Introduction
6am 4th November, 2019. The day registration for Spring 2020 begins. Why though?...Inquiry(probably not a meaningful question I just asked). This week in class, Erin Martin, our Honors Advisor, visited to discuss Registration. In Wednesday's class, we discussed meaningful inquiry.
 |
| Me trying to come up with powerful questions (1) |
Class Discussions
On Monday's class, Erin Martin thoroughly explain the process of registration. She explained terms such as 'RAN', 'CRN' and 'holds'. She showed us the process of registering through wings. For science classes with a lab, we had to select the class and lab with the same letter. Summer classes were also explained in which you can take them as a regular term or half term in which class times were twice as frequent. She also showed us a SOAR registration planner (which I should've used) for planning our next semester. She also explained online courses and E-core to us. All in all, Erin Martin was extremely helpful in helping us to understand the process of registration.
Before Wednesday's class, we had to read an article called "The Art of Powerful Questions"(2). When I read the article, some of the content in it were similar to that of effective communication and discussions which I had previously learnt in FYE and English class. This article was just a helpful reinforcement of what we already knew as well as a useful tool on crafting and critiquing powerful questions.
In class, we were asked to fill out a table about the table and write a question about anything discussed in FYE. Afterwards, we were given another paper to write anonymously about anything that has occupied your time recently and to craft a question that would enable one to carefully assess and evaluate what was previously written. I'm going to be honest- I struggle to come up with interesting questions and ideas on the spot so I took some time to do it. We critiqued the questions that were on the first paper. Afterwards, we were paired off into groups of two to discuss the second paper that was filled anonymously . Rachel and I were placed in a group and we had to discuss the paper shown below:
These two questions were truly anonymous. The majority of students in my class were taking a Bio Class and I assume a lot were busy. Rachel and I couldn't relate to the " being busy situation" and I couldn't relate to the lengthy Bio Lab Report (last time I did a Bio Lab was in 2016). I guess we got sort of distracted with the question but we still critiqued it. The question about lengthy Bio Labs was somewhat subjective in terms of 'lengthy'. The question sounds more like a complaint than a question(totally understandable). Maybe the question could be rephrased to talk about the scrupulous detail in the documentation for the lab reports.
The other issue written on the other paper was more detailed. Furthermore, the person gave an explanation as to why they feel like they have no free time. The question this person asked was really a proposal for a solution in which they wanted to know how they can get time to breathe and relax. This class was probably the first time in a while in which everyone was having an engaged conversation with each other.
Class Discussions
Currently, my Major is Mechanical Engineering. I'm pretty sure I won't change majors because Mechanical Engineering is a really broad field which gives me the opportunity to specialize for my Master's. Prior to enrollment, I have earned credit for Calculus I&II ,Intro to Physics I&II, Survey of Chemistry I&II and Elementary Statistics from A-Levels in High School (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Exam). Currently I'm doing a 16 credit hours for Fall 2019. Based on my credit hours, I believe I can graduate a semester early in Fall 2022 if I wanted to. It was really tricky to pick classes for the Spring Semester because there's some professors and classes that I want to take at conflicting times but I figured it out eventually.
In the long-run, I believe that being in the Honors program will help me in my career path and will also help me grow as person. With respect to the four foundations of the Honors Program, a Global Perspective would assist me in understanding people of different backgrounds as I intend to do my master's degree and further my career path in either Canada or England. The sense of Civic Responsibility will direct me in using my knowledge for the greater good of humanity. In my case, I intend to specialize in renewable energy. The Spirit of Creativity and the Critical Sense of Inquiry will assist me in my field because as an engineer, you need to have a very creative and logical way of thinking.
Whilst on the topic of inquiry, "The Art of Powerful Questions" really helped me to improve my sense of Inquiry in a meaningful manner. According to the article, we focus too much on getting the right answers rather than asking the right questions. In essence, good questions need to be thought-provoking and stick to the listener's mind. Not focusing on the correct things/aspects when asking a question really stood out to me because maybe we all do this to some extent and ignore the real questions. Imagine a world where everyone can come up with powerful questions that would shape humanity into a better world.
Final Thoughts
| Screenshot of the course search (3) |
This week has gotten me prepared for Registration on Monday. Learning about making and critiquing questions will help us as Honors Students to develop a critical sense of inquiry. I hope to use this knowledge when crafting my Honors Thesis or in any research or problem that I may encounter.Being in the Honors Program will help me with my career goals. It is an Honour to be a part of the Honors Program(Pun Intended).
Sources
Article Mentioned
2.THE ART OF POWERFUL QUESTIONS: Catalyzing Insight, Innovation, and Action
by Eric E.Vogt, Juanita Brown, and David Isaacs
Photo Credits
3.Screenshot taken from https://my.georgiasouthern.edu/courses/
1.Image taken from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tI-5uv4wryI
No comments:
Post a Comment