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Goal 1: Think Critically, Reflectively, and Independently.
Goal 1: Think Critically, Reflectively, and Independently.
The first portion of this portfolio will be focusing on the first goal of the honors program: critical thinking. The entirety of the goal encompasses reflective thinking and independent thinking as it appears in a variety of tasks, from interpreting texts of different natures to analyzing a real-world problem. The samples of work I have chosen to demonstrate this goal in action reflect a broad range of my skills both as a thinker and as a writer, with one artifact coming from my very first semester at Minot State University and another coming from my junior year.
Outcome 1: Design self-created learning experiences that have clearly articulated goals.
Outcome 1: Design self-created learning experiences that have clearly articulated goals.
Designing self-created learning experiences with goals is the very first outcome of the first goal. It is altogether fitting that the artifact representing it is from my first semester as an honors student. HON 191H: The Honors Community featured one project as its primary focus, that being a student-created learning experience, or SCLE. I remember the freedom I had in designing my project and setting my own goals, and I was elated that I could use my talents from outside of academia inside university coursework. For this project, I determined that I would learn how to play four fingerstyle songs on the guitar and document my stress levels surrounding each time I practiced. I specifically wanted to challenge myself to learn multiple songs in a totally unfamiliar style, but I also wanted to reduce my day-to-day stress. Looking back, those two goals being part of the same project is almost paradoxical, but as we will continue to see through the rest of this portfolio, I’m never happy unless I’m challenging myself somehow. I did wind up meeting all of my goals with only a little bit of cramming as the deadline approached.
The greatest value from this project was the realization that learning comes from everything and happens all of the time. I knew that this was true going in, but it wasn’t a personally held belief of mine until I was faced with creating my own project, coming up with the metrics to judge whether it was effective or not, then holding myself accountable for my own instruction and learning, and finally reflecting on the whole process to see what I’d come away with. I believe that this objective is integral to the idea of critical thinking because it forces students to develop a new way of thinking about their relationship with learning. It makes it personal, which opens up the door for passion to walk in and get cozy.
Honors.pptxOutcome 2: Analyze problems/situations to formulate informed opinions, conclusions, or solutions.
Outcome 2: Analyze problems/situations to formulate informed opinions, conclusions, or solutions.
The next outcome of the critical thinking goal involves analyzing problems to come up with solutions. I could think of no artifact better suited to demonstrate this outcome than the final project from Community Problem Solving (HON 391H). For this project, I worked collaboratively with a group of my peers to first identify a problem, analyze its causes and effects, and finally to identify and propose a solution. We chose to focus our efforts on university transportation, or rather, the lack thereof. We looked into existing public transportation, got information on what the university already had in effect or was planning, and went from there to figure out possible solutions which we thought the university might consider. We sought out student opinions, gathered data to figure out whether or not there was a sufficient need for transportation options. We then launched ourselves into figuring out various solutions, including how we would source what we proposed for solutions, how much they would cost, and where we could come up with the money. I found this project to be full of surprises, though not necessarily in the research. As time went on and I got to know my groupmates more, I found my partners to be a great deal of fun when it was appropriate, responsible on their own time, and thorough in their work. I still look back on some group work hours with fondness for the work we did.
The thing about this second outcome is that it answers the single most important question a student can ask about their learning: “Why does this matter?” Students might ask this question of their learning for years before they get a decent answer. For many students, myself included, it can feel like the material one learns in classes of any sort is completely irrelevant to one’s life outside of school. In short, students fail to see the connections between the classroom and the real world. This objective takes that connection and puts it front and center. It demands that connections be made, that the real world be considered, and prompts those of us in the honors program to look beyond academia to start answering our own questions. In the end, we are responsible for making all of our learning and studying count.
Minot State HON 391H - Downtown Business Awareness and Transportation.pptxOutcome 3: Interpret texts from various disciplines.
Outcome 3: Interpret texts from various disciplines.
Third in the list of outcomes is the interpretation of texts from various disciplines. As an English major, I personally feel most acquainted with this goal. Interpreting texts is my bread and butter, so to speak, so I feel confident in my choice to use my midterm essay exam from Integrity and the Examined Life (HON 351H). I was asked to respond to three prompts in essay form, and traditionally speaking, only one-third of this artifact is in response to a text. The other two thirds of this text are in response to movies. The risk of using this text as an artifact is directly involved in how flexible one’s definition of a text is, which I believe works to my advantage. Each prompt asked me to analyze a character for a trait, to assess the appearance of said trait, and to cite evidence to support my claims. This does not change between written sources and visual sources, which requires interpretive skill on my part. Movies are not typically part of my discipline, yet I was able to successfully complete my task without adjustment or guidance.
Interdisciplinary reading and understanding is absolutely essential to my personal philosophy on education, both from a teaching perspective and a studying perspective. As a student, I would feel like I hadn’t developed my skills at all if I were incapable of understanding, say, a scientific journal abstract. As a teacher, I would feel like I had failed my students if I found out they couldn’t understand car manuals or lease agreements. This objective is integral to the success of students within the honors program for more reasons than just the fact that the honors program houses many different disciplines. Each of us brings something unique to the mix, and we need to be able to understand those unique parts. The more we practice interpreting information outside of what we study the most, the more prepared we will be to face unfamiliar situations that the real world throws at us.
Integrity Midterm.docxOutcome 4: Conduct independent and ethical research.
Outcome 4: Conduct independent and ethical research.
The final outcome of the first goal deals with conducting independent, ethical research. The artifact I chose to represent this was my presentation on the ethical dilemma surrounding the legality of human euthanasia. My partner and I argued both for and against allowing euthanasia following the most prominent arguments we could find. I chose this particular project because it demonstrates my ability to conduct individual and ethical research. I say it was ethical research because I only used sources which dealt with the issue respectfully and honestly.
This outcome is important because one’s ability to conduct good research is the difference between holding an informed opinion and clinging to an uninformed opinion. As honors students, we especially should make intentional effort to research what we hold to be true. This standard also works to encourage students to challenge their own beliefs and test them against other viewpoints.
EUTHANASIA .jpgCritical thinking is an important skill for so many reasons beyond just what we need to accomplish academically. These objectives help to guide what we need to develop a broader range and application of critical thinking. They also provide a direct connection between what we do in the classroom and how we can apply it outside of the classroom. By creating the artifacts featured in this section of the portfolio, I was able to practice and hone my critical thinking skills in ways I hadn’t had the opportunity to do before.
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