You need to know how to learn before you can be taught. Academic institutions often emphasize teaching students, but do little to contribute and ensure the student’s ability to learn.
Teachers can help facilitate learning, but students are the ones who have to actually engage in the learning.
Teachers can provide information, but it’s the students who have to determine what to do with that information.
What good is information by itself?
It’s like having a great idea for a new business, but then doing nothing with it. Ideas are only as valuable as their application. In the same way, it’s the application of information that makes it valuable. If students don’t know how to apply what they are learning — then it really isn’t serving its fuller purpose.
Even the most uninteresting subjects can contain valuable pieces of information that can relate back to the subjects that interest you.
I’ve learned some interesting things in sociology, biology and psychology, even though I’m a liberal arts major who doesn’t particularly have an interest any in of those subjects. It was totally worth it to take those classes, they broadened my perspective.
It tends to be easier to learn something if it’s interesting to you.
I once took a class about creativity as it relates to advertising, which is something fascinating to me, and I’ve retained a good amount of information from that class. The teacher of that class also made it a participatory experience, which was helpful.
Effective learning is active learning. Active learning is participatory. Active learning doesn’t have to look or feel a specific way, but it should facilitate independent, critical and creative thinking, as well as collaboration.
According to a study published by the National Academy of Sciences, which meta-analyzed 225 studies comparing student performance in undergraduate STEM courses using traditional lecturing versus active learning, students in classes with traditional lecturing were 1.5 times more likely to fail than students in classes which implemented active learning methods.
Andrew Brand | Argonaut
The preferred teaching method in academia is the lecture. It’s an ancient form of teaching. Sometimes lectures are great, but other times they lack the engagement factor. One problem with the lecture is the lack of active participation. It’s easy to zone out, especially if it’s long.
With studies backing up the fact that students learn better with non-traditional lectures and active learning methods, it may be time to phase out lecturing as the primary teaching method in academic institutions.
Information must be applied in order to be useful.
What will you take with you after you graduate and finish your time in academia? You can either spend your time in college developing your critical thinking and ability to understand and assimilate information and knowledge, or you can leave college with just your degree.
The point of college isn’t the degree, even though we are driven to believe it is. The degree is just a bonus.
What good is a driver’s license if you don’t actually know how to drive? Yes, you will be able to legally drive if you have a license, but you will likely crash or get pulled over constantly. Sometimes people graduate college and although they have their degree, they have no idea how to actually apply what they know, or they just didn’t retain anything at all.
Redefine what the college experience looks like. Defy the stereotypes and be an active learner who applies what they know. You are intelligent and capable. You can learn how to learn. It just takes a little effort.
Andrew Brand can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @theandrewbrand