Comments from the class I visited on 9/26/2008:

–I have difficulty interpreting what is said and remembering
–I am a little distracted sometimes
–I often have trouble finding the correct words to say what I mean
–I have a poor memory for name-face connection
–I need visual, auditory, and touch information to clearly get across the point
–From when I was little I had a speech problem and it manifests itself in verbal and auditory issues. I can hear what you say but I can’t understand it.

I would like for my teachers to know that it is hard for me to write papers. The time it takes some people x3 is the time it takes me to write that is not including editing time. Most of the knowledge I have was not obtained by writing responses but by reading class notes and some of the textbooks. Writing may be of importance in education and communication but not at the expense of not learning the right answers to the questions that were posed so that the student must research the answers along with other classes.

Despite the fact that when I graduate I will owe > $25,000 in student loans that have paid for my education, I feel that which has taught me the most is what I actually get paid to do … teach. I continue to pump so much money into this university to take classes which, at this point in my education, are irrelevant to life outside of the classroom. Why do we pay so much for irrelevant knowledge?

Response [to the video]:
1. Sobering, enlightening, revealing, insightful
[what I want my teachers to know about me as a learner]
2. to know that I can think, I have ideas, that I want to be engaged, I want to be involved with the topic and issues at hand (this class). I want to contribute, play a role, in addressing the issues raised. I want to be a participant in ideas that lead to action and contribute in positive ways. I want to know that my life has purpose and meaning where my passion and talents can meet real needs.

I want them to know that I am as human as the high acheiving students. And that there are other factors besides laziness that affects grades.

Class discussions help a lot in keeping me engaged with the material
I work the hardest when my teachers expect a lot out of me
Applying the material (in a lab or life setting) always helps the material stick, even if it’s just talking about a personal anecdote in class
I appreciate being reminded of why the material is relevant.

I learn by applying the information–not through straight memorization
My time is valuable–don’t waste it

1. I want them to know how I learn and to be willing to meet my needs as a learner. I learn best taking information learned and applying it. Learning by doing
2. As a graduate student I want my professors to continue to create authentic learning and assessment experiences. I want to be able to use the information and learning products in my career.

1. I would like my teachers to know that I am not a machine and that sometimes no matter how hard I try I cannot keep up with things that are required of me – sometimes my whole system crashes and I need a “reset.”
2. I would like my teachers to know that I have a life outside of school too and that bare memorizations and no-stop work will not necessarily benefit me in a real-life.

–I feel much more motivated to learn when the professor exhibits much passion towards the subject matter regardless of the class size
–I also feel motivated when it seems as if the professor cares about us learning and doing well regardless of how hectic my schedule is.
–Technology is a double-edged sword.

I would like to be able to be able to learn where and when I want to learn. Free us from this medieval way of learning in lecture halls and furiously taking notes because it is no longer the case that what we learn in class or read in class is something we will never be able to access in one form or another. Podcast some classes so I can listen to them on the weekends, at night etc. I want to learn more effectively, but there’s a disconnect b/w you and me.

Even though I attend all of my classes and seem prepared, I never study ahead in my classes and often, if not almost always, cram the night before for an examination.
I can see the big picture, but I have difficulty seeing the details that I am always asked to present during examinations.
I hate memorizing. It is a waste of time.