Educational Fulfillment through Peer Outreach by William

Educational Fulfillment through Peer Outreach by William - September 2020 Scholarship Essay

Each student in college has a varied approach to learning, whether it be the method in which they study, the number of hours spent each week on homework, or even if they show up to class or not. At a certain point, some students find themselves in a 'sweet spot' where they feel comfortable in their educational goals and aspire to take the next step in their education. Due to the unprecedented situation in which we find ourselves in right now because of the global pandemic, some aspects of the traditional learning system are being approached differently. Namely, as many students move to online or remote learning, the ability to network and help each other via study groups has greatly diminished. In the past, I have struggled with communicating well with my fellow students, which is why my current goal for the remainder of the 20-21 school year is to reach out and be more vocal with my classmates, encouraging participation, creative thought processes, and peer networking.
In the modern classroom, it is often easy to stay hidden in the back, completing only the necessary assignments and going home without ever saying a word. Unfortunately, due to Covid, this has become even easier. My goal of reaching out more often is to not only stimulate my own learning, but also to attempt to reach out to those students who are not traditionally speakers in the classroom. Having a person speak to you and engage you in academic conversation is an important part of the learning process, as phrasing things in your own words can bring new perspective to a subject. Furthermore, when a student is passionate regarding a specific subject, their excitement can be infectious and spread to the other students. Hopefully, this form of engagement will not only improve my own learning process, but also the students around me.
Speaking aloud will not only encourage literal participation, but also provides each learner with the opportunity to approach a problem from a different angle. Sometimes if you cannot understand something, reading it out loud to yourself and hearing the words roll of your tongue suddenly makes you comprehend what is being said. This effect is doubled when speaking to another person and promotes a creative thinking process. As the brain is exercised through speech, different pathways may be connected in the brain causing a new perspective on a situation. This is something that I hope will improve my future academic endeavors.
Another negative aspect of online learning will be the absence of peer networking, i.e. discussing potential career paths, or even which classes to take next with your classmates. The impersonal nature of online classes heightens this problem. Therefore, I believe it is my duty to reach out to my classmates outside of classroom discussion and attempt to find common ground where a dialogue can be created. The importance of interpersonal relationships cannot be overstated and as such, it is vitally important to the learning process.
As the school year continues, my personal goal is to increase my engagement with my classmates to promote networking, creative thinking, and participation. This will hopefully improve the lives of my classmates in addition to myself, which is a win-win scenario as far as I am concerned. Furthermore, I leave you with a quote from the English philosopher Herbert Spencer
“The great aim of education is not knowledge but action.”