Author: Catherine A. Einstein

I’ve forgotten everything…

During undergrad, I often wondered why I had to take certain class and memorize certain things. Some of my classes were completely unrelated to my major as well as uninteresting to me.  Even the experience and knowledge I received from some of my relevant classes was forgotten in a semester or two. Why teach me to format a business proposal or create something in Photoshop and then never have me practice these skills again? I often have to Google information that I know I was taught in undergrad, but without repetition or practice I have lost the knowledge or ability.

I know if I had practiced these skills on my own I would have retained them, but I had several internships in undergrad and had no time to practice skills that I didn’t specifically need for classes or for my internships. Unfortunately, my internships never were exactly inline with the work I wanted to do once I graduated. I often look at my “skills” on my resume think to myself, “Do I even remember how to do that anymore?”

What was the purpose of paying all that tuition if I retained none of the knowledge and gained only minimal experience in my chosen career?

Tangent…

It seems that there are several different reasons people go to formal school: to learn remedial information you need to function in society (elementary and middle school), to experiment and figure out your likes and dislikes (high school), to learn how to think and gain knowledge for knowledge’s sake (college), or to gain experience in your chosen field and profession (trade school or an internship/apprenticeship).

I know you are supposed to do the latter for college as well, but, when your relevant experience and knowledge is being interrupted by irrelevant and forgettable information, are you really ready to enter your chosen career as soon as you graduate?

While I think people should continuously learn and gain skills outside of their chosen careers, I don’t know if lumping all of it together at the same time or in the same format is ideal. Instead of focusing on learning all we can about everything in four years (sometimes indirectly in a class setting), we should focus on internships and apprenticeships with some relevant classes. We can have students focused on gaining experiences in their chosen field instead of getting an “A” in Medieval Literature. Once people are employed and maintaining their skills and knowledge in their position, they can be encouraged to take more classes and gain knowledge for knowledge’s sake.


What Short Attenti-Ah, A Kitty!

I didn’t grow up with the Internet like most of the people my age did. I only started to have consistent access to high-speed Internet my first year in undergrad. I had to rely on radio, TV, newspapers, and peers to learn about interesting discoveries, advances, and current events. Since my high school didn’t have Internet access for students, I had to go to the nearest (35 minutes away) library to complete projects and papers. I started using the Internet so late in the game that there should probably be a distinct difference between my “before Internet” and “after Internet” life… But there isn’t.

To be fair I’ve never had a very good attention span, but my Internet-use hasn’t exacerbated it in anyway. The only difference now is I have access to more information I find interesting at more consistently. Before Internet, I could still change the channel or tune-out a friend or throw the newspaper in the recycling if I couldn’t find anything that held my interest. Now, I can virtually do all three almost at the same time. The only thing the Internet has done in my life is increase my access to info, news, books, movies, etc. that I actually find interesting or entertaining. It has not made me stupid (already was), and it has not shortened my attention span (ditto). If anything, the Internet has allowed me to broaden my interests and increase my knowledge and understanding of topics, people, events, and cultures that I wouldn’t have learned about otherwise.

Of course (of course!), this is just my personal experience. I still don’t have a smart phone, so I don’t have access to the Internet 24/7. I am also in grad school, so maybe my comprehension and retention rate is higher than average. I don’t know if society as a whole is becoming “stupider” due to the Internet and constant bombardment of information. Comparatively, we have more information available to us so maybe more information is forgotten, but the percentage of retention is the same. I don’t really know the answer, but I do believe that the more people who are conscientious of their Internet use the better. Even if excessive Internet use doesn’t directly affect an individual’s attention span, it can still have negative effects on the person in a multitude of different ways.


Shut Up And Listen

When I was an undergrad, I often went back and forth between being irritated with classmates that argued with the professors and being irritated with professors that didn’t listen to their students. When it came to novel concepts or subjects, I often wanted to hear uninterrupted lectures from my professors without so-and-so starting a debate or bringing up an exception I could’t follow. I knew that the professors weren’t always going to be correct, but, without some knowledge of the basics (even if skewed or from one perspective), how was I going to understand the concept well enough to analyze it myself. All I wanted was to absorb the information, so I could dissect it later in my own time.

I always appreciated when professors “shot down” those students who wanted to debate or argue in an intro or lower level class. Maybe they had enough knowledge to challenge the professor, but I certainly didn’t and neither did many of my classmates. As my basic knowledge grew with both in-class lectures and personal research, I found that I now had fully formed opinions and a wide perspective of the subjects. I could start debates and point out exceptions myself. But I found that a few professors (thankfully not a majority) still treated their classes as lower level and intro classes. They wouldn’t listen to the students’ opinions when they countered professors’ own, and they certainly wouldn’t allow for debates among the students. This halted my and everyone else’s learning. We had the basics down; now we could think for ourselves.

 


Can I Stop Talking Now?

I am naturally a very quiet and unfriendly person–not unfriendly in the mean or antagonistic way but in the awkward “people make me uncomfortable and I’d rather be home by myself” way. So teaching two classes of 40 students public speaking can be hard. I know what I’m supposed to teach them and why. I know how to answer even the most obscure questions and how to make the required activities and assignments sound important and helpful. But I can’t make jokes, my enthusiasm level only goes so high, and I’m awful at making conversation even during small-group moments like their outline workshops. (The irony of me being a Communication Studies major while being unable to hold a normal conversation is not lost on me, but I’m more of a theory and research kind of gal.) It doesn’t help that even I’m bored to tears by the sound of my own voice.

I don’t need to be the friendliest teacher ever as long as the students (for the most part) grasp what I’m teaching them and improve on their public speaking. But I would like the students to perceive me as approachable, comfortable, and my “lectures” as not that boring. My goals as a teacher sound easy to most, but almost impossible to me. Even this semester instead of making progress with my goals, I seem to have just increased my own anxiety. When I walk down the hallway toward my classroom, each time my heart starts pounding and my limbs become stiff, and I can’t completely relax until both my class sessions are over.

I think the only way to get over this (and I’m not recommending it to anyone) is to have two different “faces” when I teach–one for my students and one for me. To lessen my anxiety, I would convince myself that the students’ reaction to me doesn’t matter, that I don’t care what they think as long as the information, reasoning, and physical practice is available to them in my class. Since my anxiety will hopefully be reduced, my second “face” will be one of casual comfort and approachability. Maybe I can even start working on my conversational skills when I’m not overthinking it.

No one person is alike or has the same flaws, so no teacher or teaching style can be labeled as the “best.” We all have to figure out what works with our own personal hangups and strengths. Some individuals’ personalities are more compatible with teaching than others, and some directly oppose it. But that doesn’t mean these people (including me) have to stop being teachers. All anyone can do is actively search and explore what is best for them and best for their students.


That “D” In Sixth Grade Though

I feel like most of my blog posts are going to be repetitive. “It depends.” “What’s the context?” and “How about balance?” are a few phrases I can see routinely popping up.

Grades are awful; we know. They stifle creativity and smother self-worth; we know. That’s why some things are pass/fail, or the requirements for getting that coveted “A” are diverse or flexible.  Some classes may not even need to be pass/fail. Maybe all some classes need are for the instructors to see improvement in their students. Or maybe having a ridged standard is important, such as nursing where ignorance and incompetence could be fatal.

All I needed in second grade art class was a smiley-face sticker, and all I need in my small grad classes is the knowledge that I’m understanding the material and applying it correctly. But getting that “D” in Spelling in the sixth grade (true story) was important and a good kick-in-the-butt just as much as that “A” in my first undergraduate Comm class (my major) gave me the confidence that I was on the right track.

Grades don’t work for every person or every class, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have their place or usefulness. Getting rid of grades altogether would be a colossal mistake, but evolving them for certain kinds of students or classes would maybe bring some of the creativity and self-worth back into the classroom.


Isn’t This Human Nature?

When I first started the readings for this prompt and mindfulness was defined as “the simple act of drawing novel distinctions,” I thought “humans do this naturally; why would we need to change how we educate based on this?” I have been in school for 19 years straight, and I have always memorized the material required of me but have still been able to creatively and critically analyze, deconstruct, and expand on that material. I have four nieces and nephews (the oldest 17 and the youngest 2), and  I see those same abilities reflect in all of them. Then the reading made this point: “When we are in a state of mindlessness, we act like automatons who have been programmed to act according to the sense our behavior made in the past, rather than the present…When we believe we know something well, we tend to view it mindlessly.”

This made me think of the number of times I have completely overlooked the simplest or most unique answer to a problem by not thinking past the instructions given to me. The question, parameters, or context can influence my answer or plan of action by putting a box around the possibilities I feel are available to me. When there is uncertainty or ambiguity, the mind has the power of infinite possibilities.

There are still times when more “ridged” learning is unavoidable and/or appropriate. However, this should not be the standard. While thinking mindfully is human nature, there are a number of not-so-obvious limitations being places around our nature that are completely avoidable.


Future of the Internet

In the near future, everything will be created, shared, and stored via the Internet. We are creeping our way there with more and more textbooks and tutorials becoming available online; with research and news spreading lightning fast through blogs, websites, and online journals; with discussions and debates transpiring over varying social media platforms. All aspects of our personal, academic, professional, and social lives are becoming increasingly tangled in the World Wide Web. However, I do not necessarily think this is a positive change for our future.

The Internet almost makes the sharing of information too easy and quick. When something can be posted at the click of a button, it takes away some of the responsibility away from fact-checking your statements. The Internet is oversaturated with misinformation and blatant lies are constantly shared and discussed as truth. Even when information that is shared and discussed is truthful, the limitations of pure text on social media or even video chats through Skype can hinder the flow of discussions that would be better suited in-person. There seems to be an invisible barrier when people are not face-to-face that stifles clear and collaborative communication.

This is why the use of social media in classrooms may not always be the best idea. Yes, students should learn to review their and other’s sources when sharing information. Yes, they should learn how to clearly communicate their ideas online. And, yes, social media is a great tool for networking and sharing new and relevant information in a variety of professions. But, is social media necessary in every classroom in order to be relevant or interactive? I don’t believe so. Sometimes it can even be a deterrent for the constructive evolving of ideas. Students need to have a variety of outlets and mediums to discuss and collaborate on their interests; this includes face-to-face.