My Learning Principles
Have an Open Mind
A successful learning experience starts from a good mental approach, and throughout my years of learning I’ve learned that the best mental approach is keeping an open mind. By keeping an open mind, I’ve learned to embrace new areas of study in which I previously didn’t know I had interest in such as broadcasting and philosophy. This semester I am taking Philosophy of the Buddhist Mind and was initially very intimidated by the class due to my inexperience studying either philosophy or religion. But by leaving all my expectations and preconceptions about philosophy at the door upon beginning the class, I quickly gained a new perspective on the topic at hand and as a result, the class is quickly becoming a favorite of mine.
Listen to Podcasts
Here in the Whittier Scholars Program, I already have an idea of what I want my designed educational experience to look like, which is to design an experience similar to communications or journalism. With these two fields in mind, I obviously have a very large interest in radio and the art of broadcasting. As a result, I often find myself listening to podcasts on my free time, which can not only be entertaining, but also very informative. While I am not the most athletic person on the planet, I still find myself very interested in sports and participating in fantasy sports (shocker) to maximize my enjoyment. So most of the podcasts and radio shows I do listen to are all involving sports talk and fantasy football advice for each week. While my enjoyment of these podcasts are mainly attributed to the entertainment factor of each show, a good portion of why I stay tuned in regularly is because I genuinely enjoy expanding the knowledge of my hobbies.
Learn from the Internet
The Internet is an amazing tool, but at the same time it can be a major source for procrastination. For example, all day today I was supposed to be typing out this blog, but the Internet did its normal deed in distracting me and I spent a few hours researching how to install a new storage device onto my desktop. While it is unfortunate that I put off this assignment for so long, I think it is worth noting that the Internet is arguably the greatest source of information today, as there is almost no limit as to what you can research online. Computers for instance, are a particular hobby of mine and it was mainly with the help of the internet that aided me in the construction of my own device last year. The Internet is a limitless source of knowledge and can help anyone gain knowledge and experience with their hobbies should they know where to go and what to look for. In fact, one could argue that every time we log on to the Internet, we are always subconsciously learning something, one way or another.
Approach Every Class as a Personal Challenge
In regards to school, this particular principle has played a big role in my personal life over the years. Every time I enroll in a class at school, I approach it as a personal challenge with the mentality that I have something to prove to both myself and those around me. While this may seem like an odd approach to collegiate classes, the reason for this is that while I was in high school I was always an underachiever, which I mainly attribute to lack of motivation and interest. Upon returning to college and being accepted to Whittier, I’ve been striving to put my best foot forward in each class and with this new mentality, I’ve gained a new sense of motivation which in turn, results in more knowledge gained in each of my classes. Since returning to school in the Fall of 2012, I’ve noticed that my passion for learning inside the classroom has grown, which can be associated with my new attitude towards school.
Learning From Others
Finally, the most learning principle in my eyes, is that I must learn from those around me. Whether it be colleagues, professors, friends, co-workers, or employers, I feel that everybody around me has something of value that I can take and learn from. While it may be a bit cliche, at this age, I think of myself as a sponge in which I can soak up all the useful information from the people close to me. Be it inside the classroom while I am collaborating with my classmates and professors or outside the classroom while I waste time on the Internet reading fantasy football advice, I feel like there is always someone available who has something of value to offer; all it takes is to listen.
