In Which Amy Admits to "Community Learning"... (Myspace Blog)

I am taking Chemistry this semester. I am not entirely sure that my decision was a sound one, but it needed to be done considering the fact that this class is 1 of 2 that I have failed in my entire college career (The second being an English class that I never went to...) The problem? Ohmygod do I hate chemistry.

The most amusing part of the whole situation is the fact that, originally, many years ago, I wanted to be a biochemist. What was I thinking?

So, part of my chemistry class is a lab. I have a lab partner, a lab drawer, a lab book, a lab notebook, and lab glasses. I'm apparently not yet cool enough for a lab coat... I'll get there. Oh, wait... I am NEVER TAKING CHEMISTRY AGAIN! I /won't/ get there. Yay!

But I digress. Not only do I have all those nifty lab gadgets, but I also have lab reports, due weekly, over things that we have not yet learned about. Without fail, I cannot answer at least some of the questions. Without fail, neither can my lab partner or many of my other classmates. So we have invented a wonderful solution... community learning.

As a critical pedagogist, I see community learning as a valuable tool in the classroom. Put a group of peers together, give them a problem, and let them alone to solve it between themselves. However, most teachers in the college setting look down their noses at such learning environments. But it works, as shown by my 95 in this lab class. When I don't know the answer, I find someone else in the class that does. Simple.

My daughter, upon hearing this, screamed in delight, "Mom, you're cheating!" No - community learning, I tell her. "Well, does your teacher /know/ about it?" Well - no... but it is still not cheating. Community learning. Yeah.

I'm going to go share my answers now...