Information Interview

Person Interviewed

I chose to interview my friend and mentor, Amy Osborn. She is a registered nurse at Children's Hospital in Michigan. She went to St. Clair college 7 years ago for her degree and has been trying to get me into the program ever since. I selected her for this interview because she is the smartest person I know (with the exception of a few professors of course), and I believe that she has an awful lot to offer in life.



What I learned from the Interview

I learned that being a nurse is more then just wearing scrubs, carrying a stethoscope, and handing out medication. Amy taught me that it is very important to be compassionate with the patients as well as the parents or families of the patients. The patients are not the difficult part of the profession, it is the families left to deal with whatever is wrong with the patient that need compassionate nurses to be there and be understanding.



Preparing for Entry into Nursing

I learned that even though Biology and Chemistry are the toughest courses in the program, it is crucial to do well in them. They are the foundation upon which nurses are able to do their work. I will have to learn to be more assertive and self confident before I enter into the nursing field. I will also be volunteering my time at a hospital while I am studying to familiarize myself with the profession more. This will increase my chances of getting a fulltime job once I receive my degree.

Conclusions and Future Plans

Improvement in Learning Inventory
I have improved on my note taking and text book reading. My stress level has dropped considerably since the beginning of the semester and I have improved in managing my time more efficiently.

Further Growth Required
I think that I need to continue to work on not procrastinating. I was doing very well for a while during the beginning of the semester but since the death of my friend, I have lost the drive to get things done. I hope that with perseverance, the drive to get 100% will return.

Insights Gained
I am looking forward to next semester and what it will bring. I hope to continue to do well in Chemistry and Biology and I believe that I will be able to do so if I continue to focus on proper note taking, text book reading and rest and relaxation. The seminar on relaxation techniques gave me the most insight and I plan to use what I used in classes to come.

Study group Meeting 5

We had our last study group meeting on Friday November 30 at St Clair College. We studied for our Chemistry exam coming up on Tuesday in the cafeteria. This hour has really helped me because there is an aweful lot of material to cover for the exam and it was handy to see what others had focused on in comparisonn to myself. I plan on using the study group option for all my classes next semester.

Study Group Meeting #4

We had our 4th study group meeting today. We studied for math in the cafeteria. It was very helpful to study with other people from my class because I had missed some of the lessons and was unsure of what I was doing for certain parts of the material. I was able to help alot of people from the class with things that they were unsure of as well. All in all, very productive meeting.

Stress Management

This workshop helped me see just how much stress I am under every day. My score was close to 500 points on the questionnaire. Most of the stress is money, school or family related. Having the relaxation part of it helped me and I hope that I will be able to manage my stress better with the use of this technique. I would love to know where I could get a copy of the tape that was used for the session. Afterall, any class that encourages the students to take a power nap is a good class.

Note Taking

Summary of What I Learned from Chapter 8 - Note taking



I learned that the best note taking method is the method that helps me to learn and remember what I have learned. I used both the Cornell and the Mind Mapping in Biology and both methods worked for me exceptionally well at different points in the class. It really depends on what the topic is as to what method works best when it comes to notetaking. With biology there are alot of diagrams so the mind mapping works really well and other times the cornell works better because there are alot of definitions or theories.



Cornell Method as a Study Tool

The Cornell method is great for classes with alot of definitions or theories. It serves as a great study tool for memorization.

Mind Mapping as a Study Tool

Mind mapping is a great method to use in classes where there are alot of diagrams or straight lectures with no handouts. It allows you to be messy and draw pictures while listening to the lectures. It serves as a great study tool for the visual learner.

What approach works for me

The approach that works best for me depends on what kind of class I am taking. I use both methods depending on what mood I am in and what material is being covered. Both have proven to be affective tools for me as a student.

Assignment 4 - Progress Report

Self Analysis

I am doing fairly well this semester in all but one of my classes. My goal for every class is to be as close to 100% as possible. The only class that I am having trouble achieving that goal in is Biology.

Myself as a Learner

As a student I am a procrastinator that aims for perfection. I have worked really hard at not procrastinating this semester and so far I believe that I am doing well. I have discovered that I am a visual as well as an auditory learner. I have a hard time studying material from a text if it was not covered in a lecture or does not have images or diagrams to go along with the material.

Achieving my Goals

In order for me to achieve my goals for this semester I need to change the way I am interpreting my biology class. There is so much material to remember and I am having a very hard time relating it to every day life. I have purchased a recorder and applied for peer tutoring in this course in order to accommodate my need to hear the lecture again while studying for a test. This will help me in achieving my goals.

Study Group Meeting #3

In today's study group I learned a lot about the nucleus and its functions. This really helped me to prepare for the biology test tomorrow. We chose the cafeteria to study in today because the majority of the tables in the library were full. We decided that for the remainder of the semester, we need to sign out a room in the library to eliminate the distractions. I really hope that having these study group meetings regularly will help me get a better mark in biology.

Cognition and Metacognition Assignment 3

Assignment 3 Chapter 7 - Improving you Cognition and Metacognition

Cognition and Metacognition are important tools students need to use in order to be successful in their learning. Cognition is a mental operation involved in accomplishing school tasks which consists of many variables. Metacognition is your awareness and control of your own learning. In this blog I explain which of each of these strategies I plan on using in this semester to help me as a student.

Cognitive Strategies

The cognitive strategies that I plan to use this semester in each of my classes are as follows.

• Chemistry, Math and Biology - Dispersing, Flash Cards and oral rehearsal will be most helpful in these classes because there is so much material to remember between tests. It really helps me to review my notes as I go so that when it comes time to study for a test, it does not seem so overwhelming. Flash Cards are useful when trying to remember definitions and new terms. It is an easy way to study on the go. Oral rehearsal is helpful the morning of the test only. I can briefly skim over the material orally just before the test to keep it fresh in my mind.

• Strategies for Success and English - Outlines, tables and charts are best for these classes because they are mostly lecture and discussion classes. Concept maps will be helpful when the research essays are assigned in English.

Metacognitive Strategies

The metacognitive strategies that I plan to use this semester are as follows:

• The use of metacognition is important in all my classes. I have to have a plan for every class in order to achieve my goals. The plan has to be monitored on a constant level and if there are issues with the plan or I am not achieving the results that I planned on, modifying the plan is a must.

Approaches to Learning: Deep vs Surface Processing

After completing the survey and analyzing my results, I discovered that I am a deep processor. I am not satisfied until I know as much as possible about the subject at hand. I try to read material ahead so that I am always prepared for class and I find that at times, I over study the material to the point where I am second guessing what I know.

Self Directed Learning - Questions for Reflection

1. 
   
   This story reminds me of my dad. He is determined to do anything that is necessary not to have someone else do something for him. His determination to learn and do things for himself amaze me. Every time I see him he is building or fixing something. He would have built his own boat too.
2. I can relate to this story with a story of my own. I own my house and with that ownership come all of the responsibilities of maintenance. The house is an old wartime house that needs more work than I care to admit. The kitchen floods when I run the dishwasher, the bathroom needs a new floor and the dining room ceiling is falling down. I am not sure what I want or should fix first because of course, I cant afford to fix it all. I decided a few months ago that I would attempt to fix it on my own instead of calling a repairman. I have since purchased a home improvement book that shows me how to fix everything under the sun. The kitchen taps seem to be the easiest project to fix. I bought the new taps that I want to put in and tore out the old ones. I read the instructions on how to install the taps, purchased the tools necessary to do so and installed them. I was worried at first because I did not think that I would be able to make it work but in the end, after tons of mistakes and many kitchen floods, I fixed the tap. It no longer leaks when I run the dishwasher.
3. I believe that a self directed learner has the determination, motivation and self discipline to learn as much as possible about everything. Nothing is ever boring or impossible to learn. They will exhaust all avenues to learn about and everything. Self directed learners plan everything and follow through on the plans.
4. I believe that I have to potential to be a self directed learner as a student, however I lack the drive to learn on my own. After having been out of school for twelve years, I do not learn and process information the same way I used to. In my home life I am very much a self directed learner. If there is something that needs to be done at home I never hesitate to do it. If I do not understand something that I am working on, I will research it until I understand it enough to complete it. I need to become more of a self directed learner as a student because it gives me control of what I learn. Once I am settled back into being a student, my natural drive to be a self directed learner will kick in. I need to get myself organized enough to be able to read and work ahead in my classes.
5. I do not agree with the statement "College should be the time when and the place where students develop prowess as learners", because I believe that it can be perfected in college, not developed. Students get practice all through high school on how to be good students and I believe that college is where that knowledge should be put to work.

Second Meeting for Study Group

At study group this afternoon we went over the CD that came with our Chemistry book. We found this to be a helpful tool in Biology and decided to try the Chemistry one. We decided that when working as a group, it is not a very effective tool to study with. We went over electronic configuration, the periodic table and how to figure out the mass of an element. My biggest concern about the test is whether or not it will have any questions about nuclear radiation on it. As an individual in the group I do not think that it is a good idea to have our meetings off campus (at someone's house or restaurant) because I feel that we get more accomplished at the college. There are not as many distractions at the college.

Study Group Meeting 1

In this morning's study group meeting I learned the names and email addresses of all of the group members and got a rough idea of what their study habits are in general. We decorated our folder and just by doing this simple task, I got a good idea of what each members strengths and weaknesses will be within the group. Each person just kind of fell into their natural roles for the first meeting. We decided that we should study for the upcoming Chemistry test at our next meeting and briefly went over what each persons concerns were about the test so that we would know what to focus on while studying.

Journal Entry Pertaining to Assignment 1

Approach to Completing First Assignment
The first thing I did when working on my fist assignment was read the chapter. I then filled out the questionnaire and went over the results to make note of what my strengths and weaknesses were. I ranked the chapters from least to most importance based on my results from the questionnaire. Next I made notes from each chapter that I felt I needed to focus on the most. From there I made my outline and wrote my report.

Why did I think that my report was adequate to hand in?
When I handed in my report I was unsure of its adequacy because I felt that I should have had a stronger conclusion. I knew that it was not the best paper I had ever written but handed it in anyway.

Assessment of original paper.
My assessment of my original paper is a 6 out of 10. Even though it started out as a strong paper, it did not meet the criteria for evaluation. Self evaluation is a difficult task especially when it comes to examining your own strengths and weaknesses.

Explanation for the rewrite
I decided to rewrite my paper to ensure it met all evaluation criteria. I am not here for just a passing grade. It is my intention to do well in all my classes and I feel that handing in below average assignments will not help me in accomplishing my goal. I knew before I handed in the original that I could do better.

Analysis to approach for completing assignment #1
I believe that my approach to completing the first assignment was efficient because I believe that in order to complete an assignment, the material must be reviewed and understood. The assignment was completed and handed in on time. I do believe that I could have written it better before handing it in.

What did I learn?
I have learned that if I am unsure of an assignment, I need to ask questions. I need to make sure that I am using my time efficiently. It is very difficult to learn anything when I am tired or distracted by things going on at home. Whenever possible, I will be completing all of my assignments at the college to avoid distractions at home. It is also easier for me to learn what I am studying if it is quiet and I make notes as I read.

Mari's First Blog

What is a blog? This is new to me. My name is Maria Perry (Mari). I am looking forward to what I have to learn in this course. Of all my classes this semester, this is the one that I feel will teach me the most about becoming the person that I want to be.



I learned alot about myself as a student in the first assignment, some things that were good and some that I feel I will need to work on.