Jack W. Meiland’s essay, The Difference Between High School and College discusses the distinction of high school and college courses. In the very beginning of his essay, Meiland already points out the fact that what college freshmen perceives as the difference between high school and college are usually wrong. College freshmen thinks that college will be similar to high school, but at a much more difficult level. He says that college courses will be more difficult, but the main difference between high school and college courses is the intellectual work required at the college level. College courses will give information similar to high school, but instead of just believing the information given based on authority, the information will be believed by rational evaluation. He sums up his essay by stating, “What is fact in high school is often only theory… in college.”
I really like this piece by Jack W. Meiland. His explanation about the difference between high school and college rings true to me. Just as he had explained, before I began attending Sacramento State, I had thought that college would be about the same as elementary through high school but at a more advanced level; memorize the information given to you. However, after taking an English 5 course through the Summer Bridge Program, I learned that in college there is more than just taking in the information given to you; you have to evaluate it, give it meaning from your own thoughts. What I had learned from English 5 over the summer has been proven true through my experiences in my first semester so far. When Meiland says the time college is spent making rational evaluations of different beliefs, he catches my total attention. Throughout my time in English 5 and my experiences in other college courses so far, we were/are encouraged to evaluate the information presented to us. I love the point that Jack W. Meiland made in this essay.
My answers to the discussion questions are: question one: According to Meiland, high school students assume that college teaches a more difficult level of memorization. Students are accustomed to receiving information then just memorizing them, but according to Meiland colleges teach more than memorizing the information presented to them. Question two: A college course expects the students to engage in a different kind of intellectual activity in addition to the comprehension of the material that is presented. Question three: By saying, “ A rational justification of belief” when referring to college course work, Meiland means evaluating what information was given to you and finding out the reasons why it is believed to be that way. Question four: The difference in material being presented by an “ authority” versus material presented for “radical justification” is that the material presented by an “authority” general is absorbed without a doubt, whereas material presented for “radical justification” is presented for evaluation. Question five: Fact in high school is treated as “belief” in college courses because someone may have a different view with just as much or even more evidence/reasons to back up their belief.
My answers to the questions that may apply to me are: question one: My impressions of the difference between high school course work and college course work when I entered college are uncertainty to whether or not I can grasp what is being asked from me; excitement because you do not have to believe that what is presented to you is right; and anticipation due to the fact that I was eager but also nervous. Question two: I have found one of my first year course to be similar to what Meiland contends, but the professor does want more than understanding, an attempt to evaluate. In my experience, college level work does require me to use evidence to support the factual material I am learning because there are many different types of evidence to find that will support the material I am learning. Question four: This extended approach to college course work material had influenced my way of thinking and learning by making think and evaluate what is in front of me before believing what is told/advertised.
In Rigor Redefined by Tony Wagner, he described the characteristics needed to be taught to students for the 21st-century careers and futures. He begins his article by explaining the seven survival skills that he thinks every student should master to survive in this world. The seven survival skills are: 1. critical thinking and problem solving, 2. Collaboration and leadership, 3. Agility and Adaptability, 4. Initiative and Entrepreneurialism, 5. Effective oral and Written Communication, 6. Accessing and Analyzing Information, and seven. Curiosity and imagination. Wagner supports his argument that schools are not preparing their students well enough for careers and life by including excerpts of what he recall seeing as he examined classrooms. Most of the classrooms Wagner analyzed were not teaching the necessary seven survival skills that he had mentioned. He ends his article with the emphasis of incorporating the seven skills he had mentioned into students’ lives.
Reading Rigor Redefined by Tony Wagner was very interesting. I agree with him about incorporating the seven survival skills into the curriculum. The seven survival skills that he had explained are all skills that employers look for in their potential employees. If students are able to learn these skills, they will have a better chance of getting a job and increasing the advancement of our economy.
An instance from high school where I learned something well was from my Spanish one class. My Spanish teacher gave us new vocabulary words every few weeks. She encouraged us to speak to one another using the vocabulary words as we played games in groups. In one of the games we played, I remember being placed in a group with two other classmates. We were using popsicle sticks and whoever had the most popsicle sticks at the end of the game would win. There was also ways to steal all the popsicle sticks from your classmates. I do not remember the rules exactly, but I do know it composed of using the vocabulary words we received a few days before. At the end of the game, I had the most popsicle sticks due to a lucky win; I was able to steal popsicle sticks from the classmate who had the majority from the cup. This instance sticks in my mind compared to other learning experiences because I remember having fun as I played the games, repeating the vocabulary words with my classmates. I suppose the experience reflects how I learn by revealing how emotions, interactions, and practice can improve memorization. I was able to remember how I felt, along with who I was talking to, and how the repetition of the words helped in remembering the terms.