Learning Log Articles Critique - Essay Example

Section I have always felt that I was a good I always got good grades and enjoyed my time in when I was younger. As I got older, I realized that I really liked to read and to study some things while I didn’t do so well in math and some other subjects. This self-perception is something that as a learner at the university level, I want to change. I think it is important for me to have lots of confidence in my ability to learn everything I need to at the university level. I don’t want to come in with the idea that I am good at learning in this subject but not in that one. The reason I do not want to feel this way is I do not want to miss an opportunity to study something that I may grow to love. I have a friend that always thought he was no good at math. He avoided all of the courses that featured heavily in math. Late in his studies he was forced to take a math class that he loved. This inspired him to change his course of study. It cost him lots of lost time. I want to avoid this mistake by staying open to all kinds of learning. I am also looking forward to continued learning outside of the classroom. Meeting new people with different experiences than myself is a part of the learning that I enjoy at university. Being a part of university culture is more than just the academics, although I must admit that I am more inclined towards academic study than socializing. Still, I recognize that getting along with people that are very different than myself is a part of university learning. Section 2 Activity 1 I once started to keep a journal when I was about twelve years old. It was an exciting time in my life because I had just read a book that was written as if it were the journal of an adventurer. I wanted to do great things like this man did. He would write about his experiences every day. I started, but soon found that writing every day was not always possible. I remember feeling guilty and a little like a failure because I couldn’t be like this character in the book. Eventually, I gave up on the idea of a journal because I didn’t feel as though I would do it correctly. More recently, however, I have started to keep a journal more as a means of making sure I do all of the things I need to do each day. A planner is key to my life right now because I am very busy. I was flipping over the past few months in my journal and it is amazing to see how much I have accomplished. I think this is the real reason I need to keep a journal. It shows growth and it is a great way to see that you have accomplished something. I think that this is why a learning journal is going to be important to my studies at university. Activity 2 I have been thinking about the statements in Activity 2. I guess I didn’t realize that this learning journal could be so important. I can see from reading this activity that I will be expected to share my feelings about my learning as well as my thoughts about my studies. This will be an interesting exercise because I am the type of person that usually doesn’t share feelings readily. I can’t really say how I feel about learning in the university environment because I approach it as a necessity. I guess what I am saying is I don’t think it really matters if I like learning about something or not, because the learning is necessary. At this point I am wondering if trying to tap into my feelings about learning will make me a better student. I have never kept this type of a journal (where I record my feelings) so I will give it a try and see how it works out. Activity 3 I have decided that I am going to use a word processor to keep my logs. I like the idea of using a loose-leaf notebook, but I want to have the ability to copy and paste my logs into other documents. I think that this will make my learning logs more flexible and will serve as a better learning tool. Another reason I want to keep my learning log on a word processor is I can record my thoughts and feelings more quickly this way. I do not have good handwriting and I want my teachers to be able to read my journals as well. Activity 5 The step-by-step instruction from Ira Progoff is very specific. After looking at them, I realize that each of these journal entries is going to be very involved. Thinking about how I feel at various points in the day and then connecting them to what I am learning about and then reflecting on it will take more time and effort than I thought. I am wondering at this point if I should follow every one of the steps listed by Ira Progoff, or if this is a template of suggestions for how to approach each entry. After looking through some of the journal entries I will be expected to make, I realize that approaching them step-by-step as suggested in the writing by Progoff might not be the best approach. I think what I really need to get from this activity is the realization that I need to connect the emotions that I feel towards learning and my actual learning in my journal entries. As I stated earlier, this may be difficult for me but I am willing to give it a try. Section 3 Article 1 Pavlovich, Kathryn. 2007. The development of reflective practice through student journals. Higher Education Research and Development 26(3): 281-295 In this reading, Pavlovich suggests ways that educators can incorporate the use of student journals in a way that helps students become reflective learners and can be graded. She says that education needs to be redesigned so that we can do more reflecting on what we learn. This will help us internalize the new information that we are obtaining. She says that reflecting on learning concerns four main dimensions. First, the experience of the learner must be considered an important part of future learning. Reflection links existing experience to new information. Second, mental activity must be applied to past experience to being it into context. Third, the student may experience some emotional discomfort as new information is reconciled to past experience. This is why considering emotional states are so important when a student is trying to learn something new. Finally, the student needs to change their actions in a way that alleviates the emotional discomfort caused by the new information. I really like this article because it goes right along with what I have been learning in the skills exercises. I can see more clearly now why I need to be aware of my emotions while I am learning. I especially liked the steps of reflection as they were presented in this article because I can see how they work in my life. Sometimes when I learn something new that doesn’t fit with what I already believe, I automatically discard the new information because it upsets me. I see now that this is not a good way to learn. Article 2 Krause, Kerri-Lee. 2005. The changing face of the first year: Challenges for policy and practice in research led universities. First year experience workshop. Brisbane: University of Queensland. In this reading, Krause claims that the first year of study at university is the most important for connecting the first year student to their new learning community. The problem with this is the fact that the expectations and demographics of first year university students are constantly changing. Krause explains that there is three main objectives research led universities must meet if they are to remain flexible and able to meet the ever-changing needs of first year students. She asserts that universities must learn to manage diversity if they are to meet the needs of first year students. First year students are different today than they were ten years ago. They are older and are more focused on what they are coming to learn at the university. There are also more women and people from other nations coming to the schools Krause were writing about. Universities also need to build community for first year students. They need to be oriented and given time to establish relationships that can help them through the challenging first year. Finally, universities need to monitor, shape and address student expectations. After reading this article I felt reassured that I would have a good system of support at university. I was surprised to read that students are more likely now to approach faculty for help than they were ten years ago. This makes me feel as though I don’t need to be shy about asking for help from faculty. It also is interesting to me that someone actually researches this topic. I feel as though I am a part of a study just by being a first year university student. This article shows me that the trend in higher education to leaning towards engaging first year students so they can make the most of their university experience. Section 4 tertiary- of, relating to or being higher education. This word was used when the author was referring to different types of education. I am beginning my first year of tertiary education. qualitative- of, relating to or involving quality or kind The author used this word when speaking about a type of research study. A qualitative study tries to determine how people feel about something. posit- to propose as an explanation: SUGGEST This appeared in the article when the author was describing findings from two different researchers. The professors may posit the idea of a centralized and uniform grading system. scrutinise- to look over or examine. The author used this word when describing what universities needed to do to their first year programs. We scrutinized the textbook and found no mistakes. empirical- relying on data or observation alone, not bound by theory The author was describing a way of comparing research methods. The empirical evidence points to an earthquake in the near future. Read More