Thursday, November 5, 2015

Week 11: Growth Mindset: If I Ran the School

OU is a wonderful place for students to expand their worlds and learn new things. I think OU does a great job of expanding people's minds by introducing them to different cultures through the different clubs and the events that they host. However, I think OU could do even better. One thing that does not promote growth and learning is the way that so much emphasis is put on memorizing and passing important classes with an A (sciences, math, etc). I feel that so much learning is missed out on because students are afraid to look at the bigger picture because they are forced to buckle down and study Gen Ed classes that can be difficult and of no interest to the student. If President Boren came to me and asked how I would facilitate growth and learning, I would recommend making Gen Ed classes a lot more free. I would recommend taking out math and sciences out of Gen Ed requirements and replace them with classes like this. It is much easier to find out what you are interested in by writing  your thoughts and exploring in a fun setting. It is not nearly as stressful as trying to pass a math class that you may or may not need the skills from depending on your major. I also think that a gen ed major exploration class or something that assesses your particular interests and takes you through major options over the course of a semester would be a good class to take even if you already think you know your major.

(Gen Ed Meme)

2 comments:

  1. Honestly, you had me at “gather the dragon balls”!

    I totally agree with you about cutting down on Gen Ed science and math classes. I actually don’t have that high of an opinion on the sort of education culture that universities have. I love learning, I do, but I see some of kids *killing* themselves (literally and figuratively) for an A in a class that’s only important for a semester and that’s just so ridiculous.

    There definitely needs to be more of a focus on major-centric classes, not just how quickly someone can solve for x.

    Thanks for sharing this!

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  2. I think you are going to resonate with a ton of people on this story. I agree about the general education stuff. We need to understand the basics in gen eds and sort through the intricacies of learning in our major classes more. I have transferred twice, so let me tell you that I do not like general education classes that take too much time.

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