path. Therefore, my responsibility as a student is not to involve my weaknesses in the preparation of a work, but to complement the strengths with what I have learned. I have not finished learning yet, the college is a big responsibility for the student might, to be prepared, in the same way, in real life. The orientation of the teachers is essential, their experience as students, who were once and their guidance in the application of their teachings in the work environment.
Cristina — I love that you have a vision for learning. I almost want to make that an assignment — to have students come up with a vision for their own learning journey. I will say that the more self-directed your learning is, the more opportunities you will be able to cultivate for yourself. You are already off with a head start on that.
P.S. When using left-justified writing like we do on OpenLab, please put a space between your paragraphs. It makes them easier to read!
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Final Post (Corrections were made):
I approach learning by focusing on what is being taught. In other words, I use a real life approach to ensure I gain a full understanding by applying it to my own experiences. Being fully engaged and asking questions can also aid in the understanding and applying process in learning. Reading and memorizing in my opinion can only go so far. However, when I know the material for myself, I am able to better apply more personal feeling to my explanations. Sometimes I have days where I just don’t understand something and I would get overwhelmed. After many google searches, I eventually find some sources that can provide me with information that I could help. I try my hardest to meet all standards of a perfect grade when completing assignments. It is not always about the highest grade for me, it’s more of trying to improve my ability and do better.
To further my knowledge, I also approach learning by testing myself, this way I see how much I know the material and areas that i need to improve on. The reason why I go about it in this way is because due to all other strategies that I’ve attempted, this brings the best result. Receiving feedback is one of my favorites as well, I also find more enjoyment in this. It gives me motivation to continue the learning process and gaining more knowledge for future references.
I approach learning by focusing on what is being taught. In other words, I use a real life approach to ensure i gain a full understanding by applying it to my own experiences. Being fully engaged and asking questions can also aid in the understanding and applying process in learning. Reading and memorizing in my opinion can only go so far but when I know the material for myself, i can give better and more of a personal feeling to my explanations.
To further my knowledge, I also approach learning by testing myself, this way I see how much I know the material and areas that i need to improve on. The reason why I go about it in this way is because due to all other strategies that I’ve attempted, this brings the best result. I also find more enjoyment in this. It gives me motivation to continue the learning process and gaining more knowledge for future references.
I approach learning in different ways. I feel like it also depends on how I am feeling because sometimes I won’t be feeling myself and won’t approach learning like I would if I were to be doing okay. Anyways, how I approach learning is that my aim is to do information that meets the demand and expectations. Also, I tend to aim to meet all requirements and tend to focus on passing the assessment. Also, I like to look at the rubric that is provided to me if it is to compare what I have done to what is expected to be an A+ assignment. Finally, sometimes I can have a negative approach to learning but that would be rare but I tend to be positive that the outcome of learning would be for my benefit and success in life.
Furthermore, a different approach I would take is that I would do practice work for me to improve on something that I am learning. Also, I would use readings if necessary to use in my learning either if it is to get more information on something or just to have some knowledge. In addition, I tend to plan out or organize myself on working space and on doing assignments. Finally, I like to hear other people’s thoughts and develop thoughts of my own.
I approach learning as a required field in life and what should not be taken for granted. I also approach it with the most respect,time,patience,hardwork and maybe my health as well.I say my health because I tend not to eat before I start my work or forget to eat because iam so focused on learning but not learning to put my health first before work.I use my critical thinking skills and my mental creativity skills.
I do it this way because I grow up in a type of household or background whereby I had to learn great quailty thinking skills on my own and apply it to my household chores which made it’s way to my learning abilities. I also like to focus on things besides my self because I am a very passionate,caring person.
Dayneanda — I love that you bring health into it because when you go into highly specialized fields that require great commitment and expertise, people tend to let their health go and I don’t think that’s a good idea at all.
I do think, though, that your responses need to be more developed. You barely have a full paragraph’s worth of information split between two. Time to put those thinking skills to work and get words on the page.
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