Author Archives: abillingslea3

Project 4

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Have you ever wondered why some people consistently do well in school and others don’t at the higher-ed level? And no it doesn’t have anything to do with some people just being naturally smarter than others. The underlining denominator that puts other people over the edge is their ability to use metacognition effectively in their everyday life rather they realize it or not. In this essay I’m going to tell you all about metacognition and how to properly utilize this next level way of learning. 

First and foremost, let’s completely cover what metacognition actually is. Metacognition precisely is one’s ability to think about thinking. The ability to be consciously aware of oneself as a problem-solver. The capability to monitor and control one’s mental processing. And finally, the aptness to be aware of the type of learning that you are doing. Before you even begin to start applying the things that I have just mentioned, you must first get rid of these beliefs about learning that will get you absolutely no where. First, generally you want to get rid of the idea that learning is some kind of race. Truly understanding material takes careful reading and review. Always plan for assignments to take longer than you think. The next idea that you must rewire out of your brain is that “knowledge is composed of isolated facts”. Meaning that you shouldn’t study by trying to remember random separate facts, good teachers more than likely will test for comprehension and application of knowledge, and you would inevitably fail by picking and choosing bits and pieces of the information to remember. You also must not forget metacognition includes being able to be constantly aware of the type of learning you are doing, suggesting that sometimes you need to know when you need a break because learning while being mentally fatigued will have you going nowhere. 

Next, let’s go ahead and way out the most notable flaw about metacognition. According to author Elisabeth Norman of the Artic University of Norway, she suggests an idea that metacognition is not always helpful. Her argument stance includes going in to detail on how metacognition may actively interfere with task performance. Her claim is based around research that has been done on “mindlessness”. Simply put, mindlessness is the lack of attention or presence resulting in automatic application of existing knowledge. Given her outlook comes from a different angle about metacognition, it is really subjective and could easily vary based on an individual’s study technique. Like for instance, complex decisions that largely involve implicit/unconscious knowledge may best be made mindlessly given you have the proper preparation to make that judgment. Coming from personal experience, that’s why I think mastering metacognition to apply not only in school but in everyday life prevails so well. If you haven’t took the necessary steps to develop your mind for a specific task you will never be ready. 

Why does metacognition matter? Well according to psychology professor Stephen Chew of Samford University, metacognition has been linked to improved learning outcomes. This kind of thinking gets students beyond the base level surface and makes them explore deeper for max proficiency. In return this inadvertently builds other skills, like a person’s ability to self-regulate. Self-regulation in education depends on 5 things. Assessing the task’s demands, evaluating one’s strengths & weaknesses, planning an approach, applying strategies, and reflection. As a response, you should notice that your ability to problem solve would get better and more meticulous. I personally think metacognition techniques need to be coached all throughout higher education. It took me up until my second semester of college before I even heard of the word metacognition. In addition to my GPA being tremendously higher since I’ve started applying it, my confidence for taking exams and tests has soared. 

In conclusion, the aim of this essay was to effectively point out some of the benefits and to positively reinforce the ramifications of applying this concept to your life. To say that using metacognition would absolutely guarantee boosted scores for everyone is not being realistic because its up to the individual, but I genuinely feel like it’s worth a glance by any person trying to become a more disciplined learner. 

 

 

 

Sources Cited 

Neal D. T., Wood W., Wu M., Kurlander D. (2011). The pull of the past: when do habits persist despite conflict with motives? Pers. Soc. Psychol. Bull. 37 1428–1437. 10.1177/0146167211419863 [PubMed] [CrossRef] [Google Scholar] 

Dr. Stephen Chew’s “How to Get the Most Out of Studying: Part 1 of 5, “Beliefs That Make You Fail Or Succeed” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RH95h36NChI&t=14s 

“Study Better Slides ppd to Week 4”: Slides 1-29 https://gastate.view.usg.edu/d2l/le/content/2488499/viewContent/48692300/View 

Vanderbilt University : “Metacognition” https://cft.vanderbilt.edu/guides-sub-pages/metacognition/ 

304 Group 2

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1. Armani, Joshua, Soufian, Cjay

I just studied a little bit harder.Did some cramming before the actual exam.2.I think everyone should at least try to limit distractions and focus harder
3. A:Maybe delete certain apps, tiktok, instagram , limit hobbies to a minimum, go through all notes and pace yourself on knowledge you may have forgot or dont know.
B:Only Material you may need is ur notes,laptop,highlighter
C: Get into a quiet space, may need to go somewhere silent where you can think but not too comfortable so you wont fall asleeo.
D:Depending on when you actually start preparing or how little you remember about the class It could vary. But you should definitely try to dedicate at least an hour per class for each day untill exam day
4.Completed

Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design SAR MP3

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Armani Billingslea 

English 1102 

Summary 

Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design is a private for-profit private school found in Lakewood, Colorado. Being that it is a very “progressive” school, the ideal student is someone who’s open to a diverse wide range of people, great leader, great academically, and someone who’s willing to tap into their creative side. Since this is an art school, expectations for what they want are ambiguously chosen based on each person’s own artistic vision. 

Analysis 

Without a doubt Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design has great merit given its history of being for the people but it’s safe to suggest that they dib and dab in amazingly effective recruitment for their school. The very first compelling recruitment tactic is their strong urge to show all the awards/accreditations they have received. Now, how is accreditation going to influence anybody you might ask? To keep it simple, it just means that they are held to a higher degree of accountability. Accreditation ensures that the students are getting the right help when developing and practicing their art. 

Now remember earlier when I mentioned for a few seconds of their history? Well as you might’ve guessed that’s another very convincing tactic that RMCAD uses to reel in students. Plastered in the center of the “About Us” page is another subheading that tells you all about their great historical feats, hitting the reader with positive reinforcement over and over. Inside of it, they tell us basically that RMCAD originally was the largest free tuberculosis treatment center in the world. Although there was no cure for tuberculosis at the time, many believed that Colorado’s ample sunshine and crisp mountain air would help ease the pain. In a way, it became a haven for those who were suffering from tuberculosis. 

My next example would have to highlight around the school’s primary focus/mission. Rocky Mountain College of Art & Design puts a huge emphasis on diversity and that’s the train that keeps pushing the school forward, making it known that they are for everybody. Referring to the “student-services” page on their website RMCAD even go as far as having a “Diversity Alliance.” It is encouraged for all students, faculty, and staff to be a part of the “Inclusion, Equity, and Diversity Alliance.” (IDEA) is a group committed to improving the quality of student life by supplying resources, opportunities and civic engagement to people of all backgrounds. The group also says that they use their influence and go out to do community outreach and leadership training. A few examples of the “Diversity Alliances” accomplishments include: the “implemented mandatory training, the identified & addressed curricular bias was made to make changes in the structures that inform racial bias.” The online course updates are self-explanatory they rewrite/restructure some courses for better inclusion. All this information is readily available and easily found going through the student services section on their website. 

The second to last example that I have is going to call attention to how does life after graduating from RMCAD translates to work. Well for one RMCAD offers a wide range of resources available to its students and alumni. There are areas on campus and on their website that go in depth on how to find internship opportunities, network, jobs, and how to make professional development documents like resumes, cover letters, etc. Additionally, RMCAD’s Career & Alumni Services wants to stay connected even after students graduate. So basically, after you sign up for the services you could receive mentorship, get updates on the job board for employment opportunities specifically just for RMCAD students and alumni. 

Last but not least, the final sample of information the website has that’s meant to persuade prospective students is the repeated areas where you can find the programs that they offer. RMCAD provides both campus and online school courses that include animation, art education, fashion design, game art interior design, and photography just to name a few. 

Response 

Now, even though everything I’ve mentioned from their awards to the history, to the schools’ mission, to the progression of getting into the workforce after graduation, to the programs all sound very enticing but I would conclude by confidently saying I would never go here. I will go one by one explaining for each example I gave why I would skip out on RMCAD and go to a different school. For the first example, I’d have to say a schools awards mean absolutely nothing to me. Personally, references from alumni hold more weight than the institutions that are handing out these accreditations. For one, the awards wouldn’t give me an in-depth overview of what goes on internally. The second example, which is the history of the school, doesn’t resonate strongly with me. Another point is that during that period there was no type of cure for tuberculosis and looking back on the times of older medical specialists the treatments weren’t even necessarily proven to be substantially effective for someone’s health. Even the school’s website admits that many who had the disease thought that “Colorado’s ample sunshine and crisp mountain air” helped ease the pain. The third example is the only one that I strongly agree with, this part of exploring the website I absolutely relished. I’m big on diversity and inclusion so I have nothing else to say and nothing negative to say about that part. The fourth example is about life after college translating to work and this section didn’t stick out to me partially because I’m sure most colleges nowadays have a similar system. The fifth and final example is a flat out no for me as well because they have no programs that contain criminal justice or law enforcement.

 

Work Cited

RMCAD. Retrieved March 7, 2022, from https://www.rmcad.edu/

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Academic Profile Project

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                                             Armani Billingslea 

Feb/2/2022 

IP2 Essay: Moe Eh Academic Profile 

Moe Eh, a young lady born in a developing nation called Myanmar had quite a different upbringing than most Americans. Moving to Georgia when she was in the third grade her life got turned upside down. Learning English was awfully hard for her and all throughout elementary/middle school she wasn’t that good at school. As far as her being in school things didn’t start to get on track until she got into high school. 

Even though Moe didn’t realize this back then, it was also around this time she began to find her new purpose in school. When Moe was in high school, she started to feel the pressure from her parents high expectations. These pressures were the backbone and all the inspiration needed for Moe. She eventually graduated in the top 10% of her class and finished with a 3.7 weighted GPA. 

Now it was time for her to figure out what she wanted to do after finishing high school. But then in the midst of her finalizing applications for college a global pandemic pretty much put her plans on hold. So, she thought to just take a year off from school and to try college again the following year. Eventually the next year came and out of all the colleges that accepted her she chose Georgia State University along with enrolling in for her first semester in the Fall of 2021. Also, when asked about why she chose GSU she simply just said that it was close to home, and she doesn’t like being away from family. 

Moe decided to major in “Early Education” and so far, is enjoying being a student here at GSU. One of her hopes is to become a teacher so this pathway seems like it is definitely right for her. To end our discussion off I asked her what’s something you would you tell your younger self? She responded by saying to not give up no matter how hard school gets and how much pressure you feel from your parents everything will work out in the future.