The Boney Blog of Nowhere.

Interdisciplinary 

Learning Essentials: College Studies (LE 1020)

Professor Adris Brundidge 

This class was a fantastic way to engage my critical thinking skills and learn new ways to apply them to situations in my life and my coursework. It definitely gives you the ability to gain an introspective look into the way your mind works and allows you to relate that to others and how they work, as well. One of the ways we achieved this was to work on group projects and assignments. I learned a lot through this technique and it's already proven to be quite a valuable asset. I would recommend this class to anyone struggling with the adjustment to college life and study, as well as anyone who wants to better their study abilities.

SLCC Students' Campus Resources Project

This group project was based on campus resources at Salt Lake Community College. Handouts about the resources were included, along with campus-sponsored brochures detailing each topic. It is meant to provide a campus tour of sorts in order to enlighten students on what is available to them as students of SLCC. It was a presented for my Essentials of College Study class and we chose to provide a PowerPoint presentation.

 Below is the final draft of the assignment

I felt this assignment was a great opportunity to learn about the many departments and services that were available to us during our time as students. I was also able to develop my skills in active research and presentation.

 Creative Thinking Assignment

This was another group project designed to help us engage our minds in coming up with a reason for a document that was seemingly nonsensical. At first, it proved quite difficult, but once we all started creating possibilities for what could have been going on behind the creation of the picture, it really showed that we could get the ball rolling on even the strangest of assignments. This helped us to practice techniques that we learned within our textbook for the class, most importantly, the skills associated with: thinking creatively, thinking critically, mind mapping, concept mapping, problem solving, working with a group, and more. In fact, that last one is quite relevant to, not only the class, but life in general. In working with a group to complete an assignment like this, you come to an understanding on what needs to be accomplished, and it is very likely that each of you will have a different learning style. This provides the assignment with a more varied approach that can sometimes be necessary to help others think outside their own box.

 At first, I was not enjoying this assignment. But once we just started talking and creating ideas, it really started moving along. I felt this assignment was a great way to teach students to work together, embrace each other's ideas, and come up with a concept, idea, or solution where there might not be one readily available.

Road Map/2-year Plan 

This project was designed to provide us with the opportunity to gauge our plans for the future. We needed to create a three dimensional road map that showed the path/paths we want to take over the course of the next two years. 

I enjoyed this project. At first, I didn't think that I would, but it proved to be quite enjoyable. I felt pretty good about the end result, as well. I think it is an accurate reflection on where I want to go in life. Although I chose to focus on four completely different life paths, I feel that they are equally important to me and my growth as a successful and happy individual. 

George Washington Carver Essay

This is a paper we wrote as a group about George Washington Carver. The assignment was to find a person around the turn of the century (late 19th century to early 20th century) and research their struggles to obtain an education. We then wrote a paper detailing the person's history, purpose, an argument for or against issues presented, and relations to our own situations in today's society.

  I feel it was a very important assignment, and I learned quite a bit. I didn't just learn about George Washington Carver, but also about myself and how I see me own situation and placement in the world. I wrote the history, purpose, and argument sections as well as created the presentation. I learned quite a bit about what I could accomplish when I worked hard enough, not only from the work I did on this project, but also from the struggles and achievements of George Washington Carver, himself.

Study Tips 

This is a sheet that coincided with our final test. After we were finished, we needed to come up with a list of study tips that could fit into our lives, as well as the lives of other students. We came up with this list as a group and helped other groups come up with a list of their own. That was an important part because the different ways in which people think and the different learning styles we all have contributed greatly to the making of this list and the variation of skills added to it. 

These are just a few examples of the great study tips I learned in this class. I would say that quite a bit of the required text is frustratingly pointless to me. It honestly feels like a print version of a self-help seminar, but there are also quite a few useful tidbits like the tips listed above. All in all, I wouldn't say that the book is a complete waste, but it is somewhat annoying that you are required to pay seventy dollars for a book that you have to mangle and destroy and will never be able to refer to again. Obviously it's a trick for the publisher to sell the books, (as is the fact that it moves up an edition every four minutes or so),  but you can still find something to take away from the book and class in the end.