83 Learning Reflections
Determined to Learn (September 9, 2024)
During the quarantine days of 2020, I made up my mind that I would successfully bake French macarons. All my fellow bakers know that this is no easy feat. Besides the fact that I had not much else to do, I think the challenge of it being notoriously difficult pushed me to take it on. I had previous baking knowledge of how to make cookies and cakes, but often just baked as a stress reliever. I could nail a great brown butter chocolate chip cookie, but macarons are a more meticulous dessert. In order to learn how to make them, I started by using the resources I’ve known to be helpful in the past: TikTok and Pinterest. Now, I know these are not reliable sources, but if I wanted to learn about something about chemistry for example, I would consult a textbook or well-known database. So, I learned how to make a macaron from reading many different types of recipes. I started with making smores macarons. They tasted good, but did not have that perfect shiny top that I wanted, so I went back to the drawing board. I learned that the almond flour I was using was not fine enough, so I bought a new one and tried again. For some reason the next ones stuck to the baking mat. I tried one last time and made some pretty perfect raspberry macarons. In this example of me learning, I started with consulting resources and then had to go through some trial and error to reach my learning goal. I would have continued to make failed batches of macarons until they came out to my liking. This aligns with my learning style, as a consistently will work towards my learning goal until I feel it is completed.
What I Know About Active Listening
Active listening is truly being present in a conversation and having an open and comfortable space for the person you are talking to be able to express their feelings freely. This includes setting aside your feelings, worries, and distractions to place your full focus on the individual you are listening to. It is also important to not interrupt, but ask clarifying questions during active listening to let the person know you are understanding what they are saying and feeling.
I first practiced active listening in class where I talked to a classmate about her struggle with anxiety. I could definitely relate to how she was feeling during the experience she was telling me about, but did not want to interrupt and talk about my own experience. This conversation was not about me. It was for the person I was listening to feel heard. I wanted to validate how she was feeling in that moment by just being a supporter through listening.
My brother recently started his freshman year of classes at the University of Western Michigan. I decided to reach out and check up on him because I know how hard it can be to move away from home and make new friends at an unfamiliar place. I also know that it can be difficult for my little brother to share his emotions, so I tried to be very understanding and give him the time to share his mind. He shared that he is having a tough time fitting in with people and finding his group. I made sure to be attentive and paraphrase to make sure he understood that I was truly listening. Although it’s hard not to be upset when my brother is going through something challenging, it felt refreshing to be able to hear his true feelings. I think being fully focused and actively listening to him, made him want to show a side of him that I hadn’t seen much before. The only challenge I had with this interaction was wanting to interrupt and tell him that things will be ok and that it’s only the beginning of a new period of his life. Reflecting on what people told me my freshman year, I would always be frustrated when they would tell me just give it some time. That felt like they were ignoring my current feelings, and I did not want my brother to feel the same way. So instead I listened and showed my support.
The second time I tried active listening was during a conversation with my boyfriend. He knows that most of the time when we are on the phone in the evening, I will be busy doing homework while we talk. However, this time I decided to take a break from my studying to listen to his plans to apply for his master’s program. I’m not sure if he noticed that anything was different because most of the time when he is telling stories I try to stay quiet until he is done talking. While actively listening, I noticed that he was nervous when talking about his application. I’m not sure I would have picked up on this if my full attention wasn’t focused on him and I was doing homework.
The last time I tried active listening this weekend was with my roommate. She is in pharmacy school and has her first exam this Monday. She came into my room and sat in my bed in clear distress, so I dropped my homework and focused my attention on her. I actively listened to her concerns and when she slowed down with her venting, I validated her feelings. I knew that at that moment, she didn’t need a solution, but instead just needed someone to really listen to her. So that’s what I did. She seemed very appreciative and even thanked me for listening.
Through learning about active listening and participating in it, I have come to know that listening is not just about responding. It is about giving the person the space to speak and open up. So much more can be learned about a person if you gain their trust by listening and not speaking. I will continue to actively listen in class, to my friends, and at my future career. Active listening will help me develop so many important skills like empathy, trust, focus, patience, and understanding- all of which will deepen my connections with people and strengthen my relationships.
Art Heals
I had never heard of VTS before taking this class. However, thinking retrospectively, I have probably engaged in similar exercises within a classroom setting without labeling it VTS. In some of the history classes I’ve taken, we have had homework assignments where we were tasked to look at a detailed image individually and then share our thoughts the next day in class. I always found this exercise so interesting because after sitting down and thinking deeply about the image, there were always so many things that my classmates would bring up that never even crossed my mind. I find it very intriguing that VTS can be used to enhance critical thinking especially within health students. VTS allows for these students and others to examine past the surface level image to question their beliefs and come up with a story from the visuals. Not only does it cause us to think harder individually, but it also encourages communication and a collaborative environment where everyone’s thoughts can work together for a more whole understanding.
In class VTS was utilized by first looking at the painting, “Anarcha with Dr. J. Marion Sims.” We started by just writing things we observed. I wrote a few things, but most of them were on the basic end of the observations such as “there are two women hiding behind a curtain.” We then looked deeper and tried to write why certain aspects of the painting were depicted the way they were. This evoked more critical thinking where I began to think about the people’s pasts. For example, on my note card I wrote down that I noticed that “the men are positioned as far away as possible from the patient; possibly in fear of getting sick.” The more time we looked at this photo, the more we got out of it which is what VTS is all about. It’s one thing to read about the history of gynecology procedures with black women, but it’s a whole new layer to look through art.
We then visited the MERF and got to look at all of its interesting architecture and interior design. One of the biggest standouts for me was the pods for medical students. These pods’ glass windows were covered in paintings pertaining to their names. Inside of them, you could see students hanging out together while enjoying food or studying. The murals outside of the pods make for an extremely welcoming atmosphere. In this situation, this art and interior design structure aims to make medical school less stressful and reduce burnout. Art can have a profound impact on not only patients but people going through stressful times in general such as medical students. The MERF is designed to be a welcoming environment that promotes student learning. Another standout was the circular images on the side of the building closest to Newton Road. These images turned complicated scientific research into art that catches the eye of anyone walking past this building. In this case, the artistic approach tells another story that you may not have gotten from just reading a research paper on the study.
Reflecting on AI
Since last year, AI has slowly crept its way into my learning. At first, I was so against using it due to academic dishonesty concerns. I feel like many professors in the beginning were very strict on banning the use of AI. This made sense as many students intended to copy and paste all of their essays at first. After some hesitation, I first used AI to study for an exam. One of my favorite things to do is type out all of my notes and go through my lectures then ask AI to come up with a practice exam for me. While they are almost never like what the actual exam is like, I can usually gauge how much I know the content.
My use of AI dramatically increased this year. However, now I use it in a few more ways. In high school, I would use only Grammarly to check my writing, but now I only use AI for this. I feel as though it is more accurate and goes deeper than just spell checking and checking punctuation. When first using this feature, AI just sent me back a revised version of my paper. After this, I learned that I had to be more specific and tell it to write out what revisions it had made, this way I can review the changes as well aslearn from my mistakes. AI has also made my writing smoother as I use it to find words that I cannot think of or get synonyms quickly. As a stem major taking organic chemistry lab, I also use it to analyze my data. For example, after synthesizing a compound and obtaining an infrared spectrum (with peaks of different absorbance), I will ask AI what the expected absorbance peaks of the target compound should be and then cross reference that with my results. This is how AI can ensure accuracy in my lab setting. Another use of AI that I find extremely helpful is using it to summarize readings. I will still do the readings, but I supplement it with AI to help me understand what the main points were and see if I was missing any major topics. I do not replace AI with reading because I realize its limitations in that it is not always the most accurate and can leave out some details.
I had already heard about Notebook LM before talking about it in class and recognized how helpful it can be. I had seen a Tik Tok about it and decided to try it out. I inserted my organic chemistry notes and asked it to turn it into a podcast. I know that organic chemistry would be hard to make into a subject you can just talk about as it is a very visual subject, but I was curious about how it would work. I was actually impressed on how it turned it into a more conceptual summary of my notes. Although this would not be the only thing I would use to study it was a good passive way to study. I now use Notebook LM to make podcasts about my lectures and listen to them when I am doing other things such as working at my research job. Within this class, it has been very refreshing to see a professor that embraces the use of AI, and it has taught me to be more confident in utilizing it as a resource to supplement learning, not just do the learning for me. It’s important to recognize that AI should not be the only source you use and should not replace all thought within schoolwork, but it can be useful in supporting learning through enforcing concepts or checking work. This comes from noticing that AI is not always the best first option. It has limitations including that the information it gives is not always accurate (this is why it’svery important to fact check). Another thing that my classmates and I recognized was that the podcasts Notebook LM madegot repetitive. This is a good thing when reviewing lecture content as it can reinforce topics, but when simply trying to understand an article, this can get annoying. Learning how to effectively navigate AI by using the right prompts and features at the right time is key to making the most of it.
Semester in Review
Before taking this class, my studying in college had primarily focused on healing through a medicinal, biological, and chemical approach. While this has its benefits, I have come to realize the importance of addressing the whole person and exploring other forms of healing, such as music, art, and different types of media. I particularly enjoyed exploring the therapeutic potential of music, especially through my paper and dj statement on music related to suicide. I discussed how these songs can provide hope to the intended audience including people who struggle with suicidal thoughts and the loved ones of those individuals. Another aspect of this class I’ve deeply appreciated is the opportunity to reflect on the projects and work I’ve completed. Reflection wasn’t something I often did in my other classes, but I’ve learned that it helps me solidify the concepts I’ve written about. I hope to incorporate this practice, at least mentally, into my other courses because I’ve seen how valuable it is to assess what I did well and what I could improve. This reflective process has been a central part of our learning and has reinforced key concepts for me.
