Reaction Paper to The Honest Thief and Learning-to-Learn The Honest Thief and Learning-to-Learn by J.H. Plass is filled with thought provoking questions and ideas. This excerpt discusses “parrot teaching”, the importance of having experiences and having the ability to compare, and why you should not just learn for the sake of learning. I have come to realize while reading the story that I am in agreement with the author’s opinion and that learning is more complex than I had known. In the beginning of the text, J.H. Plass begins to discuss the importance of learning-to-learn and how even though some people can memorize facts, they still cannot form their own opinions. He begins with a story about the young man who is “incapable of formulating …show more content…
Plass). Before that the J.H. Plass says, “Learning-to-learn means that you open yourself to discovering the unknown, experiences and then actually become able to do something with it” (J.H. Plass) which I agree with wholeheartedly. Most students go to school, sit in class, go home, do their homework, and study for the test; they are at school to get a good grade and move on and are just learning for the sake of learning. As soon as students take a test they forget the information because all they care about it memorizing facts and getting an A. However, this is not what school and knowledge should be all about. Students should want to learn to better enrich themselves and to pursue their dreams because we are always learning and as the author states, “The honest thief does not stop learning after he hangs his diplomas nicely framed behind his desk. He remains a student for life. This is what he has learned” (J.H. Plass). Everyone should be taught that getting a good grade is not everything, school is not just about your class rank, and education and learning-to-learn should not be taken for granted as well
When I attended my first lecture in college, my instructor emphasized that a passing grade was important but it was not important if we finish the semester without actually learning something. This statement shocked me, many instructors in my high school would have said the total opposite. For this and many reason I decided to attend college. College gives students a sense of responsibility that is precisely dependent on their choices. Professors and staff emphasize that the reason why we attend our lectures and courses is to learn rather than just get a passing
In Conclusion, learning is something that you can grow from figuring out what strategies work for you whether is be from writing it down to seeing in the form picture and model. Learning is something where you do what is best for you and your difficulties and what can help you overcome your difficulties in any class that you have and once you find what works for you, you will be able to do your best and achieve what you
I feel like to me learning goes beyond being in a classroom. For example, in life, I take the lessons that were given to me and learn valuable lesson that I was supposed to learn. In essence, everything is a learning experience for me that I come in contact with or encounter.
Most of the world plays the role of a student at least once in their lives. We are taught and expected to learn, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that anything is actually learned and stored in our memories. Majority of times people learn enough just to get by; just to get that perfect grade or perfect score. The difference between a learner and a student is that a learner takes that next step and starts learning outside of the classroom, and starts focusing on knowledge, instead of what grade they are going to get. In his book, Becoming a Learner: Realizing the Opportunity of Education, Matthew Sanders explains and defends the importance of transitioning from a student to a learner.
To be successful knowing how to learn is important to me. I have come to realize that learning involves everything around me. I believe that I can make sense of learning and I am able to respond to situations correctly with common sense. Common sense is a vital part of understanding the learning definition. Knowing what I think, how I do things, how I feel and talking to my self is a vital part of my learning pattern. Viewing what I wrote in my first week of class and knowing what I know now. I would not change anything. For me to develop a learning pattern I understand I have had to learn. It is a vital requirement of life.
Dispatch advised me that they received a call from Walmart Loss Prevention Officer, Marion Edwards. Edwards advised that there were two females concealing items in several backpacks. Edwards further advised dispatch that the females were with two males.
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.
“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
Just like Cathy Davidson announced that in his essay “Project Classroom Makeover”: That is glistening paradox of great education: It is not about answering test questions. It is about knowing that, when tested by the most grueling challenges ahead, you have the capacity to learn what is required to succeed.” (67) Learning is a skill. It is the power of people to evolve and develop variety of things.
Sometimes excavations not only make the past clearer, but also helps brighten up the present.
Learning and graduation go hand in hand . If a student graduates without learning then students won't be expert in the field. They won't have any knowledge of how thing work, and if the student does not graduate they not be able to reach the goals they have set for themselves. For example, if someone is going to school to become a electrician. If they do not graduate they won't be able to certify, and if they didn't learn anything during their courses the chances of them getting electrocuted on the first day of job are very high.
Since I was a young girl, learning was something necessary to do in order to mature into my own self. It's something us as humans do to evolve from our younger selves. From learning to talk, walk ,and read we learn many things throughout our lifetime to be the person we are today. Learning is the key to life. Learning makes us progress. Riding a bicycle was a learning experience that I might never forget it.
Do people learn because they are forced to, or do they do it because they want to? As I was contemplating the idea, I walked into the liturature room at the University of Southern Maine with my teammates. It was a cold winter morning, and I was representing my school at the Maine State Science Bowl. I started feeling tingles in my stomach as I sat down in the seat titled MSSM B one, because I needed to prove to myself that I was smart. Although the atmosphere unnerved me, I was distracted by an event from the day before.
First off, who I am as a learner has changed over the past years. At times before, I wouldn’t take certain classes or assignments seriously and have learned my lessons when I failed. I believe having classmates at the time who weren’t as focused as I wanted to be, played a big role in my lack of understanding in classes. I understood later that if I felt learning was so important to me, I need to realize that it is my future and I needed to focus on my own. Having learner in my top 5 strengths defines me very well. Rath (2007) explains that, “The process, more than the content or the result, is especially exciting for you” (p.133). I believe this defines me as a learner because I enjoy having books in hand, opening up my notebook to write notes and learning new ways to understand the class. Regardless if the content is something I have to get in to or if I don’t do well on tests, I enjoy the process of studying and learning more even when I know I didn’t do so well; that is what motivates me. I believe as long as I keep this mindset and understand that this is my strength, I will continue to grow and further my education as much as possible. Even though I have failed a few of my last classes, I never let that stop me from continuing. Knowing that I have “failed” makes me realize I know I can do better and I try my hardest not to let it get me down. I will not get further if I don’t keep trying and as a learner I am a motivator to myself in my studies.
Education is not restricted to lessons from textbooks. Real education is acquired from the lessons taught by life. Education is not just reading and writing, it is about using your knowledge and skills to help you succeed in life. If you are human, there are going to be challenges you face in life. They come in different sizes, shapes and the amount of damage caused varies. People deal with their challenges in their own way. When facing these challenges, many people especially teens tend to give on the challenge too early or even run away from them which is why I challenge the youth of today to educate themselves and strive for greatness in their own way.