Saturday, December 15, 2007
Post Exam
Finished papers on the 5th, but haven't had much time to really relax due to various things.
Right after MNO, I went to watch the movie Enchanted. It was a very nice show, with a most interesting mix of cartoon and real world scenes. The cartoon princess was totally lost in New York, but tried to hold on to her innocent values. Doing so brought about a positive change in the lives of quite a few people. The songs were captivating and many people asked about the soundtrack after watching the show. All in all, an excellent movie well worth watching.
Another incident occurred right after the MNO paper. While walking back from the exam hall, a friend told me I had wasted my time attending the professor's help sessions since many of the questions were just past year questions anyway. However, I certainly do not think that my time spent at those discussion sessions was wasted. It's true that many our exam questions had come out before and some solid group discussion would have led us on the right track, but being there and asking him meant that I could be sure of getting the right answer, and pick up any contingencies as well. After all, the contingency anchor of OB essentially says that each situation may require a different solution. The discussion sessions were very enlightening. Learning is more than just about spotting exam questions. It might be the practical way in the short term, but to me it's not satisfying at all. It is so much better to truly understand the material and appreciate the intricate ways in which all your knowledge links together. Once you can see that, it actually becomes fun to answer exam questions. Even if you don't do well, you know you tried your best.
It has been said that education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. There's nothing wrong with spotting questions, but if one takes a module just to satisfy a requirement and closes his mind to it, he will finish it thinking it is a waste of time, though his own attitude has made it a self fulfilling prophecy.
Learn for the sake of learning, and school will become much more enjoyable.
Right after MNO, I went to watch the movie Enchanted. It was a very nice show, with a most interesting mix of cartoon and real world scenes. The cartoon princess was totally lost in New York, but tried to hold on to her innocent values. Doing so brought about a positive change in the lives of quite a few people. The songs were captivating and many people asked about the soundtrack after watching the show. All in all, an excellent movie well worth watching.
Another incident occurred right after the MNO paper. While walking back from the exam hall, a friend told me I had wasted my time attending the professor's help sessions since many of the questions were just past year questions anyway. However, I certainly do not think that my time spent at those discussion sessions was wasted. It's true that many our exam questions had come out before and some solid group discussion would have led us on the right track, but being there and asking him meant that I could be sure of getting the right answer, and pick up any contingencies as well. After all, the contingency anchor of OB essentially says that each situation may require a different solution. The discussion sessions were very enlightening. Learning is more than just about spotting exam questions. It might be the practical way in the short term, but to me it's not satisfying at all. It is so much better to truly understand the material and appreciate the intricate ways in which all your knowledge links together. Once you can see that, it actually becomes fun to answer exam questions. Even if you don't do well, you know you tried your best.
It has been said that education's purpose is to replace an empty mind with an open one. There's nothing wrong with spotting questions, but if one takes a module just to satisfy a requirement and closes his mind to it, he will finish it thinking it is a waste of time, though his own attitude has made it a self fulfilling prophecy.
Learn for the sake of learning, and school will become much more enjoyable.
posted by cosine @ 12:00 AM 
