Epistemological Knowing

Student achievement for children is dependent upon the mental processes that are developed and nurtured through educators, culture, and society. Society plays a major role in cognitive human growth and development. It is important for educators to understand that children need opportunities to develop and expand their cognitive abilities. Vygotsky’s theory about mental tools suggest that every child has the ability to develop skills that will enable them to think in complex ways.

The general public’s expectations of the educational system tend to encourage individual success in the outside world. Institutions are expected to teach students general knowledge in language arts, natural sciences and mathematics, and social and behavioral sciences. Critical thinking, reading comprehension, and deep analysis enhance the learning of these subject areas. Nowadays it is also highly encouraged to have knowledge on a second language and foreign cultures. Parents and teachers expect the combination of these to enable students to move up the ladder socially and financially as they get older. The system is also expected to teach children the value of effort and a positive attitude in the process of learning, since this is a process that should not end after high school. Even though the extent to which these expectations are actually put into practice varies among societies, the common belief about education is that it should

Today there is a great demand for higher education. It is important for our society and economical development. Our younger generations need to be equipped with the skills and knowledge to navigate through life. Alfred Whitehead believed in the importance of utilizing knowledge and the need to get students interested in their work (Cahn, 2013, p. 211). Whitehead’s philosophy makes sense because I also believe that knowledge is something that students need early in life, in order for students to be successful in higher education. My philosophy is that knowledge and guidance can turn into motivation into being successful in higher education. According to Cahn, as told by Whitehead (2013), “The mind is an instrument, you first

Education is equivalent to knowledge. A person can’t have or elaborate opinions on a topic if that person does not have enough data about that matter or does not manage well that topic. The capacity to pay attention and take notes carefully is the most effective way to absorb facts on a subject. An active learner must consistently listen, read and think carefully, extract the idea, deliberate it, and exercise. Active learning should motivate to create more questions about the topic you’re learning, by creating questions one can better comprehend and solidify the learning process.

Humans are adapted uniquely to learn, and this process id has done throughout their entire lifespan, for the cases of learning, it does not stop even after higher education, implying that learning is a gradual process throughout the entire lifespan. Those people who keep learning are always very successful in transforming their lives, that of their families, and then that of the entire community. Also, the process of learning does not take place in isolation. Furthermore, there are some factors that may either be instrumental in boosting the learning process or hindering the process of learning. The motivation of a person can either help or sometimes hinder his ability in the process of learning. One's external factors, for instance, the demands and obligations can be either hinder or help his learning process. There are some factors can influence learning behavior of a person, and these may include the resources of possessed by the people, availability of the information concerning learning opportunities, the presence of favorable learning environment, and among

When I was a child, I had a need for perfection in my academic pursuits - I focused on getting every question on my tests right. My father would shake his head disapprovingly at this strategy. He told me, “education is not only what you learn, but also how you will put what you learned into use.” At the time, I couldn’t understand what he meant, but as I grew older, realizing that it’s impossible to memorize every detail I read, I understood the importance of making my knowledge practical.

This book is a well-known textbook concentrating on learning how to form effective study skills. This textbook is used in training entry-level college students on how to develop good study habits. This book was written by Carter, Bishop, and Kravits which are well known authors in the circle of education. This book was found in the e-Book section in

The misconception that occurs between education and knowledge isn’t rare. Many say that knowledge is knowing many things, but education is understanding many things. One can simply memorize the material, know it, and then receive a one hundred on a test. Whereas an educated person will learn the material to where they understand it and can use what they learned in everyday life. By learning the material and understanding it, that material will be carried on throughout one’s life. This is because when one understands something instead of memorizing it, they will have a long-term memory of that

“Once a student has reached the point of knowledge transformation they are using critical thinking skills.” Hodges (2015). Looking back to when I was in grade school as long as we could score a good grade on the test, it didn’t matter if we remembered the material or not. Very rarely did the teachers ever make a big deal about applying the knowledge that we were getting. I believe that students retain the knowledge better by applying it and committing it to their long term memory. I wish that there was more emphasis on applying knowledge when I was growing up as there is now. It will be my goal when I become a teacher to do my very best to encourage my students and give them the tools to apply the knowledge they are learning throughout the school

Enriching ones mind with knowledge opens a network of skills. Confidence is an important factor that is well reached for most college students; many of them have a sense of how to deal with the public. “A report published by the Carnegie Foundation, non-monetary individual benefits of higher education include the tendency for postsecondary students to become more open-minded, more cultured, more rational, more consistent and less authoritarian; these benefits are also passed along to succeeding generations.”(cite)

Going into college, many students are indecisive or are not settled with what they want to do in the future. However, general education gives a student a chance to explore different opportunities and start understanding at a college level basis. For example, taking a biology class who is an art major may not seem advantageous, but biology is the study of all living beings and it incorporates many concepts within reality such as the basic factors of all living beings in our surroundings. Therefore, general education classes are relevant because it serves a purpose in helping students gain more knowledge that can be applied to life itself. It is right for college students to increase their knowledge and build their logical thinking mechanisms because it can be an opportunity to reach their highest potential and also students are able to handle and incorporate their well-rounded knowledge in the real world as well. In an article, “General Education Classes Produce Well-Rounded Students” it states that, “specific concepts learned in general education classes can be incorporated into the classes required for your major or provide a different way of thinking about some topics” (Baker). This shows that even though sometimes these general education classes have nothing to do with the students’ major, it can be useful towards different ideas in life or even in

Carol Dweck categorized students into two different types of learning based of their mindsets. First group are students with the Fixed Mindset. Fixed mindset students are students who believe in looking smart rather than becoming smarter. These students believe in three things; one mistakes are set back, two, don’t work had and three, if you make a mistake don’t fix it. The other mindset is the growth mindset, these students “believe that their abilities can be developed, and so their major goal is to learn”. The three things these students focus on are; one take on challenges, two work hard, and three confront mistakes and correct them. Growing up all the way from the start of school, until the beginning of college, I would consider myself

When people think of the truth, people think of something that majority agree to. In the other side the author Barry Schwarts fights for the point that learning how to think it’s a personal thought. Schwartz specifies the major educational and goes over a rare question of what learning how to think means. As shown in the article peoples believes are based on others, collage education levels are dropping also the truth is being changed.

Past research has revealed that study skills and learning practices have connections to the achievement level of a student’s academic accomplishments.

Current views of the world, desires, dreams, goals, and the demands placed upon society are constantly transformed by present epistemological beliefs. Schommer-Aikens and Hutter (2002) investigated the relationship between an individuals’ belief about knowledge, learning or epistemological beliefs and how this relates to average conversational issues (Schommer-Aikens , Hutter, 2002). Using a study group of 174 adults ranging in age from 17 to 71, Schommer-Aikens and Hutter (2002) posed questions assessing beliefs of knowledge and the speed control of learning.