Taking Charge of Learning

Learners have more incentive to learn when they have control
over not only how they learn but also what they learn. [1]

When I try to decide whether I should skip or attend a class, I always ask, "how much learning will I get out of this?" In university, because most of the professors are not instructed on proper pedagogical (teaching) techniques, the lectures vary drastically in quality. In some classes, the concepts were so complicated that all we could do was take notes and try to figure out what it all meant on our own time. In other classes, the professor would slow down the class in order to make sure the slowest person would not get left behind. I found this to be pretty frustrating as it takes away my control of my learning.

This made me think. Who made these rules about how we should learn? Who says that they are the best? Even if they work for most people, who's to say that it works the best for me? In answering these questions, I think it's important to note that all throughout history, most people have done things the way they were taught simply because they were afraid of authority. I think it's important that we take a step back and take charge of our learning.

[1] J. Scott Armstrong (2012). "Natural Learning in Higher Education". Encyclopedia of the Sciences of Learning.