The most challenging hurdle I had first term in my learning was in my Psychology class. The professor was in her first year of teaching and this became obvious to me after the first couple classes. Her method of teaching was very ineffective. The class was solely lecture based and we had minimal discussions during class. Her PowerPoint of information was put on the screen and read to us. We had the option of printing out the lecture notes online prior to class and taking notes as we went along, but way too often I would find myself highlighting the notes on the paper and not jotting down any new, insightful information. The professor was reading the notes verbatim. Class discussions help me retain information and in this class if there were a discussion starting to formulate, it would end more often than not with the professor not knowing the answer to a question if it was not on the PowerPoint. A class taught in this manner helps me get an idea of what I need to know, but it is a weak way of retaining information and gaining more insight on the notes.
The most effective way of addressing this hurdle in the future would be to sit in front of the class. I tended to sit in the middle or top portion of my psychology class throughout the term. Sitting in the front of class forces me to focus more on the lecture and also gets me more involved during class discussions. There were so few class discussions that when one started I would feel uncomfortable making a comment. The students didn’t know each other and this created a feeling of reluctance to participating in class discussions. Talking to the professor after class would also help minimize the hurdle. Expressing what I think would help the class learn the information more effectively is constructive criticism that any professor should be open to.
Throughout the course of Fall term my ability to write a paper was revealed. I have always had an interest in writing and putting my thoughts on paper. College demands the ability to compose strong, intellectual essays that go far more in depth than any high school course expects. My ability to think critically and analyze in depth took on a new form in Constructed Self. Asking questions and broadening my scope on information further clarifies any misconceptions I may have and allowed me to retain information more effectively than in any class I had been in before. A large portion of Constructed Self was discussion based and if somebody made a comment during the discussion they would normally be asked to clarify a point that was made or go more in-depth on their comment. In high school, the teacher could call on a student and they could make a quick comment or give a short answer. In this class, it became apparent that if you were going to make a comment you better know what your talking about and say something that was insightful and displayed critical thinking or a strong analytical thought. During the course of the term, my strength of critically thinking and making strong analyses’ blossomed in Constructed Self as well as my Criminology and Criminal Justice course. I will continue to use these strengths to my advantage by participating in class discussions and displaying my ability in essays I will be writing throughout the course of the next few years.
Not procrastinating was the key to my success Fall term. College is different from high school in terms of attendance and especially homework far more than I originally thought. There are no worksheets or any homework that feels like busy work. Busy work is the least motivating homework I ever got in high school, but I experienced no such work during my first term at Portland State University. Extended assignments, for example an essay, were all started ahead of time. In high school, I would sometimes start essays one or two days before the due date. This term, I normally began formulating ideas a day or two after receiving the assignment. I came to see that the earlier I began an extended assignment, the better my ideas and thoughts formulated into a more concrete completed assignment. I came to notice this after the first essay I completed. I had it finished two days prior to the due date and this allowed me the opportunity to talk to the professor about my essay and what changes I could make to improve the essay before I turned in the final copy. It was very insightful knowing that if only I began an assignment a couple days earlier than I normally would how much stronger my assignment would be and how much more confident I would be to turn it in.
In a career, procrastination is one of the worst traits someone could have. Nobody wants to work with someone who is always getting work finished at the last minute. This kind of work is normally incomplete and full of rushed ideas. These ideas are not fully formulated and often have gaps and spaces that could be filled. In high school, sitting down and typing the last three pages to an extended essay in one night was not very difficult. I never witnessed the benefit of finishing something earlier since I normally got the same grade on something I did last minute versus ahead of time. In college, formulating my ideas early and capitalizing it with finishing the assignment earlier proved to show the benefits not only right now, but also in the future.
The next two terms will be important for me to see where I may find my self during my second year at Portland State University. Classes in college provide great insight into what one is really interesting in pursuing in the future. Choosing the right classes in regards to someone’s interests is key. In the next two terms I plan on taking at least one class that relates to my home country of Iran. This class will be important for me because I want to be able to read and write in my language. Since I am going after a Bachelor of Arts degree, taking foreign language courses is required. I already speak Spanish fluently and can read and write it having taken four years of Spanish in high school, but my ability to read and write in my own language is far less exceptional than I would like. I took classes when I was younger, but found that I was only motivated to speak Farsi, not to read and write it. I plan on taking a course on the Iranian language to address my weakness. I also want to take a class that relates to the study of law and terrorism. My major is Criminology and I have always had my eyes on the topic of terrorism. As a Middle Eastern student, the concept of terrorism can be hard to grasp but taking a class on terrorism will open my eyes more to a bold subject in the world today.
The biggest mistake I made first term was not giving myself enough time to study for a Psychology test mid way through the term. I learned a huge lesson after I stepped out of class that day knowing in my mind that I failed the test. I had never had that feeling sink down in my stomach but I know I never want to feel that way again. I expect myself to study in advance and use any test guides given in class to further my chances of scoring high on a test. Managing stress is a strong expectation of mine since my failure on the Psychology test was due in large part to a stressful weekend leading up to the test. My expectation in regards to class is to have more insightful online discussions. My postings for Malcolm X simply answered the question at hand and normally didn’t leave open the opportunity for a discussion to formulate off my ideas.