Doris Lessing said, "That is what learning is. You suddenly understand something you've understood all of your life, but in a new way." This past weekend I was reflecting on my college experience. I have been surrounded by wonderful intellect and professors that have a passion for what they teach. Some of the best teachers of my life have been here at BYU. But someone asked me a question a few days ago about finance. Something about discount rates and the rate of return. I sort of remembered what they were but could not make heads or tails of the problem. Then I thought about my other classes, everything from psychology to art history, and I could not recall hardly anything from class. The process of learning for most is to cram and put the information in short term memory. Where is the benefit in that?
So what? As of this week I have made a plan to start to review and study smarter so that I can have this information readily available. After all I'm here for an education not a diploma.
It's so easy to get lost in just trying to get things done. These blogs have helped me get a lot more out of class than I otherwise might have.
ReplyDeleteRemember when our parents used to ask us what we learned in school everyday at the dinner table? I used to think, what's the point? So repetitive. But now, dare I say, I think there may have been a reason behind it! Going through the motions of education is not enough. We have to be actively and personally involved and applying what we are learning as to get the most out of it.
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