The Activity and Art of Reading
The Activity and Art of Reading
Kayann Barrett
Keiser University
“You can bring a donkey to the water but you can’t let him drink.” This is a Jamaican proverb that I remember hearing my grandmother say over the years. I asked her what she meant and she said, “I can give you all the tools for success, but if don’t want to be successful then it’s on you.” According to Adler and Van Doren, “A teacher may help his student in many ways; it is the student himself who must do the learning” (Kransy and Sokolik, 2010 p.8). “To teach is to impart knowledge of or skill; give instruction” (Dictionary.com) and “to learn is to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study or instruction” (Dictionary.com). I do believe that a teacher can help students but the students have to try and attain or learn the knowledge that the teacher is trying to impart on them. My role as a student or as a learner is to learn and apply the concept that is being taught. I attend class with a receptive and vigorous openness to learn whatever is being taught to me. I am responsible for asking all the necessary questions until whatever is being taught can be clear in my mind. I also believe that learning does not end with the teacher in the classroom. When taking online classes I have the instructor available in the live chats and I can apply the knowledge taught for the course in that live chat session. However, after the live chats, I have to refer to the books, the syllabus and all the other tools that were given to me. As a student, I have to take the initiative to learn beyond what was taught and discover some things on my own. According to Adler and Van Doren, “discovery is the process of learning something by research, by investigation, or by reflection without being taught” (Kransy and Sokolik, 2010 p.8). A teacher plays a very important role in learning. Before I became a Physical Therapist Assistant, I went to school with the knowledge of what it would take for me to achieve that goal. I
Kayann Barrett
Keiser University
“You can bring a donkey to the water but you can’t let him drink.” This is a Jamaican proverb that I remember hearing my grandmother say over the years. I asked her what she meant and she said, “I can give you all the tools for success, but if don’t want to be successful then it’s on you.” According to Adler and Van Doren, “A teacher may help his student in many ways; it is the student himself who must do the learning” (Kransy and Sokolik, 2010 p.8). “To teach is to impart knowledge of or skill; give instruction” (Dictionary.com) and “to learn is to acquire knowledge of or skill in by study or instruction” (Dictionary.com). I do believe that a teacher can help students but the students have to try and attain or learn the knowledge that the teacher is trying to impart on them. My role as a student or as a learner is to learn and apply the concept that is being taught. I attend class with a receptive and vigorous openness to learn whatever is being taught to me. I am responsible for asking all the necessary questions until whatever is being taught can be clear in my mind. I also believe that learning does not end with the teacher in the classroom. When taking online classes I have the instructor available in the live chats and I can apply the knowledge taught for the course in that live chat session. However, after the live chats, I have to refer to the books, the syllabus and all the other tools that were given to me. As a student, I have to take the initiative to learn beyond what was taught and discover some things on my own. According to Adler and Van Doren, “discovery is the process of learning something by research, by investigation, or by reflection without being taught” (Kransy and Sokolik, 2010 p.8). A teacher plays a very important role in learning. Before I became a Physical Therapist Assistant, I went to school with the knowledge of what it would take for me to achieve that goal. I