Supplementary Materials for Unit on Education

8/11/2019 Supplementary Materials for Unit on Education

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University of Puerto RicoCollege of General Studies

English Department

Unit: Education

Guiding questions for discussion:

1. What is your definition of education?

2. Why is education important to you?

3. What is the role of a teacher? a student?

4. In terms of the people you know who have a college education and those who dont,what are the differences you notice?

5. Why are your college years significant? How do you expect to profit in the future from

what you learn at the University?

6. In what ways will the education you receive at the University help you to achieve yourpersonal goals?

7. What other things are important to you besides a career? What roles will youreducation play in these activities?

8. Do you think that the role of the University should be limited to providing you with thenecessary skills for your future profession?

9. What is general education? Why is it important?

10. Why should students be exposed to something more than the specialized skills theywill need in their careers?

11. In what ways can you profit from your education in the College of General Studies?

12. Why is an interdisciplinary approach to education valuable?

13. If you are clear about your academic and professional goals, what are they?

14. If you are not clear about your career goals yet, how do you plan to find out? Whatdisciplines or academic fields interest you?

15. Why did you choose to come to the University of Puerto Rico?


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Why go to a University1

Why go to a University? Some people go to a university for specialized training.They go to learn about medicine or law or engineering or nursing and so on. They are

preparing for particular jobs. Other people go to a university to learn as much as they can

about the world and the people around them. They want a general education, and they

hope that this education will make them better people. They want to enjoy and contribute

to human civilization. Other people go to a university because they want the honor of a

university degree. And, of course, there are some people who go to a university because

they do not have anything else to do.

It is clear that people expect different things from a university education. And this

has always been true. In 1744, for example, the government of Virginia, a state in the

southern part of the United States, met with representatives of six groups of AmericanIndians. They made an agreement of peace. Then the Virginians told the Indians that there

was a university in the city of Williamsburg, Virginia. There was also money for the

education of young Indians at that university. They invited the Indians to send six of their

young men to the university. The Virginians said that they would take care of the young

men and that they would educate them.

The Indians thanked the Virginians. They knew that the Virginians were kind and

that their invitation was a good one. But then one of the Indian leaders spoke. He said,

We know that the education in that college is a good education. We know that it is an

expensive education. But you know that different people have different ideas about things.

Our idea of an education is different from your idea of an education. We have had some

experience with your education. Some of our young people went to one of your universities

in the north. But when they returned to live with us, they could not run very well. They did

not know how to live in the woods. They did not know how to kill an enemy. They did not

speak our language very well. They were good for nothing.

So we cannot accept your kindness. We will not send our young men to your

university. But if you want to send some of your young men to us, we will educate them.

We will teach them everything that we know, and they will return to you as strong men.

1Author unknown


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Keys to College Success

by Henry Roberts

(1) At the start of Ericas first semester in college, one of her professors handed out atest schedule on the first day of class. The schedule showedthat a one- hour exam

would be given on October 2the first test in the course. Erica scanned the sheet, stuck it

in one of her textbook, and promptly forgot about it. She assumed that the professor would

give the class several reminders about the test and that he would go over the materials the

students needed to know. As time went by, and nothing was said about the test, she

assumed the professor had changed his mind. On October 2, Erica received a rude

awakening in the form of five closely typed sheets of paper containing fifty tough questions

on the assigned readings and on the lectures the professor had given. Erica was in shock.

How could he give us a test without reminding us? She thought. Its not fair to announce

a test four weeks in advance and expect us to remember the date and study for the test on

our own! Erica was outraged. She didnt do well on the test, to put it kindly.

(2) During that year, Erica learned other shocking things in college, many of them

having to do with taking on responsibility without being prompted or reminded. Ericas

experiences are similar to those of many other college students. Such students never

acquire the necessary keys to college success.

(3) The first key to succeeding in college is taking control of your time. This means

knowing what you have to do and planning ahead for classes, projects, and test. One

important means of time control is using a large monthly calendar to give you an at- a-

glance view of due dates and other special events. Keeping the calendar blocks in a place

where you will see it often can prevent you from losing track of time and being surprised by

the nearness of your term paper due date or biology midterm. Another means of time

control is making up a weekly study schedule. In other words, plan specific blocks of time

during your week when you will study. In making a weekly schedule, first fill in the hours

when you have unbreakable commitments to class time, work time, and so on. Then look

for chunks of free timeat least one hour longthat you can use for studying. A study

schedule can help you make efficient use of your time by capturing those free hours that

would otherwise drift away, leaving you wondering why you accomplished so little. A final

method of time control is a to- do list. On a to- do list, you jot down the goals you want

to accomplish during the day, or over the next several days. Such a list might contain

reminders on everything for buying a record album to reading Chapter 3 of yourpsychology text. A to- do list brings together all the stray I have to ideas that cross

your mind each day. Crossing items of a to- do list can give you a real feeling of

satisfaction. You also have the pleasant sensation that you are controlling your tasks and

responsibilities, not the other way around.


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(4) Making a strong start at the beginning of each new semester is another key to

college success. Wasting time at the start of the term and then trying to play catchup is

a sure route to failure in college. Making a strong start means being disciplined enough to

study, read, and initiate time-control measures even though Its only the first week or I

dont have a test for three weeks.You have to go prepared to those first classes by being

ready to take notes. You should buy your books right away, despite the long line at thebookstore. In addition, you should find out the names and phone numbers of one or two

people in each class, so you can borrow their notes if you miss class. Another part of

making a strong start is given some though to those end-of-the-semester papers and

projects, even if December or May seems incredibly far away. It takes additional energy to

do some early research in the library, and it takes some initiative to discuss a term paper

idea early on with a professor, but getting off to a quick start has important benefits. You

space out your work, for one thing, so that you dont face a marathon week of putting

together a project or paper, and you relieve this psychological pressure you feel when you

put off tasks until the job seems overwhelming.

(5) A third key to success in college is to brush up on or learn study skills. Studyskills include knowing how to take class notes; how to read texts skillfully by previewing,

marking, and taking notes on them; and how to study for objective or essay exams.

Without these vital skills, the time you spend attending class and studying may be of little

help in earning a good grade. Just as you have to learn new skills on a job, you have to

learn the skills needed to do well in college. Some students know these skills by the time

they arrive on a college campus they may have been taught them in high school or

picked them up on their own. Other students slide by in high school without knowing

these skills and, because they have a high school diploma, feel they are equipped for

college. They arent. College lectures cover more information, and with more

sophistication, than high school lectures. College textbooks are harder to read; they bristle

with dozens of new terms and present difficult theories and concepts. College test are

tougher, and they are graded according to higher standards. Only a firm grasp of study

skills will enable you to survived, and succeed, in this setting. If you feel that your study

skills are weak, get help immediately. Most colleges have study skills, workshops or

courses, so take advantage of them. Campus learning or tutoring centers often have

guides to college study skills free for the asking. And campus bookstores carry many

books that can help you learn and practice essential study and reading skills.

(6) A final key to college success is learning the art of concentration. This ability seems

to get more difficult every year; television rarely challenges its viewers to watch anything

that requires concentration or to give a subject more than ten minutes worth of attention ata time. And much of the reading we do in daily life requires less concentration than ever:

newspapers specialize in brief stories with limited vocabularies and many color pictures;

books on the bestseller list are filled with cartoons, jokes, and diagrams of exercises

techniques. Switching from this kind of mental fluff to the intense concentration needed to

study college material is indeed a challenge.


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(7) You can take several steps to improve your concentration. If your ability to

concentrate is flabby, these moves will get you into shape. First, have a positive attitude

toward studying. No matter how unattractive your task seems, think of it as a means to a

goal that is important to you getting a college degree. Next, keep yourself in good

physical shape. Exhaustion or illness effectively shuts down your ability to concentrate.

Also create a good study environment. Have a place in your dorm room, apartment, orhouse where you keep all your class related materials and where you have the basics for a

productive study session: a good light, paper, pens, a typewriter, a calculator, and so on.

You will save yourself time if your setting is well-equipped, and your concentration will not

be interrupted because you have to find a notepad. Before you begin to study, jot down a

brief list of goals for the study session. For example, you might write: (1) Read Chapter 10

in soc., (2) Memorize definitions for chemistry, (3) Rough draft of English essay. Having

specific, doable goals can make the session less intimidating. Finally, keep control of your

ability to concentrate by noticing when your mind wanders and the conscious effort needed

to pull it back. This can be done as simply as making a check mark with a pencil,

whenever you find your mind losing concentration. The deliberate effort to begin

concentrating again should strengthen your ability and make concentration for longer

periods possible.

(8) Knowing how to take control of your time, make a strong start at the beginning of

each semester, practice study skills, and concentrate effectively are the four keys to

success in school. If you make the effort to use these keys, you will open the door to the

kind of life you want.

Reading and Study Improvement, 4/e, Lenier/Maker, 1998.http://www.prenhall.com/divisions/hss/app/ecentral/1review/1review.htm#
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Why I came to College

by David Hobbs

In the following essay written for a freshman composition course at Rutgers University,

David Hobbs discusses his purposes in coming to college.

________________________________________________________________________

Why have I chosen to attend college? I have put this question to myself at many

times and in various forms during the past three and a half months which have constituted

the first semester of my freshman year. Have I come because of parental influence, or

because I have some goal of my own that I wish to pursue? After pondering these

questions on many occasions, I have finally reached the conclusion that I have come to

college not for one single reason, but for many, and that it is something which I truly want

to do.

Originally, my parents did influence my opinions about education in general. My

mother, an elementary school teacher, was always proud of my academic successes, but

she never really pushed me or demanded that I achieve excellent grades. However, from

the beginning of my schooling my parents seemed to assume that I would attend college,

and by the time I reached high school, I had become accustomed to that idea as well.

When I entered high school, I enrolled in the college preparatory program offered

there, looking ahead four years to college attendance. In truth, at the time I was more

concerned with the challenges about to be presented to me in high school than with

thoughts of what would follow in college. However, as I proceeded further through high

school into my junior and senior years, I became genuinely interested in many of the

subjects which I was studying. Chemistry, Physics, and Calculus were the courses whichheld my interest most strongly and I felt that I wanted to continue to study those areas

beyond the high school level. Up to that point in my life, I had always claimed that I wanted

to attend college, but I never truly knew why; as my high school career drew to a close, I

began to realize why I had this desire.

Finally, I began to recognize in myself a strong drive to obtain knowledge. I knew

that I would not be content to simply end my educational career with high school and enter

the working world. I truly felt a need to continue learning in order to gain a better

understanding of the world around me. My final decision to attend college seemed a

natural one, and my choice of engineering as a field of study came easily as well, since the

profession fit well with my academic preferences.

The fact that I enjoy learning and gaining knowledge was my main reason for

choosing to enter college, but I must admit that it was not the sole reason. In todays world,

a college education has become almost essential if one wishes to compete in the job

market. In the next several years, this trend will surely continue, with a Bachelors degree

becoming almost indispensable if one wishes to find a worthwhile position and a Masters

degree becoming highly desirable for advanced positions. Although it may sound


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materialistic, I felt that attending college was a practical and necessary step which I took to

ensure a secure future for myself and my family. I made my choice to study engineering

primarily on the basis of my love of mathematics and the physical sciences; however, the

fact that it is a well-paying and respected profession did have some influence on my final

decision to study engineering, rather than a pure science curriculum. Either field would

have allowed me to study those subjects which hold my interest, but the decision to pursuethe one which would ultimately be more profitable was not a difficult choice to make.

A third reason that I am attending college is that I have always hoped that I could,

in some way, make a contribution to the world. I knew that a career involving science and

technology would give me the best opportunity to do this. I also knew that in order to

pursue such a career, I would be required to go through college. Hopefully, this will enable

me to someday make a contribution to the expansion o f the frontiers of societys

knowledge, and to in some way benefit mankind.

Finally, I chose to attend a diversified college, as opposed to a purely technical

institute, because I feel that college should allow a person to grow in areas other than pureacademics. It should also expose the student to a variety of social and political ideas,

helping to expand his mental horizons. Attending Rutgers University has definitely allowed

me to come into contact with a wide variety of lifestyles which could only be found together

on a collegiate campus. Additionally, while I am able to major in a scientific field at

Rutgers, I am able to simultaneously take courses which explore other fields of study and

allow me to become a more diversified and well-rounded person. This overall gain of

general knowledge which is available only to the college student is another reason that I

was lured toward the pursuit of a higher education.

Thus, I came to college not for one reason, but for several different ones. It was

something which I had planned, even without fully knowing why, for several years. It wascertainly the next logical step in my educational career after the completion of high school.

However, only in my final two years of high school did I actually begin to recognize in

myself the inherent desire to obtain information and learning which pushed me toward

college. I knew that a college degree would allow me to pursue the other goals which I had

set for myself. I also knew that I wanted to become a more diversified person, and that a

college education was the best means to attain that end.

Why have I chosen to attend college? Sometimes I am unsure of the exact reason

myself. I am sure, however, that it is what I should do and what I want to do with the next

four years of my life.

Vesterman, W. The College Writers Reader1989 ed. New York: Mc Graw Hill, 1989.


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Information Competencies Assignment

Home Seeing the Connectedness of Things

TITLE

Seeing the Connectedness of Things

AUTHOR(S)

Boyer, Ernest L.

PUB. DATE

May 1982

SOURCE

Educational Leadership; May82, Vol. 39 Issue 8, p582

SOURCE TYPE

Periodical

DOC. TYPE

Article

ABSTRACT

Discusses the importance of organizing the general education curriculum around shared experience to help

students in the U.S. Themes that can provide an appropriate structure for the schools; Needs for students for

shared use of symbols; Goal of shared membership in groups and institutions; Significance of shared values

and beliefs for students.ACCESSION #

7729105

Tags:GENERAL education; CURRICULA (Courses of study)

Write the articles reference using MLA format:

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

Write the articles reference using APA format:

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________
http://connection.ebscohost.com/homehttp://connection.ebscohost.com/homehttp://connection.ebscohost.com/tag/GENERAL%2Beducationhttp://connection.ebscohost.com/tag/GENERAL%2Beducationhttp://connection.ebscohost.com/tag/GENERAL%2Beducationhttp://connection.ebscohost.com/tag/CURRICULA%2B%2528Courses%2Bof%2Bstudy%2529http://connection.ebscohost.com/tag/CURRICULA%2B%2528Courses%2Bof%2Bstudy%2529http://connection.ebscohost.com/library-search?s=1&an=7729105http://connection.ebscohost.com/tag/CURRICULA%2B%2528Courses%2Bof%2Bstudy%2529http://connection.ebscohost.com/tag/GENERAL%2Beducationhttp://connection.ebscohost.com/home


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Irizarry 2013-2014

Documents

Supplementary Materials for Unit on Education