FIRST YEAR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
January 24, 2006
Study Skills Tip of the Week: Contributing to Class Discussions
Are you taking a course this semester where class participation is a big part of your grade? Are you a little apprehensive about participating in class discussion? Some students easily and eagerly contribute to class discussions while others are reluctant to share their ideas. Since many professors include class participation as part of the final grade in a class, you can increase your class participation by:
Coming prepared to each class by reading the assignment and doing the homework. If you think about the material before class, you'll be more comfortable and able to contribute to the discussion.
Agreeing with another student's answer by providing additional information supporting the answer.
Respectfully disagreeing with a point under discussion. Make sure to include your logic for disagreeing.
Asking questions. Generally, when you don't understand a concept, you are not alone. Your classmates will appreciate your willingness to ask for additional explanation or clarification.
Being willing to make mistakes by answering questions even when you're not sure you're right.
Visiting with your professors in their offices if you can't battle through your shyness in order to talk in classes. Speaking with professors one-on-one provides a safer atmosphere for you to ask questions and to comment on the day's class discussion.
Asking your professors to provide you with specific feedback on your class participation.
Once you start contributing to class discussions and offering your ideas to your classmates, you will feel more comfortable and confident about contributing more frequently.
The Healthy Lives Tip of the Week: Getting in Shape for Midterm Break
Whether you plan to spend Midterm Break on a beach, or have decided to embark on a mission to a healthier lifestyle, here are some tips to a HEALTHIER YOU!
Step One: Set realistic goals based upon where you are now and where you should be for optimal health. Make goals specific. For example: "I want to lose 15 pounds" or "I want to improve my strength."
Step Two: Determine what you will do to move toward your goals. Be specific. For example: "I will do cardio exercise 4 days a week, for 30 minutes each time"; "I will circuit train with weights at least two times a week"; or "I will limit my sugary snacks to one a day."
Step Three: Make fitness a priority. Schedule time in your daily calendar for exercise. Sneak extra activities into your daily routine--park on the far side of the parking lot to walk extra steps to your destination, take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to the opposite end of campus and back between classes.
Step Four: Eat smart. Foods are neither good nor bad--balance and moderation are what is important. Start with a healthy breakfast to fill your empty tank after a long night without food. Choose snacks from different food groups.
Step Five: Keep a diary to chart your progress. Find a workout buddy to help you stay on track. Vary your routine to keep it fun. Post reminder notices. Be patient with small gains toward your goals. Don't let a slip-up cause you to throw in the towel.
More information is available at the Student Recreation Center to help with your exercise program.
Resource of the Week--University Art Gallery
The University Art Gallery in Ophelia Parrish brings original works of art to the Truman Community. At the end of each semester, Truman art majors showcase their work. In addition, each year the Gallery sponsors a juried show where artists across the country submit works for inclusion. This year's juried show is currently on display in the Gallery. The work was selected by Shannon Fitzgerald, Curator of the Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis. The show includes paintings, photographs, and short films. The 16th Annual National Art Competition is on display in the Gallery until February 24, 2006.
Quote of the Week
"The purpose of a liberal arts education is to create that marketplace, the space to debate ideas. Difficult ideas. Sometimes distasteful ideas. Ideas that make you uncomfortable. Ideas that make you stretch your mind. Because, as [Oliver Wendell] Holmes said, '[one's] mind, once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimensions.'
"To stretch, you need to be flexible. You need the ability to think, to be broad, to be creative, to be expressive. . . . But there is a price to pay for this opportunity that goes beyond the hefty tuition price tag - that price is your hard work and intellectual curiosity. That means that getting the reading done for class is the bare minimum of meeting your responsibility. You need to engage with the reading; think about it; challenge it. Figure out what it means. Consider whether you agree with it. Come to class with something thoughtful to say about it.
"The liberal arts education is heavily dependent on that marketplace of ideas. That means you have to launch your ideas into the classroom space and see who buys them. You have to listen to and consider the competing ideas that are offered.
"This is not a passive business. Without your active engagement you are cheating yourself, your classmates, and the faculty.
"You need to bring to class a genuine intellectual curiosity. Learning should be exciting. The life of the mind should be seen as an adventure. In short, you must have a genuine desire to learn, not just to get good grades."
--From We Will Nurture You Here Because We Need You Out There. A Convocation address
by Julie Charlip, Associate Professor History at Whitman College
The entire speech can be found at http://www.whitman.edu/content/news/Convocation2005Jul
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