Words: 677
Thinking One of the most difficult class activities for me is studying for my history tests. There is just so much information to remember on each person, place, and event. Also, I usually find all my reading assignments even difficult because reading has never been a strong point for me. One of the ways I approach these difficult activities and/or assignments is by making outlines and note cards. Have found that am more off visual learner so by doing this helps me to retain all the information that I am studying. Your thinking process is very critical in the way you process the information o are taking in.
That is why there are different types of learners. It is all about how best you absorb the information. Because as you are taking in the information your brain is already starting the critical thinking process. It is trying to figure out what the author is trying to convey and teach you. It is also trying to figure away to make the information you are learning fit into your everyday life or how it will help you with your career or your end goal. All of this is happening in the back of your mind and you don’t even realize you are doing it. Critical thinking is different from just trying to memorize the information.
By using critical thinking skills it puts the information in your long term memory. Where the rest of what is going on is in your short term memory. Memorizing something will only store the information in the short term memory. Therefore, you are not really learning anything, but how well you can memorize just depends on the person. I wouldn’t recommend to anyone trying to memorize any kind of large amounts of information, because there is only so much information that can be stored in short term memory before it is “purged”, just like the recycle bin on your computer.
In the difficult activity of studying for my history test, if I had used critical thinking skills on it most likely would’ve gotten a better grade. That is why have had to re-think how I study for the next test. The same goes for the reading assignments. I knew that in order for me to retain all the information in the chapter, I needed to make some type of outline or visual aid. This helped use my critical thinking skills by having to pick out the most important parts of each section to put in my notes. The assignment didn’t ask to demonstrate my critical thinking skills.
I just new that I needed to use them in order to complete the assignment and make the best of my learning capabilities. I just needed to open my mind more and put it to good use. Think harder on each subject and look at the material from different points of views. Find what the author is trying to get across in the reading assignments. That way it can help me make better notes or outlines. Since starting college it has opened my eyes to a lot of different things. It has helped me see things and different situations from multiple points of views. I am able to see what the implications of my actions will have on a tuition before act.
I am able to look at a problem and be able to make better assumptions and solutions. I still have some weaknesses only because this is all new to me. My biggest weakness is being able to see what the basic ideas, concepts, and theories the author of the reading assignment is using. On the other side my biggest strength is developing my critical thinking skills is, my ability to make assumptions. My plan to handle my weaknesses in the near future is to check the objectives of the reading assignments. Also, try harder to pick out the key words in the sections I am reading.