Post Lesson 2 Activity

The Learning Activity for Lesson 2 was to take notes about meaningful things from a video and then from another transcript or video, practice the Cornell Note Taking Method.

After that, there were questions about the advantages and disadvantages of the learning model and I put a lot of thought into those answers, as I LIKE getting good grades on the assignments.

An advantage to using the Cornell note-taking system are being able to pick out what is important to us in each thing we learn, simplify it enough so that we can have a way to retain the information. By using simple words or phrases to help us remember what we have learned, we can also use those phrases to help us remember why those things are important.

 

Another advantage to using the Cornell system is being able to use simplified versions of learned information to help me remember greater amounts of information, as using single word or phrase to define something can help us remember a larger definition and also help us figure out how to apply the information in our lives.

 

The disadvantages of the Cornell note-taking system are having to simplify the notes that are taken from what is being taught, as it is sometimes very hard to simplify pieces of information simply because they are so profound.

 

Another disadvantage is trying to remember all of the steps in the method when it may be easier to just take notes, simplify for easier retention, and reflect on what was learned and I am not saying the extra steps are a bad thing, but they can be easily forgotten if the method is not practiced a lot.

 

An advantage of using the Cornell note-taking system are being able to simplify information that was learned so that the brain does not become overwhelmed, as if the brain is presented with too much information, it will become overwhelmed and forget everything that was learned. Being able to simplify recorded information allows the brain to have smaller bits and pieces to process and allows for greater retention.

 

Another advantage of the system is being able to take time away from the information and not only think about how the information makes you feel, but also be able to record your opinions and feelings on what you have learned, as having emotions about information helps you to better retain the information.

 

A disadvantage of the system is having to go through the recorded notes and not only decide what is important enough to simplify, but how to go about simplifying things in a way that will still allow for retaining of the information.

 

Another disadvantage of the Cornell system is with a large amount of information to record and simplify, important information may be lost in the process of simplifying recorded information. Everyone has different definitions of what information is important and when it is and if important information is lost in the process of simplification, people's reaction to the loss of information also varies. I get nervous about having to simplify recorded information because sometimes what I might think important might not be and what turns to be important I might not think it to be and not include it in the simplifying process.

 

In terms of what note-taking method I prefer, it honestly depends on the information that is being learned and how much needs to be retained for examination purposes and/or the purpose of applying it to life in general. Even in the Pathway program, there are some pieces of information like definitions and talks in which the Cornell method would be better, but with other pieces of information like scriptures and being taught by peers, it is better to use a more detailed method of note taking because you might miss something if you don't record enough detail.

 

I spent about 40 minutes on work in the morning, maybe more, and didn't even finish.

I borrowed my mom as a student for the 'Teach a Friend' portion of the exercise and I taught her about Disciple Learning and about the Cornell note taking system while we were at the nearby laundromat doing our laundry. It took 20 minutes or more to do the teaching exercise.

I taught my mother about Disciple Leadership and also about the Cornell note-taking system while we were doing our laundry at the nearby Laundromat. I started the lesson by sharing about what being a disciple means and to me, being a disciple means being someone who commits to a cause they feel is worthwhile, such as one serving in Christ's name, and doing so for the purpose of learning and growing. I also explained that Matthew 6:33 states that a commitment to God will bring forth more blessings once we show that our commitment is firm.

My mom said that serving is not about the person doing it, but about their serving God and she also added that such a commitment should be done in a puffed up manner.

When I taught Mom that leadership with a small l means loving and serving as the Savior did, she said that people should lead and serve humbly.

We also discussed that all sacred buildings are disciple preparation centers, as they have the Lord's Spirit and the Spirit is waiting there to teach those who are willing to learn. I further explained that through using our agency properly, we can be in a spiritual position to learn faith in Christ, that faith is a gift from God, and that faith and preparation dispels fear as President Uchtdorf taught in the lesson materials.

I also taught the steps and reasoning of Cornell note taking to Mom and she found my explanation very easy to understand, had no questions, and indicated that she might use the same method at some point, as she will be starting a three month course at a local vocational school on Monday.

In teaching lessons about leadership and organization via note taking to a friend, I feel like I am also teaching myself about why these qualities are important to learn and practice. I confess that I am not the most organized person or one who finds leading easy, but I have a lot of faith that the Lord told me to take this program so that I could learn organization skills and lessons on how to lead so that I would be able to serve as a leader in various situations both now and in the future.

I also have shaky self-confidence and through learning about how I can be better, I can actually take what I learn and put it into practice. I also find that praying for the Spirit to be with me each and every day so that I can make correct decisions and be proud of the time used definitely helps me to keep calm and do well in the face of difficult situations.

 

I focused on learning and applying the principle that leadership with a small l is loving and serving as the Savior did by reaching out and assisting others when they did not know something that I did. I was able to not only practice confidence by utilizing opportunities to be of service of others and to God, but I was also able to practice develop my confidence in communicating with others.

 

My confidence is shaky when it comes to communicating with other people effectively and I practiced trying to become better at it simply by talking to others and being a help when there were things that people needed help with. Each time I get the chance to practice talking to people and working within a group, my confidence becomes stronger with the Spirit helping me be able to do what I need to do in order to get the most out of learning.

 

 I have to confess that even with the aid of the Spirit, I find communicating effectively with people is still difficult because sometimes I explain things in a way that people do not quite understand. When that happens, I try to explain it in a different way or break it down into bits that people may not fully understand, but might comprehend enough to know what I am trying to communicate.

I spent about half an hour finishing the rest of the work and finished at about 8:05 p.m.