Learning Reflection - Week 7

Learning Reflection

1. At what moment did you feel most engaged with what you were learning?

I really felt engaged while writing my essay on social practices and then revising it by coming up with a solution to the problem(s) that I wrote about. I also felt engaged while reading for the week, and responding to my committee member’s essays from last week. America has a lot of problems, and it’s interesting to read what other people view as a social problem for America.

2. At what moment did you feel most distant from what the class was doing and what you were learning?

I never felt distant from what the class was doing and what I was learning. Overwhelmed would be the adjective to describe my feelings better. Sometimes four classes can be very stressful, especially when trying to submit all assignments on time. I understood the material for this week with no major problems, even though I had to read some of it several times.

3. What action did the professor or another student take that you found most helpful or affirming?

Reading the essays and posts from members in my committee has been very helpful for me. It gives me insight into my own writing, as well as puts me on track for what I should be doing. The professor for this class has also been very helpful. Any confusion or questions are answered immediately, and then I can continue to work on my assignments.

4. What action did anyone take that you found most puzzling and confusing?

I have been rather lucky that I have not had any major confusion with this class and the assignments. Sometimes I’m not sure what to write about, or how to write it. Any questions that I have are always answered. I just contact the professor or someone in my class, and I receive the answers to my questions.

5. What about the reading and discussion has surprised you the most? (This could be about your own reactions to the course/reading, something that someone did, or anything else which has occurred.)

The reading and discussion has surprised me a little bit. There is an extensive amount of reading that is to be done every week, and sometimes can be overwhelming. This is the case even more when I have to read over the material several times to really understand, and grasp the information. However though, the extra time that I have put in has benefited me. I feel that I am achieving the learning outcomes for each week with no problems, and I am on track with what the rest of the class is doing and learning. I have thoroughly enjoyed the discussion aspect of this class. I enjoy discussing aspects of literature and things that apply to it. I also enjoy reading what other people think, and then compare ideas by discussion.

6. Review the learning outcomes for the course and list the four learning outcomes you can best say you have learned. List the work you’ve done which you could use to demonstrate your learning of these outcomes.

One learning outcome that I can say that I have learned is learning about reading and commenting on my committee’s blog posts. The discussion part of this class is actually very interesting. I have really enjoyed reading what other people think, and then discussing their ideas with mine. I have also learned more about what literature is. It is very hard to define literature, as so many people have different interpretations of what it actually is. The nice thing about literature though, is that there is no set definition. It is all based on how you interpret it. This is shown in my DB post called What is Literature.

Another learning outcome that I have mastered is learning my own ideas about how to live the good life and my own relationship with nature and to “Walking” by Henry David Thoreau. This is shown in my essay called: Living a Full Life and my Discussion Board post on Nature.

I have definitely gained a deeper understanding of why it was so difficult for individual, well-meaning Americans to find a workable solution to the problem of slavery, as well as ways that America has responded to the slavery problem. It is so intriguing yet depressing at the same time. I have shown this in my post to the Discussion Board on the topic of slavery.