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Editorial/CoD1D1entary November 2008 Pa e 3A. Dr. Mark A. Curtis Vice President for Instruction To quote a song lyric by Trace Adkins: "It ain't no think- ing tlting, right brain left brain, it goes a little deeper than that." As we near the end of one se- mester and anticipate the begin- ning of another, many of you are reflecting on what was learned, what was missed, grades, and of course doing better in the future. Learning, doing well, and getting good grades always involves the development of a system or pro- cess of study that works for you. In such a system, you must find a way of applying your mind to acquire knowledge and understanding. Students often say things like, "I need complete quiet to study" or "I like music or the television on when I study;" others speak to the time of day they study best or the fact they need the caffeine in coffee or pop to stay alert when studying. Yet, these preferences often miss the essence of what it means to study. In short, you need a comprehensive system of studying that works, regard- ......... , .... , ... ,..,,,. .•. HoW" do you studyP Is there a better W"ayP less of the subject, its level of diffi- culty, or the style of the instructor. Each faculty member here at Alpena Cornn;mnity College has devoted much of their lives to the particular discipline or subject they are teaching. Collectively, they want little more than to communicate im- portant subject matter, knowledge, and information to their students. They love their subject and they want you to love it too. But if you do not or cannot love the subject, they want you to at least learn enough to pass the course and successfully integrate the knowl- edge and information received into your life and chosen field. Having been both a student and an educator for the past 52 years (39 at the college level), I have given the whole process of teaching and learning a great deal of thought. At the very intersection of teaching and learning, we find the student studying. To that end, you have heard many people advise you to study, to study hard, but never ex- plain how it is really done. Because of my interest in student success, and therefore, the process of study- ing, I have asked teachers, profes- sors, tutors and very good students alike over the years to explain how they study. Remarkably, there has been a very high degree of con- sistency among all respondents; it involves four basic elements: Element 1: This is the most basic of elements and involves attendance, paying-attention, and most importantly, actively taking good notes. Attendance is vitally important; in a 3-credit lecture course, you receive 45 hours of direct instruction from an expert who cares about the subject and you. Personally, I was, and to this day am not smart enough to miss class and do well, and I would guess that you and I are more alike than different. As you attend each class, take careful notes, especially noting trungs that are written on the board, displayed in a power point slide, or verbally emphasized by your instructor. Now set those notes aside. But before I leave this first ele- ment, an observation: for many students in this generation, note taking seems to be a lost art. As I sit in on various course lectures (17 this semester alone), I rarely see students taking notes, most do not even have a pencil in their hand. The students seem to me to be taking in the lecture in a very passive manner as if they were watching TV. Don't get me wrong, I love to watch Tv; but I would not want to take a test on a National Geographic special I saw a week ago. Again, active note-taking is of critical importance. Element 2: Read the book and any supplemental rna_terials carefully, outlining (i.e., taking hand written notes) as you go. Do not expect to read 20 pages and remember anytlting. Read and outline as you go. Element 3: Cornplett: all as- signed work, readings, doing prob- lems, writing papers and reports to the best of your ability and turn in this work on time. Element 4: Take your class notes and your outlined notes from the readings and rewrite them into a single consolidated set of notes. At this point, you have a stream- lined set of materials in your own handwriting that will form the ba- sis for your studying and learning. The system described above is a powerful system of studying that is rooted in theory and honed in practice. It involves many of the senses: hearing and seeing in class, the physical act of taking notes, reading, doing problems, and writ- ing involves repetition, time on task and various ways in which the brain receives and integrates information. By now, some of you may be saying, "of course anybody who goes to class every day, pays atten- tion, takes good notes, completes the readings and other assign- ments on time, and then studies a comprehensive set of notes will do well and learn a great deal." That's right; I trunk you have got it. If you have read this far and are thinking you do all those tltings, but there is too much information to re- member, let me give you another technique that has worked for me. It allowed me to pass both my core and specialty comprehensive ex- ams, which in part, lead to the earn- ing of my doctoral degree. It is based upon how many in my generation first learned the ABC's; by singing "abcdefg hijklmnop qrs and tuv wx y and z, now I know my ABC's, tell me what you think of me!" Along the same line, many of you listen to whole CD's full of your favorite mu- sic; you know every word, the next note, the next song and you will re- member these notes and lyrics for decades to come. Trust me, it's true. So, here is how it works: record a reading of your consolidated notes (see Element 4 above). Then listen to the recording several times over the days preceding a test of final exam. Once y9u get used to the sound of your own voice, the same phenomenon that allows you to recall song lyrics verba- tim will take effect and you will be able to recall whole volumes of information by mentally work- ing through your recorded notes. Finally, I would like to tell you that my two years at Kellogg Com- munity College in my home town of Battle Creek were the two most important years of learning and intellectual growth of my life, save possibly years 2 and 3 of my life as a toddler. So, take advantage of your time at ACC, the small class sizes, first-rate facilities, and caring and knowledgeable faculty, by laying the foundation for the rest of your life by thorough, serious study. Good luck, and my door is always open over in Van Lare Hall 109D. News staff members Continued from IA Arielle Peirce By Kayla Miller Staff Writer Arielle Peirce is one girl who might not have had the same dream since a young girl, but she is in the process of still finding it, if she hasn't yet already. Like most, Peirce has changed her occupa- tional goal several times, but for a' long time sh~ wanted to be an elementary teacher. Peirce is now 19 years old, and has her mind set on being an entertainment news reporter, similar to Entertainment Tonight TV. She knows she can do it because somehow perhaps there has always been a part of her that shouts out," reporting!" Peirce said she fell in love with writing when she was given her first journal as a gift for Valentines Day from her morn when she was only 6 years old. This made Peirce fall in love with the comfort of writing. She now has 12 journals completed, filled with written secrets, emotions, daily struggles, mostly life in gener- al. Her journals are her way to vent. It was becoming clearer that Peirce had a passion for writing all along; she just had to find it in herself. Katie Welch . By Arielle Peirce Staff Writer From family vaca- tions and weddings to school and church trips, Katie Welch has covered a decent portion of the United States. She has journeyed to twelve states, some of them more than once, and Flor- ida holds the top spot in most visits. Puerto Rico is in the mix as well. With all of her traveling, Welch claimed to have the fly- ing on a plane ordeal down pat. "I have been on a lot of planes because my dali flies for a living," Welch said. The highlight of all of her adventures, said Welch, is' the Summer Seminary Samplers and work camps. The Sampler was a three week stay in Ohio where eight high schoolers and high school graduates from all over the country group together and expe- rienced what seminary life is like. Seminary life included service projects in the morning, class in the afternoon, and evenings and week- ends for hanging out with friends. "The friends I met at the Sampler became like farn- "It is important to live your life with no regret, don't hold back just live for the moment", Peirce said. She knows that she can't spend her life being a mirror image of ev- eryone else. Peirce believes it is im- portant to set your standards high, and make the very best out of every situation. Though Peirce's parents are separated, their relationship is still close said Pierce. Peirce said her mother Mary is consid- ered her biggest inspiration in life. Her morn has taught her to have hope and faith so that that she can always keep that drive of integrity inside her. "You can only have hope, don't dwell on the simple tltings in life", says Mary. Peirce feels that her morn has given her that hope she needed to get her to where she is today and for her future to come. Peirce has many hidden fears, one that she is not ashamed to admit. It is failure to live up to the expectations for her future . She knows she has to get to the point where she needs to be, so that she can accomplish her dreams of bejng a reporter. Peirce has been writing for 13 years, she doesn't in- tend on giving up on it either. She is going to continue her school- ing at Alpena Community College taking journalism as her major. ily. If there was a problem, we were there for each other. If something good happened, we praised one another," Welch said. Work camp is slightly different. Welch spent a week of her summer in a different city to help others in need, such as painting houses. It was a youth group affair and she says it was sometlting they wanted to partici- pate in as a whole. Along with work camp came a chance to grow closer with her cre'w, which were people assigned apart from the church to help with the job. "There is one kid that sticks out in my head from work camp. His name is Josh and he lives in lllinois. No matter what was going on, he could always make you laugh," Welch said. From these endeavors, Welch believes one can obtain important life lessons, gratifying encounters, and of course, new friends that may stick with one forever. The U.S. isn't the only ground Welch has yet to cover. "The only place that I still want to go is Europe. My ultimate life goal is to backpack through the country and write about my experiences," Welch said . . Barack Obama on the issues ... omen's Rights: He wants to enforce the Equal Pay Act, encourages investing in women- owned businesses and supports a woman's right to reproductive choice. He says he will protect Title IX, making sure women get the same education that men do. ob Market: Obama ai.m!f 'to support American workers compete in the world market by making long-term investments in education, training and work force development. He also wants to aise minimum wage, making sure full-time workers have a compensatory income. As president, he will stop tax breaks given to companies that send jobs overseas. ducation: He plans to reform and fund the No Child Left Behind act. He also supports giving increased funding to early childhood education programs such as Head Start. Obama wants to increase the maximum Pell Grant in order to ease the pains of tuition. In addition, he says he will create a new tax credit worth $4000 that students would be able to get exchange for 100 community service hours Second Amendment: The president-elect believe that this is a constitutional right all American possess. He said he will support the right and traditions of sportsmen, and will oppos confiscation of legally bought firearms Stem Cell Research: Obama stands up for the use o stern cell research. However, he recognizes need for the research to be conducted ethically, using only the embryos that would be thro away. He wants to increase the amoun of stern cell lines available for research b allowing research on stern cells from embryo that were donated for in vitro fertilization Health Care: He wants to introduce a bill tha would permit everyone under 25 remain on their parent's insurance plan Source: www.BarackObama.com/issue News photo Renata Bur Anna Brindley, Justin Gomez, and Peter Childs pose with a cardboard figure of Barack Obama at the Democratic Campaign office in downtown Alpena. Artwork by Robert Gandy A.I ena Communit Colle e