Well, we did another practice essay in class last week. The question was: Do people spend too much time on learning practical skills? So here was my essay, done in 25 minutes.
************************************
Do people spend too much time on learning practical skills? That is a thought provoking question, however if you define “practical” as “useful” then the fact is that there is no such thing as an impractical skill. No matter what it is, any skill that is commonly taught in schools is useful in one way or another.
We go to school to get an education, to learn, that is a given. However, sometimes we may see certain skills that we learn at school as being impractical to our lives in the future. Although this may be true, while you may think of a course such as…say, calculus, as being something that you may never see again, a person aspiring to be a mathematician would use that same skill all the time in their future lives. In school, you are provided with general skills, in the form of courses, which prepare oneself for a multitude of possible fields as well as promote versatility. When you choose a major in college, courses are given to you to conform to your field of study. It is after that that, yes, you may never have to use unnecessary skills again. However that is not to say that no one skill is not frequently used by everyone in society.
It is a fact that different people will find different skills impractical. However there is no taught skill that everyone agrees is unnecessary. If there was one, then it wouldn’t be taught. Wheat we as students are required to decide is what skills are practical to us. Thus since everyone thinks and does differently, there is no skill that is completely impractical. Ergo, if you are trying to cover all possibilities in the teaching of skills, it is impossible to spend too much time on practical, or useful, skills. And you never know when even the most situational skill could save your life someday.
******************************************
Ok, I found out that hypotheticallity is not the best way to go on these essays. It's too bad though, I could hypotheticate myself out the window behind me (If there was one). Oh well, that's something I need to work on.
Showing posts with label SAT practice. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SAT practice. Show all posts
Sunday, April 8, 2007
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
SAT practice essay reflection
Last class we reflected on the 25 minute essay that we wrote the class before, and now we have to reflect on the reflection...you know, I like to reflect on some stuff but I hate reflecting on reflections...maybe I can impute that standing to my beliefs (See "What do I believe in?") since reflecting once tells me "ok, lets learn from this." while reflecting on reflections just screams at me "hey, you've gone over this already. Stop being obsessive!". But I'm not going to be contumacious about it...Now back on topic...
What do I think of the SAT essay? Well, I don't really like the whole "25 minutes to answer a philosophical question" system. With my writing style it is difficult for me to write a quality essay in 25 minutes. I do try to put lots of effort into those 25 minutes of writing, but to me quality = effort x time (XD math and English). Fortunately the topic was one that I know at least something about (I've been forced to improvise on some previous practice SAT essays).
I think that the most effective strategy is to plan it out in your head before you start writing. Know the basic outline of what you are going to say so you don't have to worry about the "now what?" that often may come up if you just jump into it from the outset. You only have 25 minutes and its really only enough for one shot at writing it. I could compare the SAT essay section to a music audition or performance: You only get one chance to play it, you have to do it right the first time. Before you start playing you focus on how you want your music to sound, just like you should focus on how you want your essay to "sound" before you start writing. And just like with music: if you practice intelligently beforehand, you will get better.
Of course you shouldn't spend too much time before you start writing, after all you only have 25 minutes and we don't want to try fitting 10 pounds of treasure in a 5 pound bag now do we?
You only have a limited time to plan and thus you need to be ready beforehand. I think a good way to do this is to have a list of possible "example examples" going through your head and what values they represent. Another important thing is to read! Books have many helpful examples, and sometimes its easier for you to pull an example out of a book then from personal experience.
I feel sorry for those teachers who have to sit in a conference room and read hours upon hours of the same essay...
What do I think of the SAT essay? Well, I don't really like the whole "25 minutes to answer a philosophical question" system. With my writing style it is difficult for me to write a quality essay in 25 minutes. I do try to put lots of effort into those 25 minutes of writing, but to me quality = effort x time (XD math and English). Fortunately the topic was one that I know at least something about (I've been forced to improvise on some previous practice SAT essays).
I think that the most effective strategy is to plan it out in your head before you start writing. Know the basic outline of what you are going to say so you don't have to worry about the "now what?" that often may come up if you just jump into it from the outset. You only have 25 minutes and its really only enough for one shot at writing it. I could compare the SAT essay section to a music audition or performance: You only get one chance to play it, you have to do it right the first time. Before you start playing you focus on how you want your music to sound, just like you should focus on how you want your essay to "sound" before you start writing. And just like with music: if you practice intelligently beforehand, you will get better.
Of course you shouldn't spend too much time before you start writing, after all you only have 25 minutes and we don't want to try fitting 10 pounds of treasure in a 5 pound bag now do we?
You only have a limited time to plan and thus you need to be ready beforehand. I think a good way to do this is to have a list of possible "example examples" going through your head and what values they represent. Another important thing is to read! Books have many helpful examples, and sometimes its easier for you to pull an example out of a book then from personal experience.
I feel sorry for those teachers who have to sit in a conference room and read hours upon hours of the same essay...
Monday, February 26, 2007
SAT practice essay
This was done in 25 minutes in english class:
Question: Does the media determine the most important values in most people?
*************************************
Does the media determine the most important values in most people? Yes. Observation is an essential part of learning, and so what people see in the media influences what they learn.
As children, people learn by observation: watching their parents and taking their values after them. At school you have teachers who (presumably) know more than you and teach you by letting you listen and observe their knowledge. Influence through observation is also present in what we call "role models". These could be anyone from a famous person, to your neighbor down the block. The media is considered one of these role models. The media shares the aspect of learning from a more experienced individual (or individuals) with that of a teacher or parent. And just as a bad teacher or parent can be a bad influence on a person, the media can also be a bad influence.
This whole structure of influence works both ways with the media, which is often in contrast with other types of role models. The media is part of society and thus changes to conform to society's new "patterns", which may often have been brought on by the media itself. The idea of "I'll tell you what you wish to hear: is at work here. This pattern of information feeding has the effect of enforcing one's beliefs, making them more favorable to one side ("I totally agree") or the other ("These guys don't know what they are talking about"). Either way, the media strengthens the beliefs of a person by giving them what they, or whoever their audience is, what they wish to hear.
Putting it all together: Observation is an essential component of learning and enforcing values, and through acting as a role model and by catering to one point of view over to strengthen beliefs, the media becomes similar to a role model and thus does influence the important values in people.
Question: Does the media determine the most important values in most people?
*************************************
Does the media determine the most important values in most people? Yes. Observation is an essential part of learning, and so what people see in the media influences what they learn.
As children, people learn by observation: watching their parents and taking their values after them. At school you have teachers who (presumably) know more than you and teach you by letting you listen and observe their knowledge. Influence through observation is also present in what we call "role models". These could be anyone from a famous person, to your neighbor down the block. The media is considered one of these role models. The media shares the aspect of learning from a more experienced individual (or individuals) with that of a teacher or parent. And just as a bad teacher or parent can be a bad influence on a person, the media can also be a bad influence.
This whole structure of influence works both ways with the media, which is often in contrast with other types of role models. The media is part of society and thus changes to conform to society's new "patterns", which may often have been brought on by the media itself. The idea of "I'll tell you what you wish to hear: is at work here. This pattern of information feeding has the effect of enforcing one's beliefs, making them more favorable to one side ("I totally agree") or the other ("These guys don't know what they are talking about"). Either way, the media strengthens the beliefs of a person by giving them what they, or whoever their audience is, what they wish to hear.
Putting it all together: Observation is an essential component of learning and enforcing values, and through acting as a role model and by catering to one point of view over to strengthen beliefs, the media becomes similar to a role model and thus does influence the important values in people.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
