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cjustice
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| Joined: | Sat Dec 24th, 2005 |
| Location: | California USA |
| Posts: | 1158 |
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Posted: Fri Nov 10th, 2006 03:05 pm |
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My problem is really getting off myspace and learning, but without anyone putting that flame under my seat, learning is not working to my advantage and I really do value education in any form. I work better in a group/team environment. Leaving this on-line class forum is not really an answer, than I will be a few classes behind the eight ball.
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cjustice
Administrator
| Joined: | Sat Dec 24th, 2005 |
| Location: | California USA |
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Posted: Fri Nov 10th, 2006 03:06 pm |
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Your degree and education will open doors for you that you do not even know exist. It is fairly common for adult learners to become bored, dis-interested and feel they aren't getting much out of learning. This is partially because of the nature of the undergraduate degree. University learning is set-up with the goal of every student pursuing a doctorate…some become medical doctors, others lawyers and still others PhDs. Think of a pyramid with your undergraduate degree at the wide base. Its purpose is to provide you with a foundation for further study – in reality, a good undergraduate degree should prepare you to simply ask questions.
At the graduate level the degree is designed for you to become a master of a subject. You become the “go-to” person for questions and problems in that field. Essentially, you learn to answer questions. Post graduate work – well, that is where you learn to make up new questions.
Ask questions
Answer questions
New Questions
For the adult learner, you have been answering questions for a long time. The undergraduate degree often seems boring, if not trite. However, in an academic sense, you probably should realize that you are being asked to learn new ways of answer questions….these methods and the material will serve you well as you move on in the educational process.
Staying engaged when you are essentially self-learning is difficult. A few ideas:
1. Set very small goals. Divide the work into 10-15 minutes slices. Do the work and then do something else that you want to do, but only for 10-15 minutes and then return to the work. Make the goal getting through the 10-15 minutes so that you can do the 10-15 of fun, whatever you want.
2. Take the work with you everywhere. Next time you are waiting for an appointment, pull out the course work instead of the magazines in the doctors office.
3. Always look over the entire semester’s work at the beginning, make laying out a plan of completion as important as the course work. A path to follow, one that you have laid down, will keep you on target.
4. Look for the familiar. As an example, as an adult learner, in a criminological theory class you should have seen the various theories playing out in real life. So, as you read, look for connections to your life experiences.
5. Critique the work as you proceed. While you course work may not call for it, sometimes preparing brief critical notes helps us stay more involved when we think of ourselves as reviewers or critics, and not just passive readers.
6. Although online or at a distance schooling, engage somehow with a person. Find someone in college and become studying partners. The point is not to help you study your material, but to help you stay engaged with the course work.
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LadeeSarah
Member
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Posted: Fri Nov 10th, 2006 03:14 pm |
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| Thank you so much for this long response, it was extremely helpful and pleasantly unexpected!!! Now I have some serious work to do. Again, thank you. Have a great weekend!
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