The Complete Picture of Academic Success
Education is one of the great equalizers in the world. It can bring a family out of poverty. It can raise villages, and it can bring out the potential of problem solvers all over the globe. Yet what does it take to make your education the best it can be?
Active learning and constructivism are theories of educational interaction. Interaction of the students with both the teacher/professor and the material. Much of the material covered in chapter 8 of Students Helping Students is information that can help combat the internal struggles that many students face that can hinder academic success. Problems of motivation, mentality managing stress, and not knowing your strengths can all hinder academic success. Learning theories are what go on inside the classroom that can determine some student’s academic successes and if they develop skills students will need later in life. Chapter 8 was many parts of succeeding in academics that take place outside the classroom.
They are connected. Both subjects can have dramatic impact on the success of students. It is when you combine these aspects of internal struggles and the learning theories that you create a complete picture of how to encourage student academic success.
If I get an opportunity where I am in a position to encourage peers or anyone else academically I will try and share this complete picture. However two things I know that I would definitely stress are the learning theory of constructivism and learning demanding a confident attitude. Constructivism because I am a kinesthetic learner and enjoy when teachers employ methods to really engage with material. The confidence aspect is because it is something that greatly effected me. I have two sisters that I love, who both excel academically. (Both in the top 10% in high school and Jamie had a 4.6 gpa). So confidence in academics was something I did have because I thought I could never compete, so I hovered in the middle academically. It wasn’t until I got to college that I found my academic confidence and I have grown so much because of it that I am hopefully graduation with honors.
