Thar article “What ‘Learning How to Think’ Really Means” by Barry Schwartz was interesting reading and reflects most college students. He starts off by talking about how students are in debt due the high cost of education and whether they are getting their money’s worth. Then he discusses what learning how to think means and whether colleges are meeting this goal of having students learn how to think. He defines it as “Knowing how to think demands a set of cognitive skills — quantitative ability, conceptual flexibility, analytical acumen, expressive clarity. But beyond those skills, learning how to think requires the development of a set of intellectual virtues that make good students, good professionals, and good citizens” (Schwartz). I agree how colleges should teach them all these skills and ability and encourage behavior that shows high moral standards. One example that interests me is having students love the truth which causes them to encage in learning and not just learn for the jest of getting a good grade.
Students should have interests in their learning and I feel like professors should bring forth this excitement in the subject to engage students. Professors shouldn’t just drop facts onto students and punish them for getting it wrong on like midterms and such. Another example described by him is honesty and I believe it plays a huge role in my university. UIC encourage this honesty by informing students to not cheat and show your skills and ability instead of plagiarizing. However, I don’t see colleges encouraging students to accept the truth and learn something from it. For students to develop and gain knowledge, I feel that they should accept the truth and learn from their errors. Such encouragement will cause students to think twice before committing any sort of error and accept the truth to prevent any future consequences. Presenting them with possible consequences will also lessen their errors and encourages students to behave by the rules.
Another example presented was courage which is teaching students to stand up for what they believe. I feel like most students keep their believe and knowledge within them due to their fear of disappointing their peer or surrounding people. Catching a mistake that a professor makes will not cause the student to stand up to the professor and inform him/her of their mistake, but instead they keep it inside them. However, I feel like students are encouraged to experience different aspects of their future career before being committed into one. They are encouraged to attend course that seem to interest them before being committed into one, so they could experience something that interests them and not waste their 4 years in college on something that they end up hating. One other example is good listening which I believe is fostered in some courses but not the rest at UIC.
Students in class should be encouraged to listen to professor by preventing any electronic devises in class so they could focus on the lecturer. Gaining their attention will help them improve their knowledge and learn the material. They should also be encouraged to listen out the person speaking before having to agree or disagree with their opinions. We should learn to give people chances to speak up and just listen to them and what they have to say. The author later discusses how workplaces require that students are taught these virtues by their colleges. These virtues and many more should be fostered within the school environment, so it prepares students for the real world and the workplace. Colleges should instill these virtues to prepare students to become successful and accepted into the many fields available in the workplace.
