As many of us are going through finals this week, I make a point to urge my students to use their winter vacation as a time for self-evaluation. I know we all want to let our brains relax and start forgetting everything we just learned, but that's a bad idea, and it's not what smart people do.
Smart people look back over what was just accomplished, and they evaluate what worked, what didn't, and what might be improved for next time. Businesses do it, schools do it, and even some couples do it. My wife and I have a sit-down each year and discuss how things are going and what we'd like to do in the coming year. So what does this reflection look like for students?
It means asking some tough questions. "I took my cell phone to class each day. How did that work out for me? Did it make me smarter in that class?" (Science says the answer is certainly no.) "I had my earbuds in whenever I wrote essays this semester. How did that work out for me? Did they help me become a good writer?" (Science, again, says no.) "I missed six class sessions this semester because I don't like mornings. How did that work out for me? Did I get smarter by skipping class?" (No...just, no.) "I was prideful and neglected to visit a tutor when I was struggling. How did that work out for me. Did I get smarter this semester?" You get the idea.
Not to get too far into self-help cliche, but it's true: if you keep doing the same things, you'll probably get the same results. If you found yourself frustrated in class this fall, did you make a plan to fix it? Do you have a plan to fix it in the spring? That's how life works. Make a plan, do a plan, evaluate the plan. If you don't self-evaluate, how can you ever know how to improve? How can you ever know what works and what doesn't?
If you want to be smarter, if you want to be more successful, you must constantly examine where you have been, where you are, and where you are going. If you don't reflect, you can't plan. If you can't plan, you can't go anywhere.
Before you get too deep in turkey and egg-nog, look back over the semester. Challenge yourself to be honest. Make a plan for improving. That's what smart people do. And there's no better gift you could give yourself this Christmas.
Smart people look back over what was just accomplished, and they evaluate what worked, what didn't, and what might be improved for next time. Businesses do it, schools do it, and even some couples do it. My wife and I have a sit-down each year and discuss how things are going and what we'd like to do in the coming year. So what does this reflection look like for students?
It means asking some tough questions. "I took my cell phone to class each day. How did that work out for me? Did it make me smarter in that class?" (Science says the answer is certainly no.) "I had my earbuds in whenever I wrote essays this semester. How did that work out for me? Did they help me become a good writer?" (Science, again, says no.) "I missed six class sessions this semester because I don't like mornings. How did that work out for me? Did I get smarter by skipping class?" (No...just, no.) "I was prideful and neglected to visit a tutor when I was struggling. How did that work out for me. Did I get smarter this semester?" You get the idea.
Not to get too far into self-help cliche, but it's true: if you keep doing the same things, you'll probably get the same results. If you found yourself frustrated in class this fall, did you make a plan to fix it? Do you have a plan to fix it in the spring? That's how life works. Make a plan, do a plan, evaluate the plan. If you don't self-evaluate, how can you ever know how to improve? How can you ever know what works and what doesn't?
If you want to be smarter, if you want to be more successful, you must constantly examine where you have been, where you are, and where you are going. If you don't reflect, you can't plan. If you can't plan, you can't go anywhere.
Before you get too deep in turkey and egg-nog, look back over the semester. Challenge yourself to be honest. Make a plan for improving. That's what smart people do. And there's no better gift you could give yourself this Christmas.