Claiming My Education: Becoming an Active Learner  Introduction In the speech Claiming an Education, Adrienne Rich (19

Claiming My Education: Becoming an Active Learner

 Introduction

In the speech Claiming an Education, Adrienne Rich (1977) calls on students to become agents of their own learning as opposed to receiving information passively. Her message makes me think about my attitude towards the educational process which can be passive and passive-aggressive, i.e. whether I am an active learner or a passive one. When contemplating about my experiences in the course of English 1301, I can conclude that my learning style has become much more active than it was mostly passive. Such a change has been a gradual process enlightened by the same self-knowledge and reaction to the outside world and an enlightenment of what it is like to actually assert that I am learning.

Early assignments in English 1301 showed that I am more passive in learning. I was more inclined to take the guidance of the instructor and it give more attention to performing rather than contemplating on ideas. But as the course went on, I would start owning my work by asking others to comment on it and doing more work than required. A significant turning point took place when I was writing a research essay and I got to know the importance of working on my personal thesis and not entirely depend on the instructor.

Collaboration was another method that I used in acquiring knowledge in English 1301. Being a part of peer review groups helped me to view writing in new perspectives and understand the strong and weak points in my writing. These sessions helped me to learn how to give and take constructive criticism, such that I learned the necessity of community in education. The speech given by Rich stresses the point that education is not an information transfer of a one-way flow, but rather a give and take process where respect and responsibility are established. Through interacting with my classmates and their thoughts, I got to know that an education process also implies a contribution to the learning process and to help others to develop next to me.

Through researching several sources and creating an argument myself, I started to comprehend how Rich meant in her demand of holding both personal, and educational, responsibility. This was a milestone in my life as a learner considering that I became more of an active learner compared to a dependent learner. This, despite such, could not warn of the existence of obstacles that could not permit me to move forward. One of the dilemmas was the problem of questioning myself.

The other way I will implement the ideas of Rich in English 1302 will be by having goals that I set out purposefully regarding every assignment. Rather than the idea of being grade-oriented, I would like to be grade-oriented and specifically at working on the improvement of certain skills, i. e., the development of a stronger thesis, thorough analysis of text, and better argument distribution. The establishment of quantifiable objectives will make me responsible and goal oriented so that I can attribute ownership to my progress. This way, I am also getting to know that education is a continuous process, which demands dedication, reconsideration, and the values of constant self-improvement, which align with the message of Rich perfectly well: being responsible to the process of intellectual development.

I was always thinking about whether my thoughts were good or not and it is the factor that I was never daring enough to write. Besides, there was a recurrent problem of time management. At some point work and coursework may result in the use of rush assignments and I would not have time to contemplate on them. These routines have made me realize that an education requires discipline and confidence and not only hard work. According to Rich (1977), students need to view themselves as being in charge of their own minds and bodies, and in this regard, establish limits, focus on priorities and appreciate their intellectual output.

The thoughts of Rich are also close to my attitude towards studying the English 1302 course. Her appeal to be an active reader matches my objective of being more critical with texts and class discussions. It does not imply that I merely carry out the homework, I desire to challenge, associate, and put into practice the information I acquire these days. This modifies the education system to discovery as a powerful interactive process that is revised to be a passive one. Considering myself as a co-founder of knowledge, I would be both placed in a position of valuing the intention of learning, and to make a contribution to the discourse of academic deliberation.

Personally, in future, I would strengthen the habits of efficient learning. I will accept any reading and writing task with interest and confidence and incorporate the feedback not as the criticism, but as the way of getting better. The other skill, which I would acquire more effectively, is the time management, in order to be able to use the available time as much as possible in doing my assignments as well. Finally, I would like to have English 1302 as an experience in which I would still say I am still earning my education by engaging in it, reflecting and persevering. By the termination of the term, I shall be a much more responsible writer and conscious and self-directed student.

 Reference

Rich, A. (1977). Claiming an education [Convocation speech, Douglass College]. York University.