Definition
An educated person is one who is well rounded; one who has not only studied, but learned, a variety of subjects. An educated person is not necessarily a master at every subject he/she studies, but rather a person who is able to take pieces from all of these subjects and apply them to his/her life. An educated person is one who is able to be rational and think critically as a result of his/her education.
Analysis
At the present time I believe my education commitment to be an 8 for the following reasons: I love to learn, and I have since I was a young girl. I remember at a very young age wanting to read every book I could get my hands on. I would pull words out of the dictionary and try and learn a new word each day. I would memorize verses of scripture, just to try and improve my memory. I remember loving school from an early age. My mother never had to remind me to do my homework, because I thrived on doing it.
While I still love to learn and always want to do my best, I consider my current education commitment to be an 8 because I had too heavy of a load this semester. It is imperative that I finish school as quickly as possible, in order to have a degree before we relocate for my husband’s work. For this reason I have not taken one break; I have taken classes both summer semesters. This being my last semester at SLCC I had to take 5 classes in order to get my degree. Since I love to learn so much I have been frustrated that I haven’t been able to spend extra time beyond the required study time in researching and learning.
Goal
My goal in my academic career has always been to do my best. If I don’t get an A in a class I am ok with it as long as I have honestly done the best that I can. My goal once my academic career is over is to revisit the subjects I took to try and understand them on a deeper level, especially the ones I felt rushed through. Now that I can compare the dullness of what my mind once was to what it is now, I never want to revisit that lifelessness I used to call my mind.
Process
In order to meet my goal of doing my best I have learned the following techniques, and will try my best to continue them: I always try and read the chapter the class is studying twice. I find that this helps the information sink in. Also, this helps me know which questions to ask the instructor should I get confused about the subject matter. I have found highlighting key points in the text and then going back through and typing up the notes to be helpful. When I would get confused about concepts in Geology and math I found looking up the concept on YouTube to be helpful. Oftentimes hearing it explained in a different way helped to understand it.
I have a few plans to keep my mind from turning to mush once my academic career is over and they are the following: I will keep all of my textbooks for this purpose. Once I get my Bachelor’s I plan to proceed to a Master’s, but at the time that my official education stops, I would like to take one class every (or every other) semester just to keep my mind sharp and my life interesting.
Research
1. I have always had a fairly good memory; however, I have always struggled to retain the information. I learned a new technique that has been a life saver in memory retention. It is called spaced rehearsal. The idea is to read a definition or sentence, repeat it in your mind, wait 30 seconds and then repeat it again (without looking), wait 2-3 minutes and then repeat it again. (Schacter, Gilbert, Wegner, 2011, p. 9)
2. I have worked under the incorrect ideas of how to understand the things I read. One of the misconceptions is that readers should read every word and go back over phrases over and over. I learned that this is actually called “regressing” which does not sound very learning conducive! The best way to understand what is read is to learn the art of speed reading. This is not skimming, as skimming does nothing to improve comprehension. Instead it is taking in the information more efficiently. Speed reading involves understanding concepts vs. understanding each word; it involves getting into a flow, rather than breaking up the reading which makes comprehension difficult. (Powell, 2004, p. 56-57)
3. I have a tendency to multi-task when I study (take frequent breaks for texting, etc.) The problem is, I learned, that the brain actually cannot multi-task. When it seems like the brain is multitasking, it is actually just switching from one task to another very rapidly. But information is lost when the brain has to do this as there is a process it must go through. (National Safety Council, 2010, p. 6)
4. Multi-tasking is not good for the brain but taking short breaks is, as it helps clear the mind. Also, the brain remembers “firsts and lasts” very well and taking short breaks every so often helps with this. (Magee, 1996, Take Short Breaks section, par 3)
5. As I stated earlier, getting my information from different sources (such as YouTube videos) has often helped me learn material better. It is very effective to get information from a variety of sources, such as: lectures, textbooks (not just one), fictional stories, media, internet, etc.)
(Stahl, Hynd, Britton, McNish, 2000)
Daily Plan
To become a successful student of psychology each day I will accomplish the following five things:
1. Read a little bit of the chapter each day.
2. Practice spaced rehearsal for key terms and names.
3. Write down/highlight the important concepts as I read.
4. Look up examples of concepts I don’t understand online instead of just skipping over them.
5. Type up the notes to organize them at the end of the chapter.
Support
I shared my daily plan with my husband Matt, who has agreed to make sure I stick with my plan and support me along the way.
Analysis
As much as I love to learn, try as I may, I never did too well in math in my early school years. This is probably because, though I didn’t need to learn to love learning, I needed to learn how to learn. When I started college I decided I wanted to understand and learn it and I followed steps to do so (such as doing the homework right after class as this helps retain and understand the information.)
A lot of people complain about having to have a General Education, but I have loved it. Though math is by far one of my least favorite subjects, and one that I am glad I don’t have to pursue to a high degree, I am so glad that I was able to learn the basics and eventually be able to take Statistics and actually understand it. It’s a great feeling of accomplishment.
When I made up my mind to go back to school I decided that I would also try and do my best in every class, and try to get an A if possible. During my second semester at SLCC something incredible happened to my mind! I suddenly started to feel it open, and I started to see things so much differently. I became more rational and less judgmental of people. I was astonished at how dull my mind had been. Also, in previous years I was painfully shy and closed up. Since taking all of these different classes my social skills have improved and I feel energized by being able to be around new people and to learn the best way to communicate with different types of people. From here I can only go up - that is, if I continue with this attitude of loving to learn!
Reference List
Magee, Patrick T. (1996) braindance.com
National Safety Council (2010) nsc.org, 6
Powell, Michael (2004) Mind Games, 56-57
Schacter, D.L., Gilbert, D.T., Wegner, D.M. (2011) Introducing Psychology, 9
Stah, S.A., Hynd, C.R., Britton, B.K., McNish, M.M. (2000) studygs.
