Shields 1 Harrison Shields Kate Kimble ENC1101 19 October 2013 To See Is To Know Forty minutes into Earth Science

and I already couldnt stand Mrs. Zobel. There I was on the first day of 8th grade, fighting to stay awake through the monotonous tone her voice. If it wasnt for the sound of a few classmates uneasily tapping on their desks or fidgeting in their seats, I dont think I could have stayed awake long enough for her to introduce herself. Ultimately, however, the sound of my peers and her dull voice slowly faded away as sleep overcame my eyes. RING RING RING! The piercing sound of the bell woke me up, luckily, and it was off to my next class. Leaving the room I heard someone complain, Man, I dont think I can take a whole year of her. That was more boring than going on a road trip with my grandparents! I spun around and saw my best friend Oscar talking to Dicky right behind me. I waited for them so we could walk together; we all had the same classes. Next on our schedule was History in room 1024. We walked in and sat down near the back. I thought to myself, Oh goodness! If science class was that boring I cannot imagine what a waste of time this class will be. On the contrary, my time in room 1024 would be more valuable than anything else in my early school years. Ms. Chesters teaching style helped me realize that I learn best by visually processing information and I used that to become a better student. Ms. Chester abruptly introduced herself. Going through the syllabus, all I could think about was how I could tone her out to try to sleep through whatever she had to say. To my

Shields 2 surprise, she told Chase to turn off the lights and turns on the movie The Patriot. This immediately changed my pessimistic attitude toward the class and sparked my interest. A teacher was going to show us a movie? And not one of those educational films they used in the 80s, this was an actual movie that played in an actual theater. The Patriot surely cannot be educational. What is the principal going to say? I leaned over to Oscar, Ya know, I think Ms. Chester is off to a better start than Mrs. Zobel or whatever. She seems pretty cool. We sat there silently watching the movie so we wouldnt miss a single line. RING RING RING! The remarkably interesting movie was ended by that awful, piercing bell. Ms. Chester paused the movie, We will continue the movie tomorrow, and enjoy the rest of your day. It was time for lunch and I sat with Oscar, Dicky, and Brett. Apparently I wasnt the only one who was interested in the movie. Oscar wouldnt stop talking about Mel Gibson and how he aspired to be like him one day. He also thought the class was going to be just as boring as I did but was just as shocked as me that it actually entertained him. The four of us sat there reciting lines and discussing the scenes all lunch. This is all so strange, I thought. What is it about watching a movie that makes me remember small details? It was odd to me but I was actually excited to go to class the next day. Could this be true? Could I actually be excited to go to a history class? I continued to eat my sandwich and pondered it all to myself. RING RING RING! The piercing bell struck my ears again and I headed to my next class. I checked my back pocket again and Mr. Becks math class was next on the schedule. I entered the class and find a seat at the nearest table. Mr. Beck introduced himself like the rest of the teachers, but, instead of going over the syllabus, he jumped right into teaching the material. He gave us some problems to work on our own and I started to get most of them done. As I came closer to the end of the worksheet, however, it got significantly harder; I started

Shields 3 skipping problems and guessing answers. Mr. Beck noticed I was not the only one struggling so he decided to work some on the board. I found out that watching him work out the problems on was making it a lot easier for me to remember the material. I noticed that I could grasp a concept from watching him work through a problem quicker than if I tried to learn it myself from the book. We finished the lesson early so Mr. Beck said we could have a few minutes free time. While most of my classmates broke off into their cliques to gossip, I got to thinking about The Patriot again. The movies lines were still rattling around in my head. There must be some reason I learned movie lines after only watching it once and understood a math new concept after seeing one problem done on the board. I learn and remember things better visually! Can it be that simple? Yes, it must be. This was the first time I was actually interested in school. It was alleviating to know that the new school year would be a breeze if I applied myself to studying with new habits. I could use visual tools like videos or pictures to get better grades. RING RING RING! The bell buzzed for last time and I headed for the bus loop. Everyone was eager to get home from the first day of school. Students surged through the hallways and out the front doors like a raging river. After what felt like an eternity, it was my stop. I practically ran home to tell my mom about the first day of school. Bursting through the front door, I yelled, Mom, Im home! Where are you? Something called back to me from the kitchen but I could not make it out. She must be in there, I thought, and ran in. I tried to ask her if people really could learn using different methods, but she only wanted to hear about my day. Hurriedly, I told her about Mrs. Zobel, Math class, and the movie we watched in History. Then I explained what I had been pondering all day. A smile beamed across her face as she started to speak. Yes Harrison, people learn all different kinds of ways. I wouldnt be surprised if you really are a visual learner since I am too. The events that took place throughout the

Shields 4 school day had given me enough evidence to believe that I was a visual learner. I was ready to do well in school. Since learning this information, I would contribute my lack of interest in reading to my learning style. I dont consider myself a very big reader. Actually, I tend to get lost in the words when reading a long book. I will have to read through new materials a few times before I can begin to grasp the concept which makes reading more bothersome than helpful in some instances. I enjoy watching movies and documentaries much more since I can retain the information I see easier. I have been able to apply visual learning strategies outside the classroom as well. Many of the movies I see are fictional, but still have intricate plot lines that can be hard to follow. I found if I actively watch the film that I can understand the direction of the film. Another thing I found out about myself is if the teacher did not teach in a way that accommodated my learning style, I would become disinterested in the subject. I can appreciate how hard a lesson plan must be to make if it truly accommodates a variety of learning styles. A lesson plan structured towards visual learners needs a movie (or something similar) to convey information to the students. This can be problematic because school should be about teaching, not entertaining. Movies, alternatively, are often made to entertain, not teach. I would say Im not the best student because I often find myself uninterested in class. If I were to apply myself more during class time, I would not have to spend hours every few nights learning the material on my own. As a learner though I feel my potential is boundless. I am infatuated with learning a subject that interests me. I spend countless hours on my computer watching documentaries or movies about things that peak my interest. Sometimes its not just one film either, but three or four. Often times I watch documentaries about the natural world: biology, powerful natural disasters, and us humans impact on the Earth. I find the big picture of the world quite

Shields 5 fascinating to me. I feel this way because its one of the things I have a hard time figuring it out which only sparks my interest more. My learning style might have affected my educational pathway in somewhat of a negative way by making me have to do more work to understand the material. Book reports were a nightmare years ago. I could remember stressing because I kept reading the text but could not remember what I had just read. It made it hard for me to stay interested in school unless the teacher was one that taught towards the befit of my learning style. And obviously not every teacher could accommodate just my specific learning style. I have had to adapt to this over the last few years in school. Many times, I would find an illustrated novel to read or watch a movie (if possible) before reading the book. These both give me some frame of reference to use while reading. If I get stuck, I can look to the corresponding illustration or scene for some guidance. Many classical books are often times acted out in a play, like A Christmas Carol. 8th grade History class was one of my biggest turning points in my academic career. Realizing that I am a visual learner has led me to understand the true potential of my knowledge; its how you learn, not where you learn, that will ultimately lead to mastering a subject. I continually use the visual learning strategies beneficial to me in almost every class I take. These strategies have helped me tremendously outside of academics as well. I use them to comprehend the big picture of the world that interests me so much. Looking introspectively to understand my learning style has taken much of stress out of the learning process as a whole and made it easier to adapt to the different obstacles I face when learning.