Reading and All That Jazz: Tuning Up Your Reading, Thinking, and Study Skills, 2/e

Peter Mather, Glendale Community College
Rita McCarthy, Glendale Community College

How We Learn - Finding Out About Ourselves

Journal

How We Learn-- Finding Out About Ourselves

Reading Selection:

The Two Most Dangerous Hours of Your Day, by Lowell Ponte


1		Are you a morning person, or a night person? What about the way you go about your activities supports this? After taking the assessment and reading about your interior clock, what changes might you make in your daily life to increase your productivity, increase your safety, or otherwise improve your life?



2		As the cartoon in this chapter suggests, teenagers appear to have a different circadian cycle. New research suggests they are "wired" to stay up later at night and to sleep longer in the morning. Many prominent educators are saying that the traditional high school day is out of sync with teenagers' body clocks. These educators feel that the school day should not begin before 9 or 10 a.m. What is your opinion on the issue?

Reading Selection:

What Is Intelligence, Anyway? by Isaac Asimov


3		Which side of your brain is most dominant? Provide some evidence about why you think this is true.



4		Asimov writes, "My intelligence, then, is not absolute but is a function of the society I live in and of the fact that a small subsection of that society has managed to foist itself on the rest as an arbiter of such matters." What do you think he means by this? Using what you know about multiple intelligences, what kind of strengths do you think Asimov possessed? Which intelligences do you think our society "foists" on the majority of people?

In Your Own Words


5		What does the auto repairman mean when he says, "Because you're so educated, doc, I knew you couldn't be very smart"?



6		Do you think it is a good idea for people to be made aware of their score on an I.Q. test?



7		What does the word "intelligence" mean to you?

Written Assignment


8		In the book The Learning Gap by Harold W. Stevenson and James W. Stigler, the authors compare the Asian and American models of education. The authors believe that the American system places too much emphasis on innate abilities as measured by traditional I.Q. tests. In contrast, the Asian educational system is less enthusiastic about intelligence testing and instead stresses effort. While differences among people are clearly recognized, the Asian system focuses on how hard people are willing to work to develop their particular abilities. Lack of achievement, therefore, is attributed to insufficient effort rather than lack of ability or to personal or environmental obstacles. The authors provide examples of this philosophy in proverbs such as this one from China, "The slow bird must start out early." Write a few paragraphs giving your opinion of the two different approaches to intelligence. Which approach do you think is best? Why?

Reading Selection:

An Easy Choice, by Rick Reilly


9		Have you encountered any of the situations listed on the stress inventory in your life recently? What is your overall stress score? How could you find solutions to any problems that are causing stress in your life this semester?

Tuning in to Reading


10		This article describes a very unique teenager who has encountered many stresses in his young life. Faced with the prospect of losing his beloved grandmother, he makes a very unselfish decision to give one of his kidneys to her. What decision would you make if you were to find yourself facing the same circumstances?

In Your Own Words


11		There are two points of view expressed in this article. Daniel's mother was clearly against the operation and in fact tried to stop it. Despite misgivings just before surgery, Daniel was obviously in favor of it, as was his grandmother. What's your position? Would you donate a kidney to a close relative in similar circumstances? Would you be willing to accept the donation of a kidney from a close relative?



12		Analyze the article from the perspective of Daniel's mother and the first hospital that considered the surgery. What reasons do you think they gave for being against the surgery? Do you think these reasons are valid? Do you think Daniel, as a minor, should have been evaluated by a psychologist before being allowed to donate his kidney? Since Daniel was living with his grandmother at the time of the surgery, do you think she took unfair advantage of him?



13		How would you describe Daniel's personality? Given that personality, could he have decided in any other way? How do you think Daniel would have been personally affected if he had made the decision not to help his grandmother?



14		Several years ago, a mother faced with the inevitable death of her daughter deliberately conceived another child so that the second child could be a donor. As a result of the mother's action, both children are still alive and thriving. Would you approve of this type of situation? What is morally right or wrong about it?

Written Assignment


15		Write a paragraph describing the stresses in your life and the way you handle them.

Reading Selection:

An excerpt from Power Learning, by Robert S. Feldman


16		So far this semester, when would you say is your best time to study, given your school, work, and personal commitments?

In Your Own Words


17		Do you use the computer primarily for fun or for other purposes? Explain your answer.



18		Do you have primarily negative or positive feelings about computers? Explain why you feel this way.



19		What ways of gathering information work best for you?



20		What are some of the benefits and drawbacks you see for people in the "information age"?

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