All throughout my school experience, one major learning process has been emphasized. Pay attention in class, follow the teacher’s instructions, complete the homework and take a test, rinse and repeat. Of course, this method will help most students to pass their courses: master the method, I was told, and you will do well in school. I mastered the method, did generally well in school, and thought I had it all figured out. This process of strict obedience and studying, however, miserably fails in real life. No one will tell you what to do in your job; you are expected to be creative and self-sufficient to solve your own problems. My education methods changed dramatically when I learned this in my sophomore year of high school.
One career path that I’ve always been interested in is research. Many children dream of being a “mad scientist” when they grow up, and I was no exception. The idea of being in a lab and carrying out an experiment that could actually help the field of science excited me greatly, and last year I decided to take the Science Research Seminar at OHS. This class opened up a whole new approach to learning. Gone are the instructions, the seating charts, the assignments, the tests. Instead, as researchers it is essential for us to be self-reliant: we make our own assignments, learn by ourselves, and plan out detailed schedules for the research process. Although sometimes it can be frustrating, it feels mostly liberating for me, and I know I am one step closer to the real life learning process.
Here is an interesting article about learning in schools:
http://www.naturalchild.org/john_holt/school_is_bad.html
One career path that I’ve always been interested in is research. Many children dream of being a “mad scientist” when they grow up, and I was no exception. The idea of being in a lab and carrying out an experiment that could actually help the field of science excited me greatly, and last year I decided to take the Science Research Seminar at OHS. This class opened up a whole new approach to learning. Gone are the instructions, the seating charts, the assignments, the tests. Instead, as researchers it is essential for us to be self-reliant: we make our own assignments, learn by ourselves, and plan out detailed schedules for the research process. Although sometimes it can be frustrating, it feels mostly liberating for me, and I know I am one step closer to the real life learning process.
Here is an interesting article about learning in schools:
http://www.naturalchild.org/john_holt/school_is_bad.html