One of the reasons I decided to start this blog was to provide myself with an outlet to blow off some steam. And that is what I will do in this very post thank you very much.
Students,
- I know that your brain has just about reached its capacity for critical and creative thought at this point in the academic year.
- I know that the winter has been long and the sunshine scarce.
- I know that you are getting anxious to change-up your routine.
- I know that a long weekend is just around the corner and your mind is drifting…
But you still have to show up!
And by show up I don’t just mean occupy space and deplete oxygen in the classroom. I mean be a contributor to your own learning and not just a consumer of information.
Being a contributor does not necessarily mean that you have to actually speak up in the class (although that is what my students are expected to do on a daily basis). In fact, in some classes asking questions or sharing an opinion is not the norm at all.
Being a contributor means showing up with the intention to learn. For one, having a sheet of paper and a pen in front of you, whether the paper is filled with your well-thought out notes from your advance reading of the material or simply a blank piece of paper (forget about the laptop – that’s too distracting). It means taking notes and forming questions. It means thinking about what you’ve just listened to, watched, observed. It means asking questions, providing an opinion or debating an idea. It means being resourceful and seeking answers to your questions. Again, these things may not happen in the class itself but could take place in the context of the weekly seminar, in a group of peers or even just by yourself. It means shaping the direction of your thoughts and perhaps even the direction of others.
When you are a contributor you are the creator of your own learning.
Being a consumer means waiting for the professor to tell you what to write, what to think, what to do next. Like a shopper, it means waiting for others to share ideas and opinions and then picking the one that you like best. It means waiting for something to happen before you take the next step.
When you are a consumer you are a clog in your own learning.
So what are you? A creator or a cog?
There is no time like the present to change your behaviours. Don’t wait until next term or next academic year. Today is a great day to refocus. Start by analyzing your past behaviours. Ask yourself how what you are doing both inside and outside the classroom that puts you in either category. Start small. Identify one element you want to change and do it.
Woody Allen claims that “80 per cent of success is just showing up”. Increase your chances and most definitely follow that advice.
photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/tomazstolfa/5310306188/”>tomazstolfa> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/2.0/”>cc</a>
Straight Talk Prof 