Year: 2019

In the article “ Learning (Your First Job)” by Robert Leamnson, he talks about the many different ways that are associated with how we learn and how we usually work. Those different ways  include the way we take notes, study, exams, time, habits we have and etc. On page 5 Leamnson states, ” It’s your priorities and not the clock that will determine the of your college experience. If it’s really important, it will always get done, and always at the expense of the less important”. In other words, Leamnson believes that doing your work is the number one priority that you should have. That no mater the time you can get the work done. If it’s really important it would be done in time and be good work. You will leave the things that are less important for last. This quote is important because we tend to do this a lot. We always make the excuse that we have no time to do the work. When there is always time. The questions is, are the other things going as important as the work you need done.

In Robert Leamnson’s “Learning” (Your First Job) he speaks about certain fundamentals ways college students learn and how teachers teach them. Leamnson points out that not all students are the same and some learn differently especially when it comes to taking notes. Leamnson writes “Some instructors compensate by making notes for the students and passing them out. This practice can help the better students-those who already know how to learn-but for many others it only makes matters worse.” In this quote he is saying that different techniques don’t always work for every student. In the Article he further goes into detail on how once students know that everything they need to learn is in the teachers notes that makes them feel like they don’t have to work harder. Leamnson provides a new concept on what he thinks “Taking” notes should be.  Leamnson writes “I would like to see the expression “taking notes” removed from the vocabulary and replaced with one often used in Great Britain, that is “making notes.” Leamnson believes that students need to start making their own notes instead of staring at a projector all day copying down the teachers notes as it just doesn’t help the material to stick to a students brain.

In the article “Learning(Your First Job)” by Robert Leamnson, he breaks down the many misconceptions that are associated with how we learn. Those misconceptions include and are associated with note-taking, study habits, exams, etc. On page 7 Leamnson asserts,”you can pass some tests without learning much at all”. By making this statement, his point is that passing a test doesn’t necessarily mean that you learned and understood the material. You’ll most likely forget everything you were just tested on in a week. After reading this article, this quote really stuck with me. School seems to not be about learning anymore. It’s about passing. The focus is learning ‘what we need to know’ to succeed in whichever examination is next rather than absorbing the material. This quote is important because it shines a light on the underlying issues in the educational system. Although one can also argue that this goes beyond the walls of the classroom and to the homes of the students. Parents encourage their children to get good grades, forgetting that grades do not define their children’s intelligence. This puts pressure on the students and is why many resort to cheating. Then we wonder why so many students arrive to college unprepared. The point is, as also stated in the article,”learning is not something that just happens to you, it is something you do to yourself”.

In Learning (Your First Job), Robert Leamnson makes a very valid point regarding the difference between information, and knowledge. On the bottom of page 9, under the header “Access and high technology”, we learn the “fundamental difference” between info and knowledge. “Knowledge is what has the potential for improving the individual and society.” Leamnson then goes on to say, “…websites are completely devoid of knowledge, all they have is information”. What this quote means  is that information is literally everywhere around us, we tend to “drown” in information, but knowledge is what each of us personally gets from this information. This is why knowledge usually differs from person to person. I whole-heartedly agree with this quote because even though this is something that may seem obvious at first glance, when you ponder on it you see that a lot of us often overlook this simple fact. You can apply this fact to just about everything we use our brains for. In the case of taking notes, we see that if someone simply writes down everything that is said or heard (information), without making it “personal” or using phrases that would help them to grasp the topic; most likely it will not be remembered, and ultimately used, the way he/she intended it to.

Dr. Robert Leamnson wrote Learning (Your First Job), which describes the components of the learning process (understanding and remembering) and several methods to aid this process both in and out of the classroom. Many of Leamnson’s learning strategies ring true, however I do not completely agree with one statement in particular. Leamnson states, “…we have to practice what we understand. Without rehearsal, that fantastic circuitry that enabled our understanding will gradually disintegrate and we can no longer reconstruct what we once understood.” (Page 3) Leamnson is stressing that without repetition, the initial learning that was achieved will be forgotten. Leaving the learner unable to access the knowledge. It is true that without repetition of newly gained skills or information the person will eventually forget. However Leamnson’s statement seems unfounded, that a person can not “reconstruct” and relearn information. On this basis, if a person forgot something they once learned, it is not possible to relearn the material. The saying “just like riding a bike” is commonly used to convey the ease of relearning a forgotten skill. Every three years a paramedic must recertify to continue practicing medicine, and is refreshed on forgotten skills and information. If Leamnson’s statement were true, this practice would be pointless, as forgotten information cannot be relearned.

According to Robert Leamnson, “if you hold the belief that you cannot learn anything until or unless it’s interesting, then you can never get started on anything new”. In other words, Leamnson believes that students who blame the subject or topic itself for not drawing their attention are most likely to achieve nothing greater than what they already know or are capable of. In relation to this belief, Leamnson argues that “you would do yourself a great favor by developing this “curiosity habit” as early on as you can”. What Leamnson meant by “curiosity habit”, he provided a case where his senior biology majors would come to his office to discuss various courses and take the initiative to learn more about the subjects instead of relying on the teacher to make it worth learning. I personally acknowledge Leamnson’s argument because, now that I think about it, most of my friends blame their lack of interest in certain subjects which eventually resulted in failing those classes.

Link to OpenLab’s Help section on “How to Write a Post” HERE

1. Read and annotate “As He Himself Puts it”
2. Using the Triple-Entry Journal Worksheet we did in class, write a “quote sandwich” paragraph quoting Leamnson (This is the “Learning, Your First Job” reading, NOT the quotation handout!) That is: introduce your quote, summarize it, and MOST IMPORTANTLY, explain to your readers what you think about it. Why is it important?

To clarify: You will be writing a paragraph about “Learning, Your First Job” using the rules from the quotation handout. You will NOT be writing a paragraph about the quotation handout!

POST ON OPEN LAB BY 9 AM TUESDAY. I WILL NOT TAKE PAPER COPIES!

You must add a category when you post or you won’t be able to post it. The category for this assignment is “Your First Job.” Categories are on the right side of the page in a column.

IF YOU MISSED CLASS: you will need to make up the in-class writing. We can talk about that next week. 

If you missed class, you can still do the homework. The reading on quotation is HERE. (You only need to read chapter 3.) You should write a “quote sandwich” paragraph as described in this reading. USE A QUOTE FROM “LEARNING, YOUR FIRST JOB.” If you have misplaced that reading, you can find HERE