General Education
"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." -John F. Kennedy
These core skills will allow you to see how I have used leadership as a way to learn. I describe many challenges I had to overcome in order to meet the goals I set for myself.
Written Communication:
"The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using written text in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience."
Through South Piedmont Community College, I was able to take two writing classes. I enrolled in ENG 111 and also ENG 112. I have chosen to display my ENG 112 report about Antibiotic Resistance. By clicking the button under this text, you will be able to access my report.
My paper was focused on Pediatrics and named The Emergence of Antibiotic Resistance. The paper itself is 9 pages in length and includes a title page, abstract, main body, and sources. All of these sources are cited in APA format. The paper itself is set up in APA format with a running head, page numbers, abstract, and subtitles. The subtitles I include were Overview, Cause of Antibiotic Resistance, Awareness, Effects of Antibiotic Resistance, and Conclusion.To begin the paper, I first introduced what antibiotic resistance is in order to ensure the readers had a clear understanding. In the introduction, I addressed the problem itself and its prevalence. After introducing the problem, I then discussed what is causing antibiotic resistance. One main reason I pointed out is that antibiotics are being misused. For example, they are being prescribed for viral infections although they cannot properly treat them. The common misconception that results in this is when medical providers prescribe antibiotics to reduce symptoms instead of prescribing to treat the illness as a whole. Another reason this misconception occurs is because people are not aware of the problem. For example, parents may approach medical providers requesting antibiotics but they are unaware that the reoccurrence of antibiotics in the immune system results in resistance. For the next section of the paper, Awareness, I focused on how society is primarily unaware of the problem of antibiotic resistance. I then addressed the Effects of Antibiotic Resistance. Due to resistance, many antibiotics are actively effective in eliminating illnesses.
My first goal was to learn how to use sources effectively. In order to conduct a proper report or even to communicate, you have to know the subject matter completely. Antibiotic resistance was a topic I knew about but not completely. With this being said, I had to truly learn how to use sources in order to develop my argument as well as support it. I would not be an effective communicator if the information I was presenting were not true. I had to learn how to use sources that allowed me to communicate effectively. I had to evaluate sources to ensure their credibility and then use the information obtained to present it so that it could be communicated. In my paper, it is shown how I use sources to support my argument. I also properly give credit to the sources as seen through in-text and the citations page. In college or in the medical field, I may be asked to take on roles that require me to conduct reports. It is important I use my research skills in order to do so correctly.
My second goal was to remain focused throughout my writing with a clear defined topic. An important part of communicating is remaining focused on the topic. The point is that an effective communicator doesn’t lean away from the central topic. Instead, they create a clear and concise thesis that re-enforce throughout the entire paper. In my assignment, I identified a thesis and the topic that I would address is the problem of antibiotic resistance, specifically in pediatrics. When writing my report, I never included medical information that pertained to any other subject. I also did not include statistics that were not relevant to my point. My report shows how I remain focused on one topic throughout the paper and do not include irrelevant information that distracts the reader from my argument.
Being a high school student, I was not a very good writer and especially not at the college level. As I transition to a four-year university, I know my written communication skills are something that need to be up to par. Just from the time I enrolled in English 111 to my English 112 paper, I saw major growth. I learned to utilize sources in order to support my argument as well as to remain focused. These two goals allowed me to truly achieve the core skill for written communication. I now would say I am prepared to enter a university and utilize the writing skills I have developed.
Oral Communication:
"The learner will exchange ideas and information with others using the spoken word in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience."
Through SPCC, I was able to take a public speaking class. I enrolled in COM 231 in the fall of 2017. My purpose of this speech was to persuade the audience they should be vaccinated.
My first goal was to learn how to organize a speech. An important part of oral communication is including all aspects that are needed. For example, you don’t want a speech that keeps going back to past points or just clearly does not have the thoughts organized. I wouldn’t say "I play softball, volleyball, oh yeah my names Grace, and I used to play basketball." With this being said, I organized my speech my using a full sentence outline. I have achieved this goal because I now use organization when speaking so I can effectively communicate with the audience. This can be seen through my speech artifact because the speech flows smoothly and transitions easily from point to point.
My second goal was to learn how to deliver a speech effectively through eye contact, practice, and voice. When talking to someone, you don’t want to constantly look away. You also do not want to speak low so they cannot hear you. My goal for my oral communication core skill was to deliver a speech effectively through eye contact, practice, voice, gestures, and visuals. In my public speaking as a whole, the amount of eye contact I make with the audience has overall increased. The support for this is shown in the video. My speech was well rehearsed, increasing the effectiveness of it and reducing error. I spoke loudly and clearly, which is something I continue to do I am heard clearly by whomever I am communicating with. The video itself shows how my skills overall improved and how I met this goal. I truly did learn how to deliver a speech effectively.
Oral communication is something that is used everyday. As I begin to approach interviews for scholarships, jobs, etc., it is important I can effectively communicate. Preparation is something that I always consider to enhance my performance. When I am prepared to speak, I truly do better. I now know that when I organize my thoughts for a speech or even for an interview, I will do better. My other goal to use eye contact, practice, and voice also improved my overall quality of speaking. I now can confidently communicate with someone or an interviewer and use these skills. Although these skills were just a goal I wanted to achieve, they pushed me to be an overall better public speaker and increased my skills tremendously. I learned so much about what it takes to be an effective communicator. I can use these skills anytime I have to take on leadership roles and I have to communicate with others. After taking this course, I was chosen to speak at multiple community events. I directly used what I learned from this course in order to perform well in my leadership role. As John F. Kennedy said, "Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."
Technology:
"The learner will select and use technology to access, process, and exchange information in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience."
I enrolled in ACA 122 in fall of 2018. Creating an ePortfolio was a challenge for me in many ways. First, I had to learn how to work a technology medium I had never used before. I have never created a website using WIX, so it was definitely a challenge becoming familiar with how to work the system. It was also challenging having to meet all the criteria. ACA was only the beginning of creating the ePortfolio I would make in Humanities. I am currently enrolled in HUM 115 in the Spring of 2019.
My first goal was to use technology to access information. When creating my ePortfolio, I had to upload many images. With this being said, I had to use the Internet in order to retrieve these images. This very similar process was used when uploading my artifacts and other files. This goal was easily met because I clearly had to use technology in order to access these files and images. I also had to use technology to access the ePortfolio itself.
My second goal was to learn how to share the information. In order to create my ePortfolio, I had to learn how to work the site. This required me to learn how to use a site I knew nothing about. Since I needed to share the information, I had to completely learn how to use the WIX site. When sharing information through technology, I will have to work with different mediums I am not familiar with. Through my artifact, it shows how I used to work the site. If I had not comprehended how to work the technology, I would have not been able to share the information. I met this goal because I can use technology to share information as shown through the ePortfolio. This is a skill I use on a daily basis, and the core skill has been met as a whole.
I would say technology is present in every aspect of my everyday life. The ePortfolio pushed me out of my comfort zone and required me to use a medium that I was unfamiliar with. This push only furthered my technological abilities. I now can use my ePortfolio as a way to exchange information with others. However, this artifact is merely an example. I truly have the ability to use technology to effectively exchange information with others. I use technology on a daily basis in order to access information I may need, as well as to share the information.
I was also pushed out of my comfort zone to learn more about myself. Creating this ePortfolio has truly been an eye opener for me. I have had to learn more about myself as a learner but also as a person in general. I have been fascinated to truly connect the pieces that show who I am. Every page I have created has had significant meaning to me and allowed me to see more about myself. I am truly amazed at how one push out of my comfort zone can result in such a discovery of myself.
Critical Thinking:
"The learner will identify, interpret, analyze, or synthesize problems before developing and implementing solutions in a manner effective and appropriate for the intended audience."
In the spring of 2018, I completed MAT 172, Trigonometry. This class was unique because it was based entirely off of critical thinking skills. Throughout the entire class, I was challenged to use my skills as well as improve them.
This problem was under the section of Law of Sines. The problem shows the triangle with certain elements identified. There is a side A, Side B, and a side C. There is also an angle A, angle B, and angle C. For the first problem, I was given Side C equals 18. I was also given that angle A equals 37 and angle B equals 48. I first had to 180 minus angle A and angle B in order to find angle C. Angle C was 95 degrees. Law of Sines uses a formula similar to that of cross-multiplying. After using this method, I found side A equaled 10.9, which I rounded to 11, and found side C equaled 13. There are also two other problems that followed this very similar technique.
My first goal was to be able to identify the problem at hand. The first step to solving a problem is identifying the problem. For example, assume my phone was broken. I wouldn’t just know what was wrong with it. If I wanted to fix it, I would have to find out what was wrong or what I am trying to come up with a solution for. This is critical thinking. When something goes wrong, I have to identify what is wrong in order to identify a solution. For the math problem, I first had to identify what I was solving for. This included me asking myself questions such as what do I already know, what am I looking for, etc. I had to identify the problem at hand, which was to find side A, side C, and angle C. I have definitely met this goal in the assignment. I also believe I met this core skill as a whole. Now before suggesting solutions, I identify the problem at hand to ensure the effectiveness of the solution.
My final goal for critical thinking was to be able to provide a solution for the problem at hand. It is part of the core skill to identify the problem. However, you also have to be able to provide a solution. I had to use the proper formulas to solve this problem. This involved using a strategic method in order to do so. This problem shows my ability to provide a solution because I clearly show how I solved the problem and I identify the solution. My critical thinking skills as shown in this problem show my developed ability to provide a solution and meet this core skill as a whole.
I have always been an honors student, but sometimes I think I am not challenged enough. The course of MAT 172 truly challenged me to critically think. Sometimes, it is easy for me to get ahead of myself and jump to conclusions regarding how to solve a problem. What I have learned from critical thinking is that I must first step back and clearly identify the problem. Instead of having to use trial and error for everything, I can just provide a solution that is specific to the problem. My critical thinking skills were pushed in order to find this solution. Critical thinking is something I will need as I enter the workforce. This course pushed me to improve my critical thinking skills and to enhance my problem/solution ability.
At first, I was hesitant to enroll in this course because I knew it was going to be difficult. However, I knew it would only result in my growth as a learner. An important part of my identity is taking on those challenges that are going to better me as a student. This course was definitely something I struggled with, but I was truly able to grow as a student. I am not looking forward to the day I am not challenged because I will not grow. These challenges have played an important role in making me the student I am but also the leader I am.
Cultural Literacy:
The learner will demonstrate a “set of cognitive, affective, and behavioral skills and characteristics that support effective and appropriate interaction in a variety of cultural contexts."
For cultural literacy, I chose my Diversity Assignment from my Sociology 210 (Introduction to Sociology) course thatI completed in the spring of 2018. For this assignment, I had to conduct an interview with someone who was different than me. I included a series of questions followed by their answer. What is that person’s demographic profile? The person I chose to do is a high school senior who just transferred to our school. She is very diverse from me, as she speaks very little English. Her name is Hoang. Hoang is originally from Vietnam and she just recently came to America. I had the pleasure of meeting Hoang last semester when I was able to visit with her on some field trips.
The main element I identified as being different from me is that she is not American. In fact, she is a minority in America. I had to explain why I chose to focus on this type of Diversity. I answered by stating, “There are a lot of discussions about whether or not people should be given the opportunity to come to America. Being able to select Hoang, I will learn a lot about how America is viewed from an outsider. It is very easy to say people of other ethnicities should not be allowed to live in America, but after hearing someone’s story, your mind will probably change” (pg. 2). I had to also identify how her diversity may affect her in the workforce. I described how her language barrier might influence her ability to receive a job. For some questions and for schoolwork, Hoang has to have the questions translated. This puts her at a disadvantage when competing for jobs with Americans. I then recognized our differences including our ethnicities, age, and the language barrier. I then addressed what I learned from this interview as well as presumed stereotypes she may face on a daily basis. To conclude, I discussed what I learned from this interview and about diversity as a whole.
My first goal for cultural literacy was to increase my cognitive skills. A big part of cognitive skills is the ability to learn new information. The diversity assignment offered a lot of room for growth. Cognitive skills also allow for the understanding of new material. I increased my cognitive skills through this assignment because I learned more about diversity. I increased my overall awareness of this topic. I was able to clearly interpret the information I was given in the interview. For example, I was able to learn more about Hoang’s experience overall. I then interpreted this information to draw conclusions regarding stereotypes she faced. This is an important part of who I am as I continue to learn more everyday. I hope to be a lifelong learner and use what I learn to help myself as well as those around me.
My second goal was to be able to effectively communicate with different cultures. In society, you are not always going to be surrounded by people who are just like you. With this being said, my goal is to be able to communicate with different cultures. This is not only something I wanted to achieve for the core skill but in general. As America’s diversity increases, I want my ability to communicate with others to increase as well. For this assignment, I had to step outside of my comfort zone and communicate with someone who is very different from me. The skills I developed in order to do this only increased, and these skills will allow me to communicate with different cultures. Communicating with those who are not the same as you can be a challenge. However, overcoming challenges speaks on who you are as a person. I don't ever want to be considered as someone who fears challenges. I have possessed the ability to effectively communicate with different cultures and this challenge has only shaped me into a better person.
Being from a county that lacks diversity, I was quite unaware this aspect of my life was missing. Next year I plan to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This university is widely known for its diversity. When I was completing my diversity assignment, my goal was to increase my cognitive skills. This required me to keep an open mind and truly be open to learning. I learned so many things about diversity that I will soon be able to apply to my everyday life. My goal to effectively communicate with other cultures allowed me to develop this skill that I will forever use. The core skill cultural literacy is something I can easily apply to my everyday life. Achieving these goals pushed me to overall connect with the skill of cultural literacy. I am more than pleased to know I can truly interact with those who are culturally different than I am. This core skill was definitely challenging to meet but I used my willingness to seek challenge as a way to stay motivated and realize I was only growing from taking on this challenge.