Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community - View Single Post - Making good grades- is it a skill or a gift?

FngKestrel · 11-07-2004, 05:43 AM

Lots of good advice in posts, I'll probably end up reiterating a lot of them.

I feel that it's not really about skill, but about, for lack of a better word, dedication.

My perspective is that talent is your starting point with a particular skill. Some people are gifted at drawing, some people have an affinity for numbers, while others remember historical stats without breaking a sweat. Dedication takes you beyond your initial starting point. The willingness to invest the time to excel at that particular skill.

The short answer is: self-induced repetition. For classes you enjoy, that'll be a snap. You're probably doing it already. For classes that you hate, you'll have to make it fun for yourself to stomach it. In that regard, that's why homework is useful. It's a form of repetition that exposes you to the concepts you're trying to learn. And you do it a million times until you get it or you're sick of it. It's like playing a video game and you're stuck on a level. You'll end up going through the level a bunch of times until you finally get the way you're supposed to approach it and then it's a snap. That knowledge then serves you later on harder levels.

A few more things learning related. The average person needs to take in information 3 ways before it sticks. So for difficult subjects, trying reading it out loud, writing it down, and careful listening. During a lecture though, scribbling down notes at a breakneck speed usually preempts any useful listening and cognizance of what you're actually writing down.

Like was stated in an earlier post, a learning style inventory is also useful. For me, I'm extremely visual and technical. Knowing that helped me pick out a major and also clued me onto the best way to get info into my thick skull.

Best of luck. Feel free to PM me if you've got more questions.

11-07-2004, 05:43 AM	#58 (permalink)
FngKestrel Junkie	Lots of good advice in posts, I'll probably end up reiterating a lot of them. I feel that it's not really about skill, but about, for lack of a better word, dedication. My perspective is that talent is your starting point with a particular skill. Some people are gifted at drawing, some people have an affinity for numbers, while others remember historical stats without breaking a sweat. Dedication takes you beyond your initial starting point. The willingness to invest the time to excel at that particular skill. The short answer is: self-induced repetition. For classes you enjoy, that'll be a snap. You're probably doing it already. For classes that you hate, you'll have to make it fun for yourself to stomach it. In that regard, that's why homework is useful. It's a form of repetition that exposes you to the concepts you're trying to learn. And you do it a million times until you get it or you're sick of it. It's like playing a video game and you're stuck on a level. You'll end up going through the level a bunch of times until you finally get the way you're supposed to approach it and then it's a snap. That knowledge then serves you later on harder levels. A few more things learning related. The average person needs to take in information 3 ways before it sticks. So for difficult subjects, trying reading it out loud, writing it down, and careful listening. During a lecture though, scribbling down notes at a breakneck speed usually preempts any useful listening and cognizance of what you're actually writing down. Like was stated in an earlier post, a learning style inventory is also useful. For me, I'm extremely visual and technical. Knowing that helped me pick out a major and also clued me onto the best way to get info into my thick skull. Best of luck. Feel free to PM me if you've got more questions.