Posted by alexandra_k on October 28, 2014, at 19:36:38
In reply to Re: books, posted by alexandra_k on October 28, 2014, at 19:09:30
You know...
English Literature classes don't start out being all apologetic that you have to read the same book that you studied in school all over again. You don't start out studying Hamlet or Pride and Prejudice with apologies that you have probably read the book before so it is probably boring for you or whatever.
Only science does that.
To be fair... There is perhaps more variation in teaching. Different things one can draw out or focus on. One of the things I loved about tutoring was how we used to have to attend lectures... I would learn so much attending the lectures... Different lecturers focus on slightly different things and I'd get to think about things in slightly different ways. I loved reading introductory textbooks, too. For the same reason. Philosophy at it's best... Trying to make things as simple and clear as possible... Different authors focusing on slightly different things with a slightly different emphasis.
Science has that too. Different textbooks explain things in slightly different ways... Sort of... Parts really are the same... Like... Nearly word for word... But I find something reassuring about that. Vaguely comforting. Those parts can be skimmed unbelievably fast, anyways, so I don't see the problem.
Like how some lucky bastards attend schools that provide their lecture recordings in a format that lets them listen at 2x or 2.5x speed...
At this school they still haven't got their heads around the idea that some students might learn better when they don't have other students whispering all the way through the lectures... When they don't have 10 minutes of 'OH MY GAWD she said that he said that she thought!!!' before most lectures... When they can pause and high speed etc etc as THEY see fit. Oh my gawd indeed... Students who actually know how they learn best...
I feel... A little scared that I'm not doing more to prepare for this lot of exams. On the one hand... I feel like there is something important in being able to suck it up and do the job even when the job seems... Distasteful... Or something. (Apparently the TRUE AND CORRECT answers to the last few years multiguess of physics are available now)... On the other hand... I feel like... It doesn't matter. I am enjoying learning human anatomy / physiology right now. Even if it is partly a procrastination strategy.... I am currently in a good learning space... A space where I do my best learning... Where I weave those textbooks into part of myself and where I retain that knowledge forever. I should... Run with that while it's going.
Do I deserve a slap on the hand... Focus. I worry 'she's not even able to stick with something when it doesn't interest her. It isn't like every part of the medical curriculum or clinical placements is going to appeal. how is she going to cope with the *ssh*l* doctor who she doesn't feel like working for? or the 2 day workshop or whatever where we have to tell ALL the students 'you won't freaking well graduate if you don't get your *ss to it'... because there is bound to be... a lot of sucking it up...
On message boards... People are often 'what can I do over summer to prepare'. They are routinely told: 'enjoy your summer! things will get hard soon enough! if all goes well for you then you really won't have any summers in future so enjoy while you still can!' But then... If you dig a bit deeper... People will say... That they got the books or whatever... And they tried to do focused study... But they didn't really have any idea of what to study or how to study... So they just sort of kludged about in a way that didn't turn out to be helpful. So... Enjoy your summer!
(Unless of course you enjoy your books - as it turns out many of them did).
But it isn't so very likely to be helpful...
Which is... Sort of true. But sort of not true. I know from experience... Everyone says 'get the A&P book'.. And.. Well.. I simply don't see how knowing certain things... Can't help. But then... I suppose I have the benefit of having past years exams... And also... A genuine interest / desire to know about A&P... For its own sake. Exams aside...
I think... I'm not going to worry so much about these exams.
I think... I'm not going to do stats over the summer. I'm going to enjoy my books now, while I've for the time to enjoy them. Hopefully.... I'll internalise them well enough so that my superquick skimming of them (which will all I'll have time for) will be enough of a reminder...
Chemistry... Really will take up the significant majority of my time. Even internalising the textbook... The textbook bears dubious relation... Lots of little tricks... Little puzzles... She will teach us everythign we need to know... But learning it... Will take up most of my time... The more biology I've got behind me the better...
poster:alexandra_k
thread:1058481
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20141012/msgs/1072956.html