happiness in education revised (paper)

I will find ways to socialize in school to help me become a better student. When it comes to education, the way I intake information is not the traditional style. The way I learn involves me being able to interact with others. I learn better by listening to information rather than writing it down. I learn better when I work in groups and also when explaining information to others. I like when my instructor has open discussions. I feel that I should be able to feel comfortable in my classroom. I believe that customizing my education can help me get in the zone and can maximize my learning experience as well as my happiness. I think if a school can care for needs such as these, I can work to my full potential and achieve great success.

I have trouble retaining information when I write down notes while an instructor is speaking. The way I learn and stay in the flow is through listening. Writing seems to disrupt my flow of learning.  My hands simply can’t keep up with the voice of the instructor. Since I’m focused on trying to write down every word they’re saying, I’m not paying proper attention to the lecture and I lose out of the important information. Writing the information down can sometimes confuse me if it’s not properly explained to me and I get stuck not knowing anything. I learn much better listening rather than writing because the information can be put in the simplest meaning so I can understand what is being taught.

When I’m asked to work in groups, I know there is going to be that one person that just doesn’t get what’s going on. I enjoy helping my peers understand information because while I’m teaching them, I’m also teaching myself. Each time you explain to someone what is going on, the more times you are repeating the same information over again, you’ll be able to retain the information. By explaining the information to my peers, I understand the information and gain knowledge, so I can be able to put it in terms they’ll understand. When I know what I’m talking about, I enjoy talking about it. Also, by being able to work in groups, you can learn different ways of thinking about things and different methods of solving problems. I was paired with a partner in my precalculus course and we had to work on factoring polynomial equations. I wasn’t good at doing this and I took a long time to factor the problems. My partner saw that I was taking a while to do the work so she showed a method she used that made factoring the problems so much easier. Thanks to her, I was able to understand how to do the work in class by using a method that made it easier to do.  I believe that some people learn more through their peers rather than their educators, so I think that this way is a great way to interact with people positively and help each other succeed.

When I was younger, I would always call out in class, because I was so eager to tell my teacher an answer or share some background knowledge about the topic being discussed .That’s way I love when my instructor hosts an open discussion. I think it’s the best time to learn anything. It’s also the best time for me to shine and show the class what I have to offer. When it comes to doing an assignment, I know that I can verbally explain a concept with more clarity than I can by writing about it. Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi says that flow “is a state in which we feel that we are one with the experience.”  Being able to participate in open discussions puts me in the zone.  I am able to express how I feel about a certain topic in greater detail and help me to understand the feelings and opinions of my other peers. By listening and exchanging ideas, it helps me to understand the information from many different perspectives and it improves my abilities to tie things together. I believe that I grow the most intellectually when having open discussions. I also think it’s a fun way to learn about a topic because you get to know your peers and can help connect with one another through common interests. Talking with others about future goals during open discussions can also help to reassure me to pursue my goal with greater vigor.

I agree with Daniel Goleman with he says that psychologists agree that eighty percent of factors that determine success come from “emotional intelligence”. Whenever I’m in a classroom and I’m comfortable with my surroundings, I’m able to be myself. I’m able to enjoy my learning experience and feel confident to contribute to the lesson. I know the when I show interest in something I’m able to focus on learning about it and very eager to share with the world how much I know about it, like if it’s second nature to me.

I know that I like to socialize, as it is part of my learning process as well as my personality. I believe I can use this trait to my advantage because I’m able to feel comfortable around others and other can feel comfortable around me. Being able to work in groups and have open discussions puts me in my element and helps me get into the zone.  Being able to step into a classroom and feel a sense of welcoming by my instructor and peers gives me the confidence to work to my full potential and even help push past it. I believe that customizing my education to incorporate my unique styles of learning is ideal to increase my happiness. It will help me achieve my goals much sooner, and will help me have fun along the way. I will work hard to find ways to socialize when I’m at school so that not only I would become a better student, but would also help to become a happier student.