Class Discussion Notes: 9.13.2005

“Education begins in humility- in our recognizing that we always have much to learn…” (298)

Three Points of Discussion

• Discovery learning
• Sense of community in college
• Importance of freshman experience

“Defining yourself however, I quickly learned at UT, was not about how you compare or relate to others, but rather about yourself” –Mita

What does discovery learning do for your education? What else are we looking for in our education?

• Understand better because you go through the process of figuring out what’s going on
• You never forget personal discovery, but you might forget other people’s discoveries
• Discovery learning can be initially difficulty, but very fulfilling in the long term—it takes “hammering your thoughts into unity” to discover that you have the ability- empower yourself
• At what point do we become specialized again? If we become professors, will we teach with more connections?

What has triggered your feelings of UT as home?

• You can do whatever you want whenever you want.
• There’s a universal message of hopes and fears- sharing the feelings makes you more connected with the community.
• “What has a better claim to the purest and fairest possessions of nature, than that seat of wisdom?” (315)
• Different parts of the university are different rooms in your house

Should UT cultivate more of a sense of community?

• Finding a sense of community here is more of an accomplishment than doing so at a smaller campus- it seems too easy.
• It’s about opening yourself up. With an open stance, you can absorb more things.
• Define what you can draw energy from to enhance yourself.

Should UT push everyone through discovery learning? Does it come naturally to people?

• Need a balance to be a “good member of society”
• Also need a balance between academics and social connections—if you know a lot of things but can’t share them with other people, then there’s no real point
• Have to be capable of understanding people

Are we going to “raise the intellectual tone of society” by becoming professors and researching or increase the amount of money you have?

Discovery isn’t only done through literary means, but also through practical means that we learn here.